From the first of September until the end of May. Nine months to skate 10,000km, I do love a challenge. With a minimum skate of 52km and an unknown maximum, I can do it! I have the time and they now have the technology. With the new “Rain Wheels” I will not be as limited as I have been in the past. Without the need for dry conditions. My only down sides are extreme weather and and a wimpy attitude.
I’ve ordered my new wheels, regular and rain wheels. I coughed up $40 for 1-2 day delivery. Now at the end of day four, I’m still waiting. My wheels are so worn I have to talk myself into going for a skate. Labor Day long weekend starts tomorrow so I’ve lost my smile for a couple of days.
I skated today. Putting down the first 52km of my journey. It was a great skate. A little chase action and some inner resolve made it all worth while. My time was 2hrs 34mins. The time keeping is not for gaging speed but hours skated. From warm up to cool down and everything in between.
Did the minimum distance, 52km in 2hrs 26mins. Had a couple good chases. The first was downhill and I was surprised to catch him. My lead lasted about 100 meters, that was at the end of the second lap. Chased three others on the uphill at the beginning of the forth lap. They pasted me and I responded in kind. Didn’t take much to catch up. The fun however was short lived. I stayed in their draft for about 3/4 of the big hill. They were impressed but not concerned. After the 3/4 mark I started losing ground. I was able to keep them in my sights for most of the uphill. The rest was a good solid effort, my legs are stiff and a touch sore so I’m pleased with the skate.
Now that my new wheels will be here shortly. I am really starting to notice how worn my old ones are. I can feel the laboring in my strides. Less glide and more push than there should be. I figure one more skate on Monday (Stat Holiday) and I’m have the new wheels on. Sundays will be my leg and ab workout day. Did Chest and back this morning, feeling strong. I feel I’m back in the game, but I’m still being careful!
Daily Skate Log: 52km Time 2hrs 26 mins Total 104km 5hrs 0mins
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
10,000 km in nine months?
I worked that out at 20+ miles a day. Is that right?
WOW! Best of luck. You must be damn fit.
What’s your vo2 max and resting heart rate? Pretty good I’ll bet.[/quote]
That’s about right, we’ll be skating more like 30+ miles a skate. Right now it is going to be about piling on the km’s, in preparation for bad weather and lazy ass days!
The last time I was hooked up to a heart rate monitor was about two years ago. I was able to drop my heart rate to below 36 beats a minute. That would set the alarm off. The nurse’s didn’t think that was funny and turned the alarm off after awhile. As for my VO2 max I have know idea, but it’s going to get better!
I didn’t skate yesterday. I’ll be paying for that over the next couple of days. I was hoping to start making up for my lazy ass ways. However the out door water has been turned off, Labor Day Weekend. I’ll pick up a water pack on payday. Until then I’ll have to carry a disposable bottle. My new wheels arrived today. My daughter said I was like a kid on Christmas day, I got a little excited.
My skate was from home today. That adds 4.2 km’s to my skate. Today was 56.2 km’s in 3 hrs 16 mins. The trail was pretty much deserted, back to school! I could really feel Sundays leg workout. I’m surprisingly exhausted, wasn’t that much of a skate. Hope I’m not coming down with some bug. So I need to get some food in me and get rested up, tomorrow is almost here.
Daily Skate Log 56.2 km’s Time 3 hrs 16 mins Total 160.2 km’s 8 hrs 16 mins
Hot, that’s what it was. Started earlier than usual, didn’t seem to matter. I was sweating up a storm in a matter of minutes. Even with the extra water I could only come up with 56.4 km’s in 2hrs 58mins. The heat has sucked the energy from right out of me. I feel like shit. I spent the last couple hours pounding back fluid and eating. It was weird but like yesterday my ears felt like they were plugged with water. The feeling didn’t last very long. It was different than anything I’ve felt before.
The skate was great, except for the moments of nausea. Again the trail was mostly vacant. I spent the first three laps skating with my hands behind my back. This takes away the momentum of the arms and places all the work on the legs. I couldn’t keep it up any longer than three laps. I’ll start working toward four laps etc.
I’m still not sure why I’ve been so exhausted the last two skates. It maybe all psychological but for the time I’ll keep analyzing the situation.
Daily Skate Log 56.4 km’s Time 2 hrs 58 mins Total 216.6 km’s 11hrs 14 mins
I managed a decent nights sleep last night. In hopes of getting an early start on my skate. The exhaustion of the last two days has worn on me. It was still pretty bad this morning. I was up by eight but my ass stayed behind for another four hours. It took an energy drink and that barely did the job. Once I got geared up and on the road life perked up just right.
It was 29C or 90F today. Even with the extra water I was carrying I ran out by the last lap. That made the skate home a little more challenging than I like. The skate it’s self was great. No one to chase but an awesome day for a skate. Got a couple new blisters, one big ass one. It seems that by the third day of skating in a row the calluses start to do a friction burn, very uncomfortable. I got mole skin to combat the problem. It basically makes the callused area slide instead of rub on the soles of my skates.
Laid out 56.4 km’s in 2 hrs 43 mins. It won’t be long before I’m longing for the heat of the sun to bake me into the ground. Still have some great weather ahead of me. If I can get rid of this ass dragging I’d really be happy. One day at a time. I’m just going to have to eat, rest, hydrate and skate my way through it. Time to suck it up!
Daily Skate Log 56.4 km’s Time 2 hrs 43 mins Total 273 km’s 13 hrs 57 mins
No skate today. It may take a couple days for the blister on my right heel to detenderize. I was hoping a layer or two of mole skin would do the trick. Unfortunately it’s in a spot that has a support cushion. It’s the area responsible for the blister. Just goes to show how much sweating goes down on a hot day like yesterday.
This is just my Karma unfolding. I always encounter a multitude of minor set backs at the begining of a journey. I’ve gotten so use to it that I actually expect things to go array for the first week or two. I’ll get settled down to business as usual in no time at all.
Now that I feel quilty, my shoulder workout should be a really great one. I’m thinking about taking the bike out tomorrow. The mole skin works great on the uncushioned heel of my cycling shoe. Fact I think I’ll head out for Sooke. This time on the trail, I’ve never done that!
A very solid shoulder workout yesterday and a good chest and back workout today. The only thing left to do was try a third layer of mole skin and go skating. The third layer was also to stabilize the other two layer. Basically I don’t want three layers of padding trying to roll up in my skate. It pretty much covers the heel. It still hurt like hell getting my boot on. There was a fair bit of discomfort but not enough to make me take that boot off again.
I only skated 32.5 kms in 1 hr 51 mins. It was a very slow start but once my feet were settled it was okay. What happened next made me think of Apollo 13 and something Tom Hanks character discribed. About how you never know whats going to unfold to get you home. The tenderness of my heels has required me to be extra careful how I placed my skates and pushed off. I was keeping my skate erect longer than usual on my push-off and discovered a lot more power. I was still limited as to my exersion, tenderness is just that.
After two laps my heels strongly suggested I call it quits. Not being able to check the condition of my heels with out removing my boot. That was so not going to happen. I was happy with 32.5 km’s concidering the alternative. And yes it hurt like hell getting my boots off.
Daily Skate Log 32.5 km’s Time 1 hr 57 mins Total 305.5 km’s 15 hrs 49 mins
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
Strong work stud. You ever play hockey? With all the road work I image you can ice skate like crazy.[/quote]
This is Canada, everyone plays hockey. I played until I started lossing teeth. I’ve always enjoyed skating. The only ice around here however is indoors and not worth the effort. To many rules.
Fantastic work, Streamline. This weekend went hiking in a state park for a few miles. Nothing special, but my feet were suing for divorce afterward. Gave me a small taste of what you’re going through.
Oh, and in Apollo 13, Hank’s character was describing how he was flying a jet at night and lost the carrier. Just as things couldn’t get worse, the instruments went out and cockpit went dark. Then he could see the luminous wake of the carrier, which wasn’t visible otherwise. He made it back.
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Fantastic work, Streamline. This weekend went hiking in a state park for a few miles. Nothing special, but my feet were suing for divorce afterward. Gave me a small taste of what you’re going through.
Oh, and in Apollo 13, Hank’s character was describing how he was flying a jet at night and lost the carrier. Just as things couldn’t get worse, the instruments went out and cockpit went dark. Then he could see the luminous wake of the carrier, which wasn’t visible otherwise. He made it back.[/quote]
You obviously like the movie as well. The feet do take a bit of conditioning at times. I can find ways to prevent the discomfort. It isn’t very expensive but the continued use does add up. I try to use the comfort pads only when I’m hoping to put down some extra km’s. Otherwise I like to condition my feet for the up coming abuse they are about to endure. Poor little guys, I’ll get them some very comfy slippers when I’m done.
Love the movie. I was really surprised at how much I hurt from walking just a few miles. I had spent some time in the past year walking/running up and down the hill behind my apartment, and that makes my heart pound but the feet never complained.
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Love the movie. I was really surprised at how much I hurt from walking just a few miles. I had spent some time in the past year walking/running up and down the hill behind my apartment, and that makes my heart pound but the feet never complained. [/quote]
The unconditioned foot. How many times have we all paid the price for that one. I walk around with about three dollars worth of Dr. Scholls foot products on my feet at any given time. With corn’s, callus’s and blisters I’m out-of-pocket 2-3 hundred annually. My dogs are worth every cent of it. The abuse I inflict on them also justifies the expense.