First Practice of 2011! - Thursday, January 6

New season, new year... Time to make-it or break-it...
Welcome back, not-so-fresh-meat! :)

The off-season for me was a time of stressful and emotionally draining stuff going on with family and friends. It seems like it was the off-season for a year, not a couple of months! Needless to say, with all the stress, I gained weight instead of losing it. I hardly exercised at all. I went to as many open-skates as I could, and I would be sweating and panting within just a few minutes! I knew I would be in for it when the first practice hit....

Just after Christmas, I came down with what was probably the flu. It's still clinging to me, even now. I spent the two weeks before practice not moving from a chair, and just watching tv because I was sick! Not exactly good prep for the start of the season! Yikes!

Thursday, January 6th. 7pm. Roller Kingdom.
I'm running late. Freaking out and thinking about how I've blown the off-season and now have two months to pass my level 2 tests. Major sore throat and coughing going on from the plague that won't end.....
I get there and everyone is already doing jumping jacks with Nikki Roxx......

Hour one: punishment that I deserve with an intense workout by Nikki Roxx
Hours Two and Three: endurance skate practice

• My nemesis: shopping cart drills (push a partner around the track for three minutes, then let her pull you for three minutes/repeat)
• 25 in 5 (25 laps in 5 minutes)
• pace lines - sprint to the front
• knee drops/get up with running start

These were some of the drills we did during the endurance skate. Honestly, I think I did pretty good for being totally out of shape, and sick... I was able to do my crossovers on the turns without trouble! During the first hour, I felt confident in my skating, and strong. If not thwarted by a huge back/leg cramp, I totally would have been able to complete my 25 laps in 5 minutes (which is a level 2 requirement)!! I was able to sprint from the back to the front of a pace line, and even did crossovers while sprinting to the front! :)

About halfway through the skating portion of practice, my body started to physically give out. My back had a huge cramp that went down into the back of my leg. Then my legs started to get wobbly because I was so tired. It's always a dilemma to drop out of the drill and stretch, or suffer through it. I went as long as I could and then just skated around the outside of the circle... My goal at that point was to just keep moving, even though I was embarrassed. I didn't want to sit out. I wanted to prove myself worthy to be there, but I had to stop when I pushed past my limit... I didn't want to get hurt because I was too proud to take a break and let my body rest! Those shopping cart drills just kill me; I have to figure out a way to beat them!
 
 

Anyway, it felt good to be back, even though it was a bit torturous. haha. I knew we were all in it together, and I could see that I wasn't the only one having a rough time of it. We will all get back into the swing of things, and hopefully be stronger and faster each time! Plus, I missed all my new friends :)  Next practice is Monday... See you then!

xoxo
Atari