1st Skate of the Season

So let me rewind back to last winter.  Brand new cord groomed nicely into the freshly fallen Wisconsin snow and all I could think about was getting my skate ski on.  I was determined last year to not give up on skating and shut up, quit whining and gut it out.  I would go great on flats and gradual climbs, but REALLY struggle on the steeper climbs to the point where I would "waddle" up after I lost the momentum I carried into the hill.  This would continue for a few more weeks until I finally cleared everything and began to put together solid laps under the lights.  Towards the end of the season I felt and maybe at times looked like a "real" skater.

Fast forward to tonight, I get out there and feel comfortable right away.  My heart rate was through the roof mostly cause my cardio was absent for a great deal of time, but the consistent weight training allowed me to make it through each and every hill no stopping and 2 more laps than I would normally do on the first attempt at skate skiing for the year.  I have now come to the realization that I don't ATTEMPT skate skiing anymore, I just pull the laces tight and go.  The only thing I noticed right away was the heart rate.  I spent 66% of the above threshold and noticed 198bpm come up a couple of times and on top of that I averaged 180bpm.....so to say I have some cardio work to do is an understatement is laughable at best, but it's the first real sustained effort of the year and it felt damn good.  If this is any indication of how 2011 is going to go.....I am really looking forward to that first dirty tire race of the year.

Make of it what you will when it comes to walking with skate skis on, but keep in mind not one person showed me technique nor have I been doing this very long at all.  This is a good accomplishment to continue to build on in my eyes.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas and New Year!

SK8 er' Die Dude!