The Five Hundred Dollar Workout

We went rollerskiing today. My first day rollerskiing with Marcus Derek.  Something seemed so familiar about all of it.

Sigurd & Espen

I'm sure if you're reading this you've already heard about our 314er fundraising program, in which we are asking people to contribute $1,000 to keep our Seawolf Ski Team alive and well into the future.  Well, at the rate Marcus Derek is going, your 314er contribution would cover the cost of about two of his workouts.  During the warmup, he stuck his ski pole in between the wooden decking slats of a pedestrian bridge and snapped the pole.  Apparently, wood is stronger than carbon fiber. Fortunately, we were very close to Marcus Derek's house, so he was able to stop in and grab a replacement before we started our intervals.  All the same, it was an expensive lesson.

Tuva, Helen & Tuva

On interval number one, I was taking video of Marcus Derek when I heard a "snap!" and Derek started looking down at his left leg.  No, his left leg hadn't broken, but it was almost as bad. His rollerski had broken. And those things aren't cheap. One thing we found out: Fischer Carbon Lite rollerskis, though they appear on the outside to be made of carbon fiber, do not appear to have very much actual carbon fiber in them. The moment of truth is captured in the video below:

So for the remainder of the workout, Marcus Derek had to make the switch from skating to classic, because I was on my classic rollerskis and didn't have any skaters to lend him. (And Marcus Derek can thank Seawolf Lasse Mølgaard-Nielsen for that, because Lasse gave me his Swenor rollerskis when he left town and I've been gratefully using them for UAA workouts ever since.  Thanks again, Lasse!)

Uno, Helen & Dos

note: No, your 314er contribution does not go toward the purchase of athletes' rollerskis and poles. They buy their own stuff.