My first practice was SO tough! I got so incredibly tired, and although I was having fun skating...I couldn't wait for it to be over. I felt like I was skating through mud. I hadn't been on a skating rink floor in such a long time and I didn't know if it was just the floor I was skating on, my wheels not being the right softness/hardness, or if it was just because I'm so out of shape. I didn't discover the problem until after practice was over...my wheels were too tight! I had switched them out the night before and didn't loosen them enough. I felt like such an idiot when I realized that was the problem. Wheels are supposed to be loose enough that when you slap them they keep spinning...when I slapped them after practice...they weren't even budging! I spent two hours skating on my wheels like that, and was so winded at the end of practice that I was coughing excessively for 4 days!
The second practice was so much easier. The warm-up still killed me because I have zero cardio endurance, but skating felt amazing. When I first got my skates, I went a little crazy and ordered several different sets of wheels including hybrid (inside/outside) and outside sets. I'm so happy I did that though, because I realized within 5 minutes of being on the rink that my rainbow set was a little too slippery for me. I tried doing a cross-over when I turned the corner and ended up falling and sliding like 6 feet. I asked the coach if she thought I should switch out my wheels and she recommended just switching the outside ones to a more grippy wheel. I immediately got off the rink to switch my outside wheels to my new set of Poison's. They were exactly what I needed. No more sliding and I feel a lot more confident turning corners now :)
My third practice was a bit rough on my feet. I felt a lot better about my skating in general, but we did a lot of footwork and tried walking on our toe-stops. I already had blisters on a couple of my toes, and after doing the drills we did-I knew I had to do something to protect them the next time around. We also got to practice falling and getting up. Aside from my lack of endurance, my second downfall is falls and getting up. I'm not a confident faller. There is a correct and safe way to fall...and I'm not particularly good at it yet...at all. It's definitely something that I can spend more time working on at home.
By the fourth practice, I was over the "socially nervous" bit for the most part, but I was having a bad day and 100% did NOT want to go. I felt grouchy and tired and had no interest in doing anything but having a nice bath and going to bed early. Matthew wasn't about to let me miss practice though, and I'm so glad I forced myself into the car. As soon as I laced up my skates and got on the rink...I was happy again. This practice turned out to be one of my favorites so far. I learned a couple different ways to stop, we did a lot of 180's and 360's in our skates, and we started backwards skating. I felt a lot more confident doing these things than I did at most of the previous skills we've gone over. By the time practice was over, my attitude had done it's own 360...which I'm sure Matthew appreciated ;)
This weeks practice...didn't happen. I had every intention of going and was so excited to learn about whips and practice more on what I've learned so far. I woke up Monday morning feeling a bit queezy + no appetite, which didn't get any better as the day went on. I got off work at 2 and was asleep within the hour and didn't wake up until 5. I NEVER take naps, I actually hate them. I always wake up feeling like I've taken a sedative or something, so for me to need a massive nap like that-it was evident that I wasn't feeling well. I'm all better now, and will be so excited for next weeks practice. I'm hoping to go to one of the local rinks after work this weekend to get in some extra skating time.
I can't wait to find out what I'll be learning at Monday night's practice!
Post a Comment