I haven’t been skiing in five years. I was 23 the last time we went. At the time, I was working at a pizza restaurant, Shakespeare’s Pizza. The job required me to be on my feet all day, staying very active and mobile. I wasn’t necessarily “in shape” like I had been in high school, when I played soccer year round. But I was in shape enough to be able to brave the slopes with confidence and energy.

This time, not so much. I’ve been at my current job for almost three and a half years. It’s a wonderful place to work, and it challenges me in a way I never expected I could be challenged (I mean that in a good way – challenging yourself is the only way to make yourself grow). But it’s also a job where I sit at a computer for 8 hours a day. As you can imagine, I’m merely a shadow of my 23 year old self.

We headed out to Frisco, CO for a quick 3 day ski trip this past weekend. I haven’t been to Colorado since that last ski trip five years ago, so I was thrilled to get into the mountains again. Colorado is one of my favorite places in the U.S., and I need to make sure to not let five years go by before I see it again.

By the end of the first day, I felt like I’d been tumbled in a washing machine. I was convinced I would wake up the next day stiff as a board, unable to continue on with the trip. I loaded up on Gatorade and ibuprofen, and when the next day came I was surprised to find my legs partially recovered. It was clear I couldn’t pull off the intricate, energy-draining tree skiing or double blacks I could in my youth. But I could at least make it almost an entire day of skiing relatively difficult and challenging terrain. I had to stop and rest a little more and a little longer, but I was still able to enjoy the trip and come back alive. Mostly.