Morning skate, bitches! Why weren’t you there?

But first, yesterday’s over-lunch skate…

Not a great distance was traveled initially since my boy took a tumble on his bike which led to an injury close to Sami Salo’s which led to a loose nut (hehe) on his wheel which led to us heading back to the van for a quick-fix-job.

Des was only able to stay for one round around the lake, but after a bribe of ice cream, my boy walked off his injury and went for round 2 with me.

Elapsed time: 39 minutes
Distance: 6.59 km
Average speed: 10 km/h
Max speed: 15.3 km/h

THIS MORNING’S RIVERBOTTOM SKATE…

Elapsed time: 23 minutes
Distance: 4.96 km
Average speed: 12.7 km/h
Max speed: 19.6 km/

Followed by stairs… mmmmm delicious stairs. I kind of missed doing that. I haven’t done them since the April 22… stupid weather. But I was impressed at my stamina this time. I guess all this skating stuff is paying off a bit.

Thanks to Kran, Maude, Nixxi and Bitchcakes for joining!

So here’s the thing derby bitches; you should join us. Get over the fact that you have to get up early. I guarantee you will feel great for the rest of the day and these paths really give you the opportunity to stretch your legs and get your sweat on as opposed to circling around and around at our secret location. You want to make your 25 lap benchmark, right? This is where you’ll build your endurance for that.

For fans who aren’t in derby; you should join us. This is a low-key, do-it-at-your-own-pace workout. Run, walk, rollerblade, bike. It doesn’t matter. Just come out and let’s motivate each other.

So next Thursday, 6 a.m., Baroness picnic shelter. BE THERE!

A quick roll over lunch…

Went for 2 rounds around Henderson Lake today. Nothing too exuberant, since I had the boy in tow, but here’s the stats…

Distance: 5.83 kms
Average Speed: 11.6 km
Max Speed: 16.8 km
Total time: 30 minutes

Then I mowed the lawn for 2 Goddamn hours which gave me my upper body workout LOL

I finally loosened the trucks on my skates which has made cornering much easier, smoother and more fun. Getting cross cutting down is next on my list.

Practice, practice and more practice

Practice on Sunday we went through a mock benchmark session. The only thing we didn’t do was hitting; being outside on concrete we didn’t want to destroy our gear. But we did virtually everything else.

Guess what?

I think I’m going to pass!

Some skills I’m REALLY sloppy at… cross cutting? I look like a deer on ice… Plow stops? If I’m allowed as long as I need to stop, I can do them.

Pretty excited about all this since we’ve been invited to a rookie scrimmage at the beginning of July in Medicine Hat. We have to pass to play and we’re all working hard to do that.

Last night we had a great impromptu skate at our secret location. I’d say there were almost 20 of us out there; music blaring, some skating fast, some relaxed, some practicing jumps and cross overs, but generally a great time. I fucking love these girls! We plan to do a skate around the downtown area to turn some heads and promote the league. So watch for us in a neighbourhood near you!

On the agenda for this week…
Phone calls… lots and lots of phone calls trying to secure a permanent practice and hopefully bout space.
Weight training… performing whips for the first time has made me realize my back and upper body muscles need more work.
Skating as much as possible… obvious.

Hello skates, I’ve missed you!

So yah… it’s been snowing for the last, well forever. When it’s not snowing, it’s raining. When it’s not raining, it’s screaming wind. When it’s not windy… well, you get the point.

I missed indoor practice last week due to a spontaneous trip to Pittsburgh (Go Habs Go!) and it felt like forever I had been on my skates. Last night, in desperation, I circled on a 6 ft x 20 ft smooth piece of road in front of my house, until commuter traffic got too busy. That helped a little.

This morning I woke early and peeked out the window… no rain, no snow, no wind; there’s still snow on the ground but pavement seemed to to be generally dry. I laid back down and thought of the best route to take if I were to venture out… Riverbottom? Likely debris and sticky crap from the trees will be all over the path. Henderson? Same thing. Scenic? Gravel from road sanding. Then I remembered the path out by the northside industrial park. It’s long, straight, with few trees to create debris.

I grabbed my gear and I went for it.

I scraped the frost off my car and drove to the north side. I was very happy to find a beautiful, dry, clean path. This path is a gooder, derby girls! Super smooth and perfect for speed and endurance training. It’s great for beginner skaters too as well as those derby girls who have kids in tow. (Air quality was a little sketchy, but I’ve smelled worse. It IS the north side)

I pushed myself till I was screaming myself to stop, then I pushed myself more until I thought I was going to puke. God, I love skating!

Here’s the stats…

Time: 30 minutes
Distance: 7.67 kms
Top speed: 19.3 km NEW PERSONAL BEST YAH!
Average speed: 15.7 km

I worked on skating in half derby stance to work those muscles around my knees that cause my bad form. Desi, you’d be proud! I made those undeveloped muscles burn! Then I bent over all the way a’la Charles Hamelin and couldn’t believe the power I got. Too much fun!