Tuesday, December 28, 2010
This blog has moved
Sorry Blogger, your site is too buggy for me. I'm told that my friends have had to be very persistent in order to leave comments. I have not been able to view my stats from my browser since November. Boo! My blog has moved here: http://thatshowirollerderby.wordpress.com/
Saturday, December 25, 2010
I was THAT girl for a second
Back in October, when I was entertaining the notion of joining boot camp, I took a short honeymoon with my sweetie (the first of many, I hope). I had already emailed Viva to ask about joining boot camp, which was the first step, but hadn't made a commitment to it yet. Viva recommended that I check out Sin City Skates for my equipment and mentioned that if I couldn't make it down to San Diego, they would help me get the right fit over the telephone.
We were in Big Bear for an overnight stay when it occurred to us that San Diego wasn't too far out of our way back to Santa Barbara. OK, it is in the opposite direction of Santa Barbara, but we would have the advantage of being able to skip L.A. on the way south. That was when I made the first commitment to roller derby by dropping a bunch of money on skates and gear for a sport that I had never tried before.
I should mention that the girls at Sin City Skates are really helpful and it was worth making a trip there, though I've also heard that they are super helpful over the phone as well.
On the way home, we did have to go through L.A., during rush hour no less. Matt had the brilliant idea of looking for a roller rink where I could try out my new skates while we waited for traffic to thin out a little (by L.A. standards). We stopped at the Holiday Skate Center in Orange County to acquaint me with my skates. This was my first time on skates since I was about 13 years old. I penguin-walked a little, until I started to find my stride. I felt like I was moving along pretty well until a real roller derby girl passed me. And passed me again. She sped by effortlessly, lapping everyone on the rink. I felt intimidated, impressed, and a little star-struck, even though I have no idea who she was. All I know is that she was a Rock Star. I turned to Matt and said "I want to do that!"
Yesterday, I was her for a second.
On Christmas Eve, we drove down to Glendale to do our last-minute shopping for a pair of children's skates since we weren't able to find the right size locally. We went to the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale to buy the skates and picked up some extra rink time as well. There were only about 15-20 people there, and not a single roller girl. I was instantly one of the best skaters there. I spent most of the hour and a half practicing steady, controlled crossovers, being careful not to go too crazy since I was skating with people who were less comfortable on skates than I was. As with all the rinks I've been to in the past few months, the music was pure crap. I miss the rock and roll (AC/DC, Survivor, Pat Benetar) of the 80's rinks, but I'd be even more content with some 70's funk. No such luck. I'm forever going to associate the 2010 Top 40 crap with the year I learned to skate.
Toward the very end of the open skate time, the rink cleared, the little kids left and there were just a few of us. I no longer had to worry about falling in front of someone who couldn't dart around me. It was like a parting of the clouds. I went for it, practicing my crossovers while gathering more and more speed. I might struggled to keep up with a pace line, but or a second, I was that girl I had seen that the OC rink, the Rock Star Roller Girl, gliding past everyone else on the rink.
We were in Big Bear for an overnight stay when it occurred to us that San Diego wasn't too far out of our way back to Santa Barbara. OK, it is in the opposite direction of Santa Barbara, but we would have the advantage of being able to skip L.A. on the way south. That was when I made the first commitment to roller derby by dropping a bunch of money on skates and gear for a sport that I had never tried before.
I should mention that the girls at Sin City Skates are really helpful and it was worth making a trip there, though I've also heard that they are super helpful over the phone as well.
On the way home, we did have to go through L.A., during rush hour no less. Matt had the brilliant idea of looking for a roller rink where I could try out my new skates while we waited for traffic to thin out a little (by L.A. standards). We stopped at the Holiday Skate Center in Orange County to acquaint me with my skates. This was my first time on skates since I was about 13 years old. I penguin-walked a little, until I started to find my stride. I felt like I was moving along pretty well until a real roller derby girl passed me. And passed me again. She sped by effortlessly, lapping everyone on the rink. I felt intimidated, impressed, and a little star-struck, even though I have no idea who she was. All I know is that she was a Rock Star. I turned to Matt and said "I want to do that!"
Yesterday, I was her for a second.
On Christmas Eve, we drove down to Glendale to do our last-minute shopping for a pair of children's skates since we weren't able to find the right size locally. We went to the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale to buy the skates and picked up some extra rink time as well. There were only about 15-20 people there, and not a single roller girl. I was instantly one of the best skaters there. I spent most of the hour and a half practicing steady, controlled crossovers, being careful not to go too crazy since I was skating with people who were less comfortable on skates than I was. As with all the rinks I've been to in the past few months, the music was pure crap. I miss the rock and roll (AC/DC, Survivor, Pat Benetar) of the 80's rinks, but I'd be even more content with some 70's funk. No such luck. I'm forever going to associate the 2010 Top 40 crap with the year I learned to skate.
Toward the very end of the open skate time, the rink cleared, the little kids left and there were just a few of us. I no longer had to worry about falling in front of someone who couldn't dart around me. It was like a parting of the clouds. I went for it, practicing my crossovers while gathering more and more speed. I might struggled to keep up with a pace line, but or a second, I was that girl I had seen that the OC rink, the Rock Star Roller Girl, gliding past everyone else on the rink.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Six Weeks
Tonight was kind of an informal practice. Thursdays are normally when the Betties have their real practice while the Nuggets (beginners) who want some extra track time can skate around the side of the track. Tonight there were not very many of either group. My bet is that a lot of people are out of town for the holidays. Also, it has been raining buckets and today was the first day since the rains that the track was available. We started off by toweling off the remaining puddles.
Tonight we reviewed our skills and did kind of a run-through of what the assessments will look like. Before I can join the team, I'll need to pass the skills assessment which is a standard test of skills that all roller derby girls must pass to show basic competence on the track. As the date grows closer, I've become more and more anxious about the skills I haven't conquered yet. Anxious is actually a gentle word for it. It has been consuming me.
We did our run through. I'm glad I got to do this because I missed the skills review a few weeks ago when I was in Washington. I struggled to keep up with the pace line, flailed on my stops, still can't glide on my right foot, and took a few magnificent falls. I was so intent on trying the moves that "falling small" was the last thing on my mind. We are taught to fall small so that when we fall on the track, we are less likely to get run over by the girls behind us. Luckily, I did my own sprawling falls far from everyone else and didn't get run over.
At this point, passing assessments on the first try seems to be beyond my reach. As badly as I want this, it actually feels liberating to accept that I need more practice. And practice, I am. I'm going balls to the wall every chance I get. I'm pushing myself like I've never pushed myself before. I'm taking every opportunity to get more comfortable on my skates, taking advantage of extra time on the track, going to Ventura to use the rink, and skating around my wood floors at home. I'm on skates every day of the week. At least I can't be discouraged about my effort.
When I do get discouraged, I remind myself that I've only been doing this for six weeks. No, of course I can't skate like a real roller derby girl yet, I'm still a baby roller skater. I'm basically learning to crawl, walk, run, fall, and do what feels to my body like crazy acrobatics, all in a really short time period. I may not keep up with the other girls, but I'm skating circles around the skater I was six weeks ago. I'm maneuvering around the crowded rink without running over the kids who dart out in front of me (or worse, fall down right in front of me).
Yes, I would love to pass assessments, but all in good time. Instead of focusing on that, I need to keep reminding myself of how much I've improved in six weeks and how I can be proud of my dedication, effort, and tenacity. I'm also proud of the bruises I've accumulated in the process.
Meanwhile, I have plans to skate again tomorrow.
Tonight we reviewed our skills and did kind of a run-through of what the assessments will look like. Before I can join the team, I'll need to pass the skills assessment which is a standard test of skills that all roller derby girls must pass to show basic competence on the track. As the date grows closer, I've become more and more anxious about the skills I haven't conquered yet. Anxious is actually a gentle word for it. It has been consuming me.
We did our run through. I'm glad I got to do this because I missed the skills review a few weeks ago when I was in Washington. I struggled to keep up with the pace line, flailed on my stops, still can't glide on my right foot, and took a few magnificent falls. I was so intent on trying the moves that "falling small" was the last thing on my mind. We are taught to fall small so that when we fall on the track, we are less likely to get run over by the girls behind us. Luckily, I did my own sprawling falls far from everyone else and didn't get run over.
At this point, passing assessments on the first try seems to be beyond my reach. As badly as I want this, it actually feels liberating to accept that I need more practice. And practice, I am. I'm going balls to the wall every chance I get. I'm pushing myself like I've never pushed myself before. I'm taking every opportunity to get more comfortable on my skates, taking advantage of extra time on the track, going to Ventura to use the rink, and skating around my wood floors at home. I'm on skates every day of the week. At least I can't be discouraged about my effort.
When I do get discouraged, I remind myself that I've only been doing this for six weeks. No, of course I can't skate like a real roller derby girl yet, I'm still a baby roller skater. I'm basically learning to crawl, walk, run, fall, and do what feels to my body like crazy acrobatics, all in a really short time period. I may not keep up with the other girls, but I'm skating circles around the skater I was six weeks ago. I'm maneuvering around the crowded rink without running over the kids who dart out in front of me (or worse, fall down right in front of me).
Yes, I would love to pass assessments, but all in good time. Instead of focusing on that, I need to keep reminding myself of how much I've improved in six weeks and how I can be proud of my dedication, effort, and tenacity. I'm also proud of the bruises I've accumulated in the process.
Meanwhile, I have plans to skate again tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Derby Butt
Those of you who have known me for a while know that before my adventures in roller derby, I was doing an adventure in weight loss. In the past 20 months or so, I've lost 95-ish pounds. A lot. At this point, I'm used to getting smaller, watching the scale go down, and having to buy smaller and smaller clothes, even if that's not happening as quickly as it did in the beginning.
Since starting roller derby, my priorities have shifted a bit. Instead of keeping myself on a strict 1,500 calorie diet, I'm having to fuel my workouts by eating more. I've been doing tons of strength training, less of my usual cardio (running or elliptical) and more skating. I think it's working, because I feel stronger and slimmer, but the scale shows I'm gaining weight. I'm probably the only girl out there who has gained weight since we started boot camp (ok, it's only 3 pounds...). My pants, while they aren't complaining, are fitting me differently. My thighs have always been the barrier between me and smaller jeans, and that's not changing. Yes, they're getting rock hard, but they sure as hell aren't getting any smaller.
I've given up the dream of my calves ever fitting into regular knee-high leather boots. When I find the perfect pair, they will be wider for the more "athletic" calves. That's right, my calves will not be getting any smaller either.
On to the derby butt...
Derby girls have the most amazing butts. All of them, no matter what size they are. Perfect, round, and muscular. It's a sight to behold. While mine is just in the beginning stages, it is definitely changing. Squats, lunges, skating low, and I believe just striding, do wonders for the butt. But no, my butt does not seem to be getting any smaller.
As positive as all of these changes are, it does require that I change my measure of success. I'm adding muscle, so the scale is likely to rebel right now. My thighs seem to have stopped shrinking, so size 6 jeans may not be in my immediate future. Perhaps as my body adjusts to the abuse I'm putting it through, I'll get smaller in the right places, but for now my focus is elsewhere--balance, strength, crossovers, wall sits, planks squats. It's probably a good thing too. People who have lost a large amount of weight know that reaching their goal weight can be a disorienting feeling of "Now what? Is that it?" I hope to gradually glide into my happy weight/body composition and know that I've already moved on to bigger and badder things.
Since starting roller derby, my priorities have shifted a bit. Instead of keeping myself on a strict 1,500 calorie diet, I'm having to fuel my workouts by eating more. I've been doing tons of strength training, less of my usual cardio (running or elliptical) and more skating. I think it's working, because I feel stronger and slimmer, but the scale shows I'm gaining weight. I'm probably the only girl out there who has gained weight since we started boot camp (ok, it's only 3 pounds...). My pants, while they aren't complaining, are fitting me differently. My thighs have always been the barrier between me and smaller jeans, and that's not changing. Yes, they're getting rock hard, but they sure as hell aren't getting any smaller.
I've given up the dream of my calves ever fitting into regular knee-high leather boots. When I find the perfect pair, they will be wider for the more "athletic" calves. That's right, my calves will not be getting any smaller either.
On to the derby butt...
 |
As positive as all of these changes are, it does require that I change my measure of success. I'm adding muscle, so the scale is likely to rebel right now. My thighs seem to have stopped shrinking, so size 6 jeans may not be in my immediate future. Perhaps as my body adjusts to the abuse I'm putting it through, I'll get smaller in the right places, but for now my focus is elsewhere--balance, strength, crossovers, wall sits, planks squats. It's probably a good thing too. People who have lost a large amount of weight know that reaching their goal weight can be a disorienting feeling of "Now what? Is that it?" I hope to gradually glide into my happy weight/body composition and know that I've already moved on to bigger and badder things.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
I'm Taking the Family With Me
Last week, Matt and I took the girls to the skating rink for their first time on skates, ever. We thought it would be best to start them out with some lessons, rather than just putting them on wheels and sending them off. I know that kids don't really need lessons to be able to learn new things, but we thought it might help with the frustration factor.
To be honest, I was really anxious, watching them fall on their butts over and over. No, I wasn't really worried that they'd hurt themselves, my anxiety was more out of hope that it would be something they could enjoy. These girls are really good at forming their own opinions about things and I was kind of worried that one or both of them would decide that they don't like skating. I have to admit that I was invested in them enjoying skating.
After that first 45 minute lesson, they were tired and their feet were hot. We left after that instead of staying for open skate.
The next day, we went back to the rink for a cousin's birthday part. I think the lesson helped after all, because the girls were instantly in skate heaven. We were there for almost three hours and even when we saw that their eyes were at half mast out of exhaustion, we still had to convince them that it was time to go. They're hooked. Their investment is different than mine, but now we're in it together. Not only that, but Matt now wants some skates and is setting a goal to do roller derby boot camp next year. He's intimiadated by our workouts, but has been following along with my home exercises to prepare himself for the ass kicking that he anticipates next year.
Yes, obsession is contageous, and now I've got my whole family in it.
Meanwhile, I'm struggling with keeping my obsession a positive one. It's hard to keep my skill level separate from my self-confidence level. When I do well on the track, I feel great. When I don't, my confidence plummets. It becomes so much easier to focus on what I can't do than what I can do, and I bring myself down.
Everything about roller derby is so far outside my comfort zone. After a particularly bad string of self-depricating comments, Matt gave me one of his pep talks and reminded me that I've doing something I've never even come close to attempting before. This whole business of losing weight and getting fit...I've done that before. It's wasn't an easy task, but it was a familiar one. I've never been an athlete before. I've never been on a sports team or even wanted to be on a sports team. Someone recently asked me, is roller derby training hard? It's just about the hardest physical thing I've ever put my body through on purpose. Emotionally, it's not the hardests thing I've been through, but it is new and unfamiliar. I want this so badly that sometimes I put myself in a bad mood. That's not good.
Yesterday was one of those days. It's raining buckets and supposed to keep raining. That means no outdoor skating and no regular practice on our outdoor track. Under normal conditions, I would accept that Santa Barbarans have no place to complain about the weather. We have gorgeous weather all year, and when it rains, it's welcome. Except now that I want to skate. It turned my mood yesterday, even though I got to go to the rink and skate with the kids. I skated slowly alongside them, encouraging their zombie stance and used the opportunity to practice my derby stance (squatting position) the whole way around the track. I yearned for some speed, and made a couple of loops around the track on my own, but it wasn't the same as the ass whooping I normally get at practice. I'm an addict and I was without my fix. I ended up missing the alternatively scheduled practice in a conference room doing plyometrics, so I came home and did my own workout, but it just wasn't the same.
I went to bed last night still grumbling. Matt had me look up a list of the skills that I'll need to pass the assessments in a few weeks. It helped because I could see on paper that I am capable of doing most of the skills, even if I can't do the perfectly. There are a few skills that are just beyond my reach, but many of them are things that I can do with some accuracy. I felt better after looking at what I can do rather than what I can't.
I decided before going to sleep that today will be a better day. I will look for a covered parking garage where I can practice cross overs and some of the falls that I haven't done in a while. And if I can't skate today, I'm going to accept that too. I need to keep skating fun, and the kids are an excellent reminder of that.
To be honest, I was really anxious, watching them fall on their butts over and over. No, I wasn't really worried that they'd hurt themselves, my anxiety was more out of hope that it would be something they could enjoy. These girls are really good at forming their own opinions about things and I was kind of worried that one or both of them would decide that they don't like skating. I have to admit that I was invested in them enjoying skating.
After that first 45 minute lesson, they were tired and their feet were hot. We left after that instead of staying for open skate.
The next day, we went back to the rink for a cousin's birthday part. I think the lesson helped after all, because the girls were instantly in skate heaven. We were there for almost three hours and even when we saw that their eyes were at half mast out of exhaustion, we still had to convince them that it was time to go. They're hooked. Their investment is different than mine, but now we're in it together. Not only that, but Matt now wants some skates and is setting a goal to do roller derby boot camp next year. He's intimiadated by our workouts, but has been following along with my home exercises to prepare himself for the ass kicking that he anticipates next year.
 |
| Kate's zombie stance (Braaaiiins!) |
 |
| Molly working her derby stance, while Matt wishes he was on skates |
Yes, obsession is contageous, and now I've got my whole family in it.
Meanwhile, I'm struggling with keeping my obsession a positive one. It's hard to keep my skill level separate from my self-confidence level. When I do well on the track, I feel great. When I don't, my confidence plummets. It becomes so much easier to focus on what I can't do than what I can do, and I bring myself down.
Everything about roller derby is so far outside my comfort zone. After a particularly bad string of self-depricating comments, Matt gave me one of his pep talks and reminded me that I've doing something I've never even come close to attempting before. This whole business of losing weight and getting fit...I've done that before. It's wasn't an easy task, but it was a familiar one. I've never been an athlete before. I've never been on a sports team or even wanted to be on a sports team. Someone recently asked me, is roller derby training hard? It's just about the hardest physical thing I've ever put my body through on purpose. Emotionally, it's not the hardests thing I've been through, but it is new and unfamiliar. I want this so badly that sometimes I put myself in a bad mood. That's not good.
Yesterday was one of those days. It's raining buckets and supposed to keep raining. That means no outdoor skating and no regular practice on our outdoor track. Under normal conditions, I would accept that Santa Barbarans have no place to complain about the weather. We have gorgeous weather all year, and when it rains, it's welcome. Except now that I want to skate. It turned my mood yesterday, even though I got to go to the rink and skate with the kids. I skated slowly alongside them, encouraging their zombie stance and used the opportunity to practice my derby stance (squatting position) the whole way around the track. I yearned for some speed, and made a couple of loops around the track on my own, but it wasn't the same as the ass whooping I normally get at practice. I'm an addict and I was without my fix. I ended up missing the alternatively scheduled practice in a conference room doing plyometrics, so I came home and did my own workout, but it just wasn't the same.
I went to bed last night still grumbling. Matt had me look up a list of the skills that I'll need to pass the assessments in a few weeks. It helped because I could see on paper that I am capable of doing most of the skills, even if I can't do the perfectly. There are a few skills that are just beyond my reach, but many of them are things that I can do with some accuracy. I felt better after looking at what I can do rather than what I can't.
I decided before going to sleep that today will be a better day. I will look for a covered parking garage where I can practice cross overs and some of the falls that I haven't done in a while. And if I can't skate today, I'm going to accept that too. I need to keep skating fun, and the kids are an excellent reminder of that.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Whip It!
To start out, I'd like to be honest about something. Drew Barrymore's movie Whip It did NOT inspire me to try roller derby. In fact, I didn't watch it until, after attending a bout in October, I scoured the internet for All Things Derby. Yes, my first exposure to roller derby was the Mission City Brawlin' Betties v. Bakersfield Diamond Divas. I left that bout thinking, "Those girls are rock stars. I wish I could do that."
Last night we did whips. It was just about the most fun I've had at practice so far, and I didn't suck at it horribly. Whips are basically where you're transferring all of the forward motion of one skater into another skater (the jammer). We also skated around trying to push each other down. I loved it!
Reading over my blogs, I seem to be on a confidence roller coaster. Practice is that way too. Yesterday I was dreading practice, not because I'm afraid of falling or getting hurt, but because I don't like feeling like I suck. All day, I thought to myself, "Why am I going to practice knowing that I'll leave feeling crappy about myself?" Of course, I was wrong. The feeling crappy about myself bit comes from me, not from practice. Last night I left feeling pretty incredible.
I think what it comes down to is that I'm good at some things and not so good at others. Duh, right? Except that I'm used to being able to be good at whatever I put my mind to. No, I'm not perfect by any means. Far from it actually. Some things just aren't worth putting my mind to and so I continue sucking at them. But most of the time, when something matters to me a lot, I can at least eek out a reasonable amount of skill. Skating is different because some of it requires muscles and flexibility I don't have yet, and some of the more agile moves are just beyond me. I feel like my strength is in my ability to get low, engage my core, and stay stable. I discovered that yesterday while doing pushes and whips. No, I'm not a star pupil, but I was in my element. I can't wait until we actually start blocking. I think my hips were made for blocking.
We also did speed drills yesterday. I'm not fast enough to pass assessments yet, but I was somewhere in the middle of the group. Before I write about the speed drill yesterday, I have to share another story.
On Sunday, I went to a kids birthday party at the skating rink, and spent the whole time practicing. It's awkward practicing skills that require me to fall in that kind of setting, because hardly anyone else is falling, but I did go down on a knee a few times. Anyhow, when it comes to the organized races, I got off the track. I did not need to embarrass myself like that. Until my family started taunting me. I saw my brothers in law get out there for the race, and somehow I decided that I needed to at least beat them. Which I did :) I finished somewhere in the middle of the group, not the fastest, not the slowest. I did not do crossovers during the race because I'm not quite confident enough with them yet. Part of the problem is that crossovers make me go so freakin' fast that I feel like I don't have much control over the turn. I was proud of myself for getting out there though, and I didn't do a face plant like my brother in law did, hehe.
Anyhow, back to the speed drills. We did as many laps as we could in 5 minutes. At the end of the 5 minutes, I should have been spent, but I still had some energy left in me. It's good to know that I've got endurance (running pays off!), but in order to go faster, I need to feel more comfortable on my feet, err, skates. I need to feel like I have control over my turns even when I'm going fast.
I'm getting my family addicted to skating, but this blog is long enough already, and I'll save it for another blog.
Also, I should note that I learned how to change my blog settings and now anyone can leave a comment, even if you're not a registered user. I love comments. Just sayin'.
Last night we did whips. It was just about the most fun I've had at practice so far, and I didn't suck at it horribly. Whips are basically where you're transferring all of the forward motion of one skater into another skater (the jammer). We also skated around trying to push each other down. I loved it!
Reading over my blogs, I seem to be on a confidence roller coaster. Practice is that way too. Yesterday I was dreading practice, not because I'm afraid of falling or getting hurt, but because I don't like feeling like I suck. All day, I thought to myself, "Why am I going to practice knowing that I'll leave feeling crappy about myself?" Of course, I was wrong. The feeling crappy about myself bit comes from me, not from practice. Last night I left feeling pretty incredible.
I think what it comes down to is that I'm good at some things and not so good at others. Duh, right? Except that I'm used to being able to be good at whatever I put my mind to. No, I'm not perfect by any means. Far from it actually. Some things just aren't worth putting my mind to and so I continue sucking at them. But most of the time, when something matters to me a lot, I can at least eek out a reasonable amount of skill. Skating is different because some of it requires muscles and flexibility I don't have yet, and some of the more agile moves are just beyond me. I feel like my strength is in my ability to get low, engage my core, and stay stable. I discovered that yesterday while doing pushes and whips. No, I'm not a star pupil, but I was in my element. I can't wait until we actually start blocking. I think my hips were made for blocking.
We also did speed drills yesterday. I'm not fast enough to pass assessments yet, but I was somewhere in the middle of the group. Before I write about the speed drill yesterday, I have to share another story.
On Sunday, I went to a kids birthday party at the skating rink, and spent the whole time practicing. It's awkward practicing skills that require me to fall in that kind of setting, because hardly anyone else is falling, but I did go down on a knee a few times. Anyhow, when it comes to the organized races, I got off the track. I did not need to embarrass myself like that. Until my family started taunting me. I saw my brothers in law get out there for the race, and somehow I decided that I needed to at least beat them. Which I did :) I finished somewhere in the middle of the group, not the fastest, not the slowest. I did not do crossovers during the race because I'm not quite confident enough with them yet. Part of the problem is that crossovers make me go so freakin' fast that I feel like I don't have much control over the turn. I was proud of myself for getting out there though, and I didn't do a face plant like my brother in law did, hehe.
Anyhow, back to the speed drills. We did as many laps as we could in 5 minutes. At the end of the 5 minutes, I should have been spent, but I still had some energy left in me. It's good to know that I've got endurance (running pays off!), but in order to go faster, I need to feel more comfortable on my feet, err, skates. I need to feel like I have control over my turns even when I'm going fast.
I'm getting my family addicted to skating, but this blog is long enough already, and I'll save it for another blog.
Also, I should note that I learned how to change my blog settings and now anyone can leave a comment, even if you're not a registered user. I love comments. Just sayin'.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Ups and Downs
After Tuesday's practice and how invigorated it left me, I was really looking forward to practice yesterday. A LOT.
Before practice, Matt and I took the girls to the skating rink in Ventura for lessons. I was more nervous than they were! I really wanted it to be a good experience for them and was worried that they would be frustrated by falling or have expectations that they would be figure skating by the end of the lesson. It was almost hard to watch, but they did great! Each time they fell, they got up with a smile and kept going. In retrospect, it doesn't surprise me. Kids are good at falling and getting up, much better than grown ups are.
The experience left me with skating blue-balls though. I brought my skate bag in case there was an opportunity for me to get some rink time, but it was just kids. Instead we had lunch and headed back to Santa Barbara for my practice.
Perhaps it was just an off day. I've had those with other forms of exercise before skating. You know, a crappy run, a day when I can't lift as much as usual, a day when my heart rate goes through the roof for seemingly no reason. Often it's because I've been overdoing it and haven't been resting enough. Sometimes it's because I'm stressed out. Sometimes it's because I haven't eaten enough. I don't know what it was yesterday, but practice was incredibly frustrating.
True, we were practicing skills that I haven't practiced before, so I should give my body (and mind) a break. But even with that in mind, I just didn't have the extra push that I had at last practice. It was hot (75 degrees in December!) and sweat was flowing out of my helmet into my eyes. Not just dripping--flowing. It was gross. I didn't see anyone else out there quite as gross and sweaty as I was. I worried that someone would slip and fall in my pools of sweat.
I made it through the two hours, but I was disappointed with myself. Whether it was the heat or the crap food I ate, or just an "off day," it was disappointing. It was the first time I felt like crying after skating, but roller girls don't cry (do they?). I think the threat of tears was more out of exhaustion than anything else, because on the way home, I was able to list all the things that I'm proud of. I'm proud that I did it. I'm proud that I keep going, despite my ups and downs. I'm proud of my jumps. Although I did my share of whining, I'm proud that instead of sitting on the sidelines whining about how I can't do it, I call out for one of the Betties to help me understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm proud that even if I can't quite get it, I'm closer to "almost getting it" than I was at the beginning. It's improvement.
Today I'm going to a kids birthday party which happens to be at the skating rink. After helping my girls get out and skate until they're tired, I'm going to practice the shit out of my moves. Even if it means falling down in public a whole bunch.
Before practice, Matt and I took the girls to the skating rink in Ventura for lessons. I was more nervous than they were! I really wanted it to be a good experience for them and was worried that they would be frustrated by falling or have expectations that they would be figure skating by the end of the lesson. It was almost hard to watch, but they did great! Each time they fell, they got up with a smile and kept going. In retrospect, it doesn't surprise me. Kids are good at falling and getting up, much better than grown ups are.
The experience left me with skating blue-balls though. I brought my skate bag in case there was an opportunity for me to get some rink time, but it was just kids. Instead we had lunch and headed back to Santa Barbara for my practice.
Perhaps it was just an off day. I've had those with other forms of exercise before skating. You know, a crappy run, a day when I can't lift as much as usual, a day when my heart rate goes through the roof for seemingly no reason. Often it's because I've been overdoing it and haven't been resting enough. Sometimes it's because I'm stressed out. Sometimes it's because I haven't eaten enough. I don't know what it was yesterday, but practice was incredibly frustrating.
True, we were practicing skills that I haven't practiced before, so I should give my body (and mind) a break. But even with that in mind, I just didn't have the extra push that I had at last practice. It was hot (75 degrees in December!) and sweat was flowing out of my helmet into my eyes. Not just dripping--flowing. It was gross. I didn't see anyone else out there quite as gross and sweaty as I was. I worried that someone would slip and fall in my pools of sweat.
I made it through the two hours, but I was disappointed with myself. Whether it was the heat or the crap food I ate, or just an "off day," it was disappointing. It was the first time I felt like crying after skating, but roller girls don't cry (do they?). I think the threat of tears was more out of exhaustion than anything else, because on the way home, I was able to list all the things that I'm proud of. I'm proud that I did it. I'm proud that I keep going, despite my ups and downs. I'm proud of my jumps. Although I did my share of whining, I'm proud that instead of sitting on the sidelines whining about how I can't do it, I call out for one of the Betties to help me understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm proud that even if I can't quite get it, I'm closer to "almost getting it" than I was at the beginning. It's improvement.
Today I'm going to a kids birthday party which happens to be at the skating rink. After helping my girls get out and skate until they're tired, I'm going to practice the shit out of my moves. Even if it means falling down in public a whole bunch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)