Initially, I chose Stretch. I thought about Reach. You can spot a trend here. They all have in common a theme of growth, meeting new people, trying new things, learning new skills, and pushing out of my comfort zone.
That went so well that I’ve signed up for skating lessons. Sarah and I both think we need them after a wonderful weekend at Arrowhead, Sam’s winter weekend triathlon, where the cross-country skiing and the snowshoeing went very smoothly, but the skating not so much. It turns out, that for us at least, skating isn’t like riding a bike. And even riding a bike might not be like that for you.
Starting Tuesday evenings in April, we’re signed up for Skate Canada learn-to-skate here in Guelph at the rink near Exhibition Park.
“Nordic combined is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The competition begins with a jump from a hill – rather them than me – before doing a 10km cross-country race later that same day. Whoever wins the first jump competition starts the race with a time of 00:00:00, whereas all other athletes start with a time disadvantage based on their scores in the first jump.Then, like how most races work, the first to cross the line wins.”
Why no women? Some say not enough audience, others say not enough countries could take part, or not enough women are ready for the event… there are many different reasons given, but it seems to me the principle of equal access in sports ought to trump those reasons. If both men and women can’t compete, then we ought not to include the sport in the Olympics.
“In 2022, I was somewhere over the Atlantic, flying home from a training camp in Slovenia and watching a live broadcast as the president of the International Olympic Committee announced decisions for the 2026 Games. I kept refreshing the livestream as it buffered and froze (the overpriced Wi-Fi was pretty wonky), waiting for him to reveal the plans for Nordic combined. I was barely blinking, barely breathing. Minutes felt like hours. I kept checking, thinking maybe I’d missed something. But the truth is it would not have mattered if I had missed his announcement. Of course, I didn’t miss it. Even worse, l knew what the IOC president would say even before he completed the sentence: Women wouldn’t be included in Nordic combined racing in the 2026 Winter Games.”
“Sports federations, advocacy groups and athletes all say Nordic combined, while niche, has grown in recent years — especially at the youth level — and are lobbying for the IOC to include it in 2030.
The IOC says it will conduct a full evaluation after the 2026 Olympics in order to make a “decision on the inclusion of Nordic Combined for men and women” in 2030 — meaning it’s possible Nordic combined could be removed from the roster altogether. It is expected to make a decision at its annual meeting in June.”
This year we’re celebrating it, the sunny snowy days anyway. For three weekends in a row, we played in the snow between work things.
I’ve spent the past couple of weeks away in Ottawa at academic administrators’ conferences. Week 1 was the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) Development for Deans meeting. Week 2 was Higher Education Strategy Associate’s Re:University meeting. It’s been a very busy January and so this blog post is more photo essay than anything.
An ode to playing in the snow!
Weekend one was Sarah, Mallory, and me at Arrowhead and Limberlost on skis, skates, and snowshoes. It was snowy and warm, like almost too warm, just below freezing.
Weekend two Sarah and I spent at the farm between Ottawa conferences. Mallory and friends visited and so did Susan and Jeff. It was a bit strange weather-wise. In this part of Canada, we associate snow with lake effect snow, and that usually happens when it’s not that cold. When it gets really cold, people say it’s too cold to snow. Not this winter. As our weather changes, with climate change, we’re having overlap between days when there are record-breaking cold temperatures and record-breaking amounts of snow. What’s that mean? Toronto had -25 (feels like -35) and 60 cm of snow in 24 hours. Ouch!
And I find I can’t even begin to write about our outdoorsy fitness activities without mentioning the horrors of the fascist government south of us.
I’m also very aware these days that although this blog is based in Canada and almost all of our bloggers are Canadian (Catherine and Mina are in the United States), the majority of our readers are American.
So this post flip flops between what we’re doing and what’s going on, because that’s kind of how my life feels these days.
Some normal life and life activities, working and working out, cooking, and playing cards with friends and family alternating with reading, watching, and listening to political news that’s pretty horrifying. I’m thinking of American friends and colleagues with love and fear.
I’ve been away working in Ottawa last week and will be there this week too. Sarah and I are spending time in the middle at the farm. We were with family and some of Mallory’s friends here on the weekend.
Saturday was freezing cold. Sunday was a snowstorm.
And in the midst of it all ICE shot and killed a young nurse who was helping a woman during the protests in Minneapolis. Alex Pretti, 37, was pushed to the ground and shot 10 times. We’re all horrified.
So it was a fun weekend but it was also a hard weekend as we worry about what’s happening in the United States.
Saturday was so cold that I considered staying in. But I also felt the need to get outside in nature, in the fresh air, in the sun, no matter how cold it was. So we went for a hike in our snow shoes and even though it was pretty chilly, I felt better afterwards. Sun helps. Movement helps. Company helps.
I understand why the people of Minnesota are outside protesting in the cold temperatures. I’d be there too.
We’ve also been cooking lots of familiar comfort food: veggie chili and cornbread, general tsao tofu and rice with broccoli, scrambled eggs, French toast, soup and grilled cheeses.
Also, I read this in The Atlantic about what’s going on politically in the United States: “Yes, It’s Fascism: Until recently, I thought it a term best avoided. But now, the resemblances are too many and too strong to deny.”
And here’s a photo of Sarah, Susan, Mallory, and me frolicking in the snow.
One of the social media threads that made me smile this weekend was people listing online communities that don’t normally talk about politics that are now full of angry anti-ICE speeches. From road cycling reddits, and nail polish sites, to porn user groups, and bird watching forums, people are saying that enough is enough.
If you want to do something to help the people of Minnesota, but you’re not sure what, here’s a list of places to donate.
“Minnesota is under occupation by federal agents from ICE and CBP, and we need your support. Across Minnesota, ICE continues to stop, harass, and detain people regardless of their citizenship status. Normal life in Minnesota has been interrupted, as schools have been forced to close or go virtual, as people live in fear of leaving their homes or going to work. Minnesotans are organized and activated to respond to this violence. But they need our help. “
I shared a picture of my mother and me walking our dogs in a snow storm the other day and a friend commented, “You love winter so much lol.” (Okay, it wasn’t just any friend. It was one you know, the blog’s Cate.)
I’d also been sharing pictures of me riding to work in the snow.
And this week, I’ve been snowshoeing and winter hot tubbing.
The thing is I don’t think of myself as someone who loves winter. Last year I was happy to skip it entirely and spend the coldest, snowiest two months in New Zealand.
And yet, there are some things about our winter weather that definitely make me smile.
😊 I love clear sunny days with blue skies and bright white snow.
😊 I love how the cold encourages movement. There’s no temptation to stand around. I once complained about being cold riding to work and one of the very serious cyclists in my department said I wasn’t working hard enough. I couldn’t believe he said that, and yet now, I think about how right he is. Winter exercise is all about move it, move it!
😊 Increasingly, it’s our summer weather that scares me. It’s often too hot to ride bikes and we have hot, humid stretches that just aren’t suiatble for very much in the way of outdoor exercise. Swimming yes, but cycling now. Add to that smoke from the now common forest fires north and west of us, and summer no longer feels like the favorite season I used to know and love.
😊 I think myself as someone who is not that body conscious and who doesn’t worry too much about the way I look, and yet winter layers for outdoor exercise are cosy and comforting.
😊 Cold weather exercise in the snow also appeals to the Canadian in me. Snow shoeing is part of our national identity. I feel very Canadian outside in the snow and I like that.
This year is the first Christmas of being empty nesters. Our youngest is in British Columbia. Our eldest is over for a couple days. His beloved is on military deployment. So it’s just the 3 of us and we are finding new traditions.
Last night we had Tortiére, a savory meat pie, mashed potatoes and green beans. We made homemade apple fritters in the air fryer. Not too shabby. It’s a nod to the French Canadian tradition of Réveillon, celebrating the start of the holidays with food and family.
Today we are having turkey, wild rice & apricot stuffing, sweet potato casserole, bronzed onions and cranberry sauce.
If we get real ambitious we will make Cracker Candy. It’s a quick and easy dessert where the butter and sugar candy is poured over saltines and topped with chocolate and pecans.
One thing that is definitely on our agenda is giving Lucy and ourselves a good walk.
Our neighbourhood is quiet with students gone home for the holidays and many people traveling. It’s like we have the city to ourselves. I enjoy the peaceful, unhurried way everyone is going about the day.
Lucy the dog sits patiently by the door waiting for a walk.
As part of doing things differently this year there’s no alcohol involved. In previous years we’d have wine with meals and cocktails in the evenings. I’m surprised that I’m not missing it.
We’ve scaled way back on gifts as we are investing in house renovations next month. It’s a big change but one that feels good and aligned with what we really want.
Snowy walks are better in Santa hats. Nat and Michel smile while dressed in warm jackets covered in snow.
If where you are has today as a holiday I hope you are getting the day you need. I hope it includes the perfect balance of fitness, family and fun.
You read the story in Canadian Cycling here. Here’s the short version, “Cyclists in Guelph, Ont. are bracing for a slippery winter after the city council approved a budget that removes winter maintenance from on-street, raised and protected bike lanes. Multi-use paths will still be plowed, but only to sidewalk standards. The decision, passed 7-6 at a special council meeting on Nov. 26, means all painted bike lanes, curb-protected lanes and boulevard cycle tracks will be closed each winter via bylaw, with no snow or ice clearing until spring. Signs will be posted to alert the public.”
Tonight I’ll be joining some other winter cyclists in the city on a protest ride. I don’t like winter riding in the dark so much, but don’t worry I’ll have all my lights on.
Here’s my happy winter bike commuting face, and my bike!
I was shoveling my driveway on Wednesday. It was after my morning walk with Michel, my immortal beloved, and Lucy, hellhound, when I had a slip and fall.
It was sudden. I was upright shoveling and then on the ground. I’m sure I yelled.
I landed on my right hip and shoulder. Imagine a panda bear rolling around, that was me.
I got up, dusted off my pants and headed inside. I was embarrassed and mad. There was ice from the previous day under the fresh powder. A classic formula for slipping.
It’s been a few days. I’m sore but nothing serious. My socials have photos of friends with broken arms or other tales. One involved a brain bleed. They are recovering. But. Wow. Falling is not nothing.
I’ve been working on my balance. It involves deliberately using my peripheral vision, core strength and practicing my balance in a variety of settings. It’s really helped.
But it is icy and I’m out in it, biking and walking.
A friend offered her strategies for avoiding falling. We know these things well.
The penguin shuffle, where you are slightly forward and take small steps.
Wearing grippy footwear and adding crampons (little spiked overshoes).
I occasionally break out my hiking poles.
Strength and flexibility should help me stay relatively injury free. I credit learning barrel rolls in roller derby to my good outcome.
If you go down like a rodeo clown rolling helps disperse the energy.
Here’s to staying Rollie Ollie this winter!
A penguin being very skilled at walking in slippery conditions.
It’s been an extremely warm fall and while I’ve enjoyed it, it’s also felt very climate-doomy. Now the warm weather is coming to an end and I’m thinking about winter riding.
I didn’t ever think I’d say this, but I miss the snow. ❄️
I’ve struggled to like winter for years. It wasn’t until I discovered running and cross country skiing and later, fat biking, that I came to enjoy winter. I needed to keep moving and stay warm. But those activities require snow, and we’re getting fewer and fewer snowy days.
Our Australian relatives visited over the Christmas holidays, hoping for snow, but we had to drive them far enough north to where they were making snow so we could go tubing.
I know that in the grand scheme of climate change and environmental disasters, my personally missing snow is small potatoes.
But still, I may need to find a new approach to winter physical and mental health.
Cross country skiing and fat biking friends, how are you coping?
