The Chasqui Blog
Meet Ambassador Walter Rhein
Posted on Nov 8, 2011
We want to welcome Walter Rhein as Inca Runners' newest Ambassador!
Walter is an accomplished cross-country skier and cyclist. His passion for sports have led him to compete in the grueling American Birkebeiner (a.k.a Birkie) for almost a decade now. The Birkie is America's biggest cross country race (50k), and is held in Hayward, Winconsin. Walter also had the chance to travel with Ambassador Martin Koukal in an epic trip on the Inca Trail last July.
In this post, Walter shares his thoughts on why his experience on the Inca Trail has been great training for his upcoming races and becoming a better skier.
The Inca Trail is Great Birkie Training
by
Walter Rhein
Forty pounds ago, I used to be a hungry Birkie skier with aspirations for the elite wave. These days I'm no longer hungry, and working as a gourmet restaurant promoter in Peru have sent my aspirations to a “just survive the event” type level. However, my little excursion on the Inca Trail with Roberto Carcelen and Martin Koukal last summer has me dreaming once again of marvelous, silent speed.
For those of you who don't know, the American Birkebeiner is the largest ski race in North America. My history with the event goes back several decades (most of which has been outlined in my novel “Beyond Birkie Fever,” worth checking out, just ask Roberto!).
This year, I'll be completing the grueling 50 km event for the 10th time, and although a decade of Birkies might seem like a lot, it pales in comparison with what my mom's done (I think she's aiming at number 27 this year).
I'd been living in Peru for the last ten years, and with every year that went by I found myself dreaming more and more of my return to some nice, hard-packed, groomed ski trails. Two years ago, my wife finally got her visa approved, and we made the arduous move from Lima to Chippewa Falls, WI. You can all probably imagine how happy my wife was that first winter. Our conversations went something like this:
Zulma (mid October): “This is the coldest it's going to get right?”
Me: “My dear, it's 57 degrees out.”
Zulma: “It's freezing!”
Me: “Well, technically, freezing is 32 degrees, we'll be hitting that in November probably.”
Zulma: “What do you mean freezing?”
Me: “I mean all the lakes will turn to ice...you know...that stuff you put in your drinks.”
Zulma: “What happens to the fish?”
Me: “Uh....”
Zulma: “But freezing is the coldest it's going to get right?”
Me: “Uh...well...we'll probably have a few days below zero...”
Zulma: “What! How many?”
Me: “Not more than thirty, and it will never get down to much more than -60.”
Yes, it's hard to put a positive spin on a Wisconsin winter, unless you love skiing. However, I found my triumphant return to the Birkie wasn't quite so triumphant. Those hills are always tough, but they're way tougher when you're carrying an extra 40 lbs. I got placed in the 5th wave after my showing at the Pre-Birkie, and I haven't been able to move up since then.
To be fair, I find it's tougher to find the training time when you're closing in on forty and chasing a toddler around. I used to log in five to six hundred hours a year when I was in my glory days, last year I did the event on about 230.
But this is where the Inca Trail can help you.
During my Inca trail trip with Roberto and Martin, I was able to log about 60 quality training hours in the two weeks we were out there. This number would be a lot less for people of a higher fitness, but for me it was just the catapult I needed. If you can get away for that solid training camp during the summer, you've essentially set your base, and now you have something to build on.
Upon my return to the US I went straight into roller-skiing and I'm finding that I've kind of reached that “tipping point” where the training hours come easier and the weight comes off. From experience I know that I'm well on the way to having one of those “breakthrough” years where you actually move up a bit and see progress from your efforts (as opposed to just treading water).
Doing the Inca Trail is the best kind of training camp. It gets you out of your routine/rut, and it's such an amazing and spectacular place that you aren't even really aware of how hard you're pushing yourself. I'm really psyched how much that trip is still paying dividends four months later, and I'm pumped to line up at the start of the Birkie with Inca power in my legs! I guarantee I'll be doing everything I can to put the Inca trail on my schedule every year, I hope to see all of you there and in Cable at the end of February!
Bio:
Walter Rhein is the author of “Beyond Birkie Fever,” a novel about how cross-country skiing can change your life. For more information, check out FreshAirAthlete.com. Walter also blogs with the gold folks at CyclovaXC.com!
