First Time Skiing: When Life Gets in the Way of Marathon Training

Andrew Caine
Feb 22
3 min read

I spent this week on a ski trip in New Hampshire with my brother and his family.

First time on skis. First time hitting the slopes.

And a week where marathon training took a backseat to making memories.

Here's what went down.

The Plan vs. Reality

Let me be honest—I knew going into this week that I wouldn't be able to stick to my training plan exactly.

But sometimes you have to let life get in the way. And when that life involves watching your niece and nephew play ice hockey, attempting your first ski lesson, and spending time with family you don't see often enough—you let it happen.

I missed gym sessions. I missed a couple of runs. But I created memories that'll last a lifetime.

In the grand scheme of things? Missing a week in the gym and 1-2 runs isn't going to derail my marathon prep. It's all good.

Learning to Ski (Or Trying To)

Monday: First ever ski lesson at Loon Mountain. Started on the bunny hill tackling the Sarsaparilla green route. Built confidence throughout the day and finished on the Snubber route feeling like I'd actually achieved something.

Tuesday: Feeling overconfident, I attempted harder slopes at Timber Town—Chipper, Side Winder, Escape Route greens, plus a blue route.

Failed miserably. Even got hit into by another skier.

Humbling day.

Wednesday: Back to Loon Mountain for another lesson to rebuild confidence. Crushed the Snubber route again, then headed back to Timber Town to tackle the routes I'd struggled with the day before.

Much better success this time.

Thursday: Final day of skiing. Started at Timber Town completing all the blue routes, then finished strong at Loon Peak skiing down from 2,733 feet.

What a way to end the trip.

The Scary Part

There were tons of scary moments on the slopes.

I didn't have full control of my skills. I couldn't stop when I wanted to. Couldn't turn where I wanted to. Couldn't control my speed properly.

It was difficult. Really difficult.

And that's the thing—physically, I knew I'd eventually get the hang of it. But mentally?

That was the real challenge.

Having the resilience to keep trying when everything feels against you. When you're falling. When you're getting hit into. When every turn feels unstable.

That's a test of mental strength.

And that mental strength is exactly what I'll need during marathon training. And on race day when my legs are screaming and my brain is telling me to stop.