RR day 2

We have challenging conditions today - at time skiing in the clouds, so there is a light drizzle (of rain) which means it is above zero. For me, this means that I cannot see very well because I need to wear glasses all the time. At times I was basically skiing more or less blind - if my skis made a continuous "shhh" noise, then I am in the track, and a crackling noise means in the track!

Fortunately I solved this problem - I had some anti-mist stuff in my rucksack so I was able to get it at the lunch stop. Day 2 lunch stop is one of my favourite - a hearty soup with great chunks of salmon; this is served round a fire in a Samu (Lapp) tent. A coffee and a sweet bun and I was ready to continue.

I always wondered if I could manage to keep up when skiing conditions are not so good. Now I now the answer - I may have dropped back when I couldn't see where I was going, but later found myself catching up. I discovered a new skiing technique near the end - the "parallel half plough"! To slow myself, I stepped one ski out of the track intending to angle it and slow myself down, but found to my surprise that the drag from the ski on the soft snow was more than enough to slow me without the plough.

Some of the downhills were more challenging than usual through a lack of snow remaining. Grip was not easy for many people - what works on snow doesn't work on ice or water. I decided that the professional had probably done the best compromise on my waxing. So when it didn't grip on ice, I stepped out onto the snow where I had a good grip. Various people tried "zero" no-wax skis - these are ones designed to work only around 0C and are different to my waxless skis. My skis were gliding a treat today, so I decided that gained much more from this than what I was losing in grip on occasions

I finished the day a better skier than I started the day. The legs are holding up well, as is my endurance, although I am pacing myself carefully. I ended the day with a big smile - I rose to the challenge of difficult conditions and could easily have skied further.

I am also reliably told that if I double pole for 6 hours a day for a month, I will have a flat stomach.
 I burned just under 4,000 calories in 8 hours - cross country skiing at my average pace burns 500 calories per hour at an average heart rate (today) of 107 - not bad, considering the hills we had. At my age, 4000 calories is more than I should eat in two days. The energy gels seem to be working out - I used three today in 8 hours - one in the morning and two in the afternoon at rest stops. These provide a fairly instant boost of energy just at the times I need it and it may be a contributing factor to feeling less exhausted after each day.

So far, so good. The real test will be can I do day 4 (87km) and finish before it is dark? This would be a first for me - not completing the day, but finishing before total darkness.