Badger State Games Quadrathlon Progress…

It’s just about a month before I’ll “lace em up” for the 2008 Badger State Games Quadrathlon. About a month ago I purchased the snow shoes and the cross country skis that I’ll need to compete.

The Quadrathlon is made up of a 5k Run, 5k Mountain Bike, 5k Snow Shoe, and a 5k Cross Country Skiing.



Run:

As long as the roads are clear of snow, the run should not be a problem.

Mountain Bike:

The bike ride should be pretty short and easy if it is done on the roads. If the bike ride is on the snow covered trails, well, this will be a bit harder.

Snow Shoes:

I have run a couple of times with the snow shoes and have had no problems. The key with the shoes is to pace myself so that I don’t burn the legs out too early. I’m hoping that most of the trail will be groomed, which makes running in the shoes much easier. I found that once I got into the grove of the shoes, then I could set a nice pace – just like road running.

Cross Country Skis:

The Cross Country Skis will certainly be my weakest event. I have been out on the skis about 5 times so far and plan on doing more skiing in the month of January. Today we went out on some trails and all felt good. I was able to get into the “glide” of the ski pretty good. The problem will be mainly on the up hills, down hills, and the turns. Even though I have been downhill skiing most of my life, the cross country skis are a bit harder going down hills and certainly turning corners.

I still have a month left to practice, but I’m guessing that I may end up in last place overall (based on prior year Quadrathlon results). My only hope is that the turnout is larger than other years.