Road Rash Chronicles

Randomness

2008-05-15T11:46:49Z

RVL Le Club has posted more pics of the Montreal Event last weekend. They are really nice quality shots and I suggest you check them out. Sniff Sniff, none of me. I am so sad. ;)
http://picasaweb.google.com/VRLLeClub/MarathonRollerdeMontreal2008II

Peter at Speedskate World has been busy these days too! Holy updates!! Make sure you visit Peter for all the latest news, results and the most colorful array of photos. He is also your contact for the upcoming RSO series in Aylmer, QC (near Ottawa) so if you have any questions, make sure you drop him a line or get all the relevant information here: http://www.speedskateworld.com

Road Rash: Keep your Road Rash pictures coming in! I am putting together another montage soon! Did anyone fall at Montreal? (Mike Garvin, I KNOW you have some good road rash pics for me from San Fran!!) You can send your pics here. Cor1000@yahoo.com

Need Advice, Guidance and Options

2008-05-14T13:14:01Z

Hey everyone,

I am looking to buy my first GPS. Don't want a fancy bells and whistles kind of GPS, just a run of the mill one that takes speed and distance.

Any suggestions?

I was thinking of this one. Garmin Forerunner 201

Photos from Montreal Marathon

2008-05-13T01:28:28Z

Sorry for the delay everyone. I finally got the good shots from Montreal processed and posted to my Flickr account.

Please check them out here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/30813780@N00/sets/72157605028104207/

As always, please feel free to share these with any skaters who you see in the pics. Not everyone reads this blog after all.

I haven't had the time just yet to add new folders for skaters I met this past weekend or even transfer the new shots to existing folders but make sure to look for your name on a folder from time to time. If I have more than 3 shots of you, you will get your personalized folder here on this site. Then you will be famous. Hopefully I will know your name by then but sometimes I don't. For example: Simon. I just know him as Simon. He is like Madonna or Cher....one name only. ;)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics. Steal them as you see fit.

Roller Montreal Marathon 2008

2008-05-12T12:29:57Z

Am I supposed to feel this way? Owww. Why don't I feel this sore after training practices? I guess I need to train harder. ;)

Anyway, Montreal was great. Weather was perfect and the track was amazing. Talk about fast! I was expecting a lot more people but from what people were telling me, the turn out was pretty good.  The race however was another story.

I didn't know what to expect really so my anxiety was a bit high. I didn't get much sleep the night before due to a combination of partying with Kim and the gang and a touch of nerves for sure. When we got to the track I did a mini warm up but no where near the warm up I should have done. I did maybe 5 minutes of stretching and not even a full lap of the track. So basically I was going in blind.  Dumb. Really dumb.

In anticipation of my back issues I placed a hot pad on my back for a bit of extra heat. Good plan, bad execution....but I will get into that later.

Lots of people gave me their own take on key elements of a race and I tried my best to keep them all in order. I found a good spot in the start crowd but was quickly swallowed up at the gun. I had to push pretty hard to get into a pack that I knew would take me farther in the long run.   Allain and JF had told me last year to find a person in your pack and envision them as your target.  Do whatever you need to do to catch that person. So for my first pack, that guy was Greg. I knew he could beat me in a marathon but I was hoping that for a 21k I would be able to edge him in the final stretch.   For the first lap, I was okay but I immediately felt my back "turn on" within the first 5 minutes. That pissed me off. By the second lap, I couldn't stay with Greg and the pack any longer as everytime I tried to stretch out, my back would seize up.  So with my back screaming, I had to drop back and coast for about 3-4 minutes. That was hard. To watch my goal for the race skate away had me feeling a bit sorry for myself.  I instantly had thoughts like..."did I train as hard as I could have", "is this sport what you really want to do", "do you have what it takes", "can you get over this hurdle", "maybe your goal was unrealistic"....etc. But as quickly as I had these thoughts, reality bitch slapped me and a new pack was on my hees.

This one had most of my Ottawa team members on it. Kim, Corrinne, Peter, Melanie and Catherine....people I knew I could skate with comfortably. So I jumped on and was able to coast with them for the remainder of the 3 laps. Catherine and Mel took turns pulling the pack so they quickly became my new target. I took my time and moved up the pack bit by bit but they seemed very comfy pulling so I let them do their thing. They also seemed very protective of the front positions only letting certain skaters up to the top. Strategy? Not sure.

Being in a large pack was much better but that is not to say my back got any better, in fact it got worse. I quickly realized that I had put the wrong pad on my back. The box that I bought had 4 pads, two cold and two hot. I didn't pay attention and grabbed the cold pad and put it on. By lap 3 my back was nice and cold and seizing all over the place. Thankfully the speed of my pack allowed me to stand up from time to time and get as much of a break as possible. I would have loved a 30 second break however. That would have worked wonders.

During the last lap, I purposely dropped to the back of the 15 person pack and conserved as much energy as I could. Since I knew my energy was still 100% and my legs and cardio were just fine, I wanted to be able to sprint to finish with everything I had. Knowing I had a better sprint than my collegues was the trump card I was saving for the last minute. About 500 metres from the finish line, I pulled out and was able to pass everyone to take the lead with Catherine (my target). At the last corner I edged her out for the finish line by maybe a second or two.

I know I could have done better but with all things considered I am content with my finish.  Being able to finish with the leaders of my pack and knowing how amazing each of them are, had me feeling pretty good overall. But next time will be different. ;)

It would have been interesting however to see what my time would have been had I not lost those 3-4 minutes after being dropped. Argh. Maybe that will be my next goal time. Hmmmm.

Lessons learned.

1. Start position is key. If you are noticing people in front of you at the start line who you KNOW are not as strong as you, get in front of them as you don't want to be caught up in their start pack.

2. When in your pack, get behind someone who has good technique or who you at least feel comfy behind. Being behind skaters that are all over the place takes up a lot of mental energy.

3. Next time I won't fall back in order to sprint at the end. I will slowly move to the front of the pack and then sprint giving me even more of an advantage. I probably spent 200 meters just catching up to the front of the pack before passing them. Had I been near the front, I could have extended my lead significantly at the line.

Random pics. More to follow.

Start of the 21 and 42km.

Simon coming to the line. ***poor Simon, I keep taking his picture and he has no idea who I am. LOL

Tanya, one of our ladies leaders taking the line!

Road Rash Chronicles - pic courtesy of Heather De.

My very first race.....ever!

2008-05-11T23:35:36Z

Home. Need massage, food, sleep and lots of Advil. Oh did I mention some moisturizer for my burnt head!! Ma tête est brûlée comme le pain grillé.

Will provide more details tomorrow. But here is the pic of me fighting with Catherine for the finish line.

I knew I could do it....but visit me now in the hospital.

2008-05-06T13:14:49Z

Last night at 4-2-1, right from the top of the class, Dom dropped the bombshell that we were going to do a marathon distance instead of our normal 25k. Oh crap.

I was sort of excited to see if I could do it but I was also very very tentative considering all the boot and back issues I have been having lately. Last week, after only 30 minutes of skating, I had to take my skates off because my ankles hurt so bad. So you can imagine my trepedation when Dom mentioned a marathon. Yikes. Keep in mind that I only recently completed a 21k distance. Anything over that was new territory.

I had luckily heat molded my skates again on Saturday night and decided to do a 10K before the group showed up for practice. I arrived about an hour early and while warming up Dom showed up for a mini session with another skater. I tagged along. What a saving grace that was. I was able to get the back and hips warmed up and adjust my laces to a comfortable threshold. I even moved my frame yet again. Still having probs with that left skate.

Anyway, for the most part, I was okay. I had some back and hip issues but never at the same time and almost always bearable to some degree. Not to mention the speed we were tracking at was not race pace but not slow by any means.

We saw a few skaters here and there like Dan D and Ray V but it was only Ray who whipped around and joined the pack for a few kms. We tried to convince him to come with us but he bailed out. I guess he wasn't up to a real skate with the pros. ;)

As the night progressed, Dom decided to test our road skating and quickly pulled us off the paths and onto major roads. Hills, and cars and the most unbelievably horrible pavement I have ever experienced. Island Park drive should be closed down. It was like skating on glued together gravel stone. Up to that point, I had never felt anything like it.

By the 30+ marker I was getting tired and my ankles were beginning to bother me a bit. Technique was quickly diminishing and as a result everything else started to get sore. Especially the bottoms of my feet. Since when does that happen? Strange. But before we knew it, we were back at the parking lot and I couldn't get my skates off faster. Then of course, Kim and I had to reward ourselves with Dairy Queen. Now that is the life!

I had to laugh at one of Dom's critiques however. While skating behind me for a few kms, she said "you are doing something wrong but I don't know what it is. I know it is something but I don't know what "it" is."

This morning, although very happy I actually did the distance, I feel like I am going to die. My legs and hips are so sore that I can't even fathom that I have a 2 hour tennis game at 3 followed by another training night of skating. Walking hurts....the last thing I want to do is put my skates back on. But I also realize that that is probably the best thing I can do. Damn!

So here is our route from last night. It shows 30k but with my warm up, it was officially 40km.

One Step Forward - Two Steps Back

2008-05-01T12:49:42Z

Over the past few weeks, several of you have taken the time to come up to me and mentioned how they have noticed my improvements in speed, fitness and technique over the winter months. Some have also given me excellent feedback and corrections on my technique. Considering that I was probably in too much pain from my new skates to really hear you, I have to apologize for not doing the easiest thing, and yet one of the hardest for some....saying thanks.

Recently, for every step forward I am taking, it feels like I am taking two steps back at the same time. For every tip or technique I am trying to build upon, I get blessed with a whole new kind of pain that sets me back again. And while I am caught up in my own pity party, I am forgetting to say thanks to "you", the skaters I look up to the most.

And even though you all drive me crazy at times ;) (mostly because I am perfect in every way)... I appreciate the boost!!

So thanks everyone!

Randomness - This could have been me.

2008-04-28T12:00:45Z

If you know me well, you know I am infatutuated with America's Next Top Model. Nothing comes between me and my Wednesday 8pm date with Tyra. Don't test me, I'll cut ya!!

So you can imagine my surprise when I read the following article. (Click to enlarge)

People just have to understand, when Tyra speaks, shut the hell up!!! Geeeezzzz.

Dip it low

2008-04-27T01:08:40Z

It was an interesting day for skating to say the least. I was so excited to have 3 hours of skating today that I totally misread the Club's website and showed up to the early session that is reserved for invited skaters only. (I am not one of them). So here I am stretching and getting ready to go when Allain skates over and fills me in on my blunder. Crap. Poor guy, I am sure being the bearer of bad news isn't easy but I totally understood the need for consistency in the program. No harm no foul. Anyway, I wasn't really willing to drop $15 bucks for an hour of skating....even if it was Allain at the helm of coaching. No offense A. And as irony would have it, what did they end up doing? My favorite drill.....relays. Ya, thanks. Torture me why don't cha.

The next hour was fun just the same. I tried to get some good technique going but things didn't come together like I had planned.

Early on, Allain pointed out that although my shoulders were low, my butt was stuck in the air resulting in a false sense of lowness. Trying to get lower, keep the ass down AND push with the heel all while trying not to fall backwards is harder than it seems. I am going to have to make this a priority as I had a very difficult time getting deep in my seat. Allain could bring his butt lower than his knees all the while in basic position. That is fucked up. Seriously. Do these guys not have bones? Are they all just rubber. Geez. I will have to research some stretches or exercises to help with that. Finding that balance of getting the butt low without falling backwards is going to be tough.

In order to test out some theories, towards the end of practice I tried to skate a few laps without lacing up my skates. What an adventure that was. Immediately my feet started slipping out of my boots. Dom (the nicest girl in the world...and the bestest buddy ever) said right off the top that this was a sign that I wasn't using my heel to push. So for the next few laps I tried my best to get that heel down. Of course, I looked like a tool skating around like this but it did let me know that my balance was all over the place and that I need to develop more confidence in my outside edges. What I really need is 1 hour with a coach and some repetitive drills every week.

Ed from TO showed up for the last hour and as always it was a treat to gauge visitors' reaction to our floor. Only after a few laps, you could tell he was not overly impressed with the resistance our floor offers. Ah, the joys of indoor.

And finally, Jean Charest, the Premier of Quebec showed up for a public appearance thingy. He shook some hands and took some pictures, you know, the usual fan fare, but I kinda kept my distance. After playing tennis with Movie stars, Chancellors, Prime Ministers and Presidents, a Premier is so below my attention span. LOL

New Outdoor Pics

2008-04-26T13:35:07Z

Sorry I haven't been posting many pics lately. Camera has always been forgotten. I am sure some of you are glad of that. ;)

However, for the rest of you, here are some shots from practice this week.

Hips don't lie

2008-04-25T11:38:24Z

Don't cha hate it when one small correction can cause so much discomfort? Who knew that skating was supposed to be this much trouble?

At last nights practice, Sergio flew up beside me and gave me 2 really important tips.

1. Make sure you have your weight deep and back enough to allow for a strong heel push. Seems I am still toeing a bit. Argh.
2. Upon recovery, try to bring your knees together.  "kiss the knees"

What seemed like small corrections at the time had my hips screaming within minutes. Ouch!   I will endeavor to add that to the list of things to remember and work on. Seems this list is getting longer instead of shorter.

Two more people commented on my pronation last night as well. But there is really nothing I can do at this point. My frame is all the way in and unless I am missing something I can't see how to correct it. It is only week 3 on my new race skates and although I am not "afraid" of the outside edge, my ankle doesn't seem to like that position. When I had my semi races, I think I was spoiled a bit. I had no fear at all of carving that outside edge because I knew I had the support of the skate. This time around, there is no support there so my mind has yet to put that edge to the test. It will come in time I hope.

Alas, I was only able to do 2 laps with the race team last night. Crap. I think they were practicing intervals because for half the loop I was okay but then all the sudden they were gone in a flash of lycra. Even at my 100% with arms flailing about, I couldn't catch them. Oh well. I will just have to wait until they decide to practice lame ass skating. Then I will be able to keep up no problem!!

But the most frustrating part of practice was a stupid mistake I made while pack skating. I was pulling a nice pack of about 7 skaters at a reasonable pace when I saw Sergio about 100 meters ahead. I took the pack and we attacked those 100 meters to pull right up behind Sergio. (yah for me) but..... At the upcoming turn, I pulled out wide at the entrance in order to fall back (part of the drill) and didn't time my transition properly. The next thing I knew my pack was gone and I was left trying to sprint to catch up to them.

I learned via Dom, the nicest girl in the whole wide world, that I should have stayed pulling until the turn was completed and then transition back. That way I am not losing the momentum or speed from the crossovers. I had to do twice as many crossovers at a much slower rate since I had pulled wide way to early. I will remember for next time.

So much to learn. So little time.

4-2-1...Lets Go already!

2008-04-22T15:33:43Z

Myself and the core group of racers met yesterday at 6pm for an informal practice session with Dom the bomb as part of our 4-2-1 program. Much appreciated for sure! Free session with one on one commentary and advice...who wouldn't want that.

But here's the thing. I want to skate! Let's skate already! I am such an impatient person sometimes and even though I KNOW I need to hear the mental side of things, I have dealt with that over a lifetime of tennis competitions. I totally get the sports physcology side of things but nothing compares to actual skating.  At least for me.

I am not diminishing the importance of the mind in this sport, don't get me wrong, but as the sun was setting I was itching to get up and hit the trail. After 50 minutes of chatting about "stuff" I was just about to say "excuse me, can we skate now".

Like I had mentioned to Dom early on in our sessions prior to yesterday, I am a very "do or do not" kind of guy. Sitting in a circle talking about "stuff" is not going to make me a better skater. (or at least I don't think it is). What I want is technique, skills and feedback.  I think I am just getting antsy about the 21k in Montreal. I want it to be perfect.

On that note, I got some from Greg on pronating again. Argh. Will work on that frame even more today. But I am starting to think it is just me not being 100% comfortable on my new skates. The group ended up doing about 25km in a pack and it was really fun. We had a reasonable speed and my back pain was at about a 7 out of 10. Slowly getting better. 2 more weeks to go!!

Distance wise, that is 50kms in 2 days!! Not to mention the 8 hours of tennis I have played in 3 days. On top of that, I have 2 hours of tennis after work today and then I have to drive to skate practice at the NRC. Christ, I better lose 10 pounds after all this!!! I am surprised my legs are supporting my weight at this stage of the game. I have to remind myself not to go to the gym when I am skating 20+ kms on the same day. Ouch.

And one last thing. I love my 4-2-1 team. I trust them all and I really enjoy our fit together. We can totally get faster but for now, things are on the right track.

Distance Training - Boot Revelation

2008-04-20T22:01:28Z

Since I began inline skating, I can't recall a time where I skated a long distance that would be somewhat similar to a half marathon. Maybe while I was in TO and did that path with Michael Cole but I am not entirely sure what that distance was there and back.

Either way, today, Greg and I ditched indoor practice and decided to focus on distance training in preparation from Montreal in a couple of weeks. I did my first half marathon distance officially. Greg and I jumped onto the parkway at the War museum and after a few warm up laps on the oval, we hit the trail and skated all the way to the Boat Club and back. I didn't race it mind you, that would have been impossible and would have had me collapsing in pain a quarter of the way through. On the journey, I had to stop or slow down about 5 times to stretch out my back as it is continuing to cause problems. Twice I was relatively okay, but there were 2 times when I seized and could barely stand up. I have a feeling I should be giving my doctor friend a call. Argh.

I score the paths about a 8 out of 10 today. For the most part they are free of debris but from time to time you have to watch out for thick twigs and such. Leftovers from the snow for sure. But there are no rocks or gravel to be seen. And that reminds me....since everyone and their dog is on the paths, I would strongly suggest that each person carry a whistle or noisemaker with them. People are just not smart enough to know what you are doing. It is almost as if they don't know how to react to inline skaters. Bikes...fine...inliners and they go stupid. So be warned and be careful.

And one last piece of good news. I finally figured out what was wrong with the alignment of my skates. Greg had pointed out that I was pronating on my left side pretty badly. I had already heard that from Ray this past week...plus the fact that I could feel it too. Upon early inspection (weeks ago), I had moved the frame as far in as possible but it didn't help. I figured it was a design flaw of the skate and was ready to take a drill to the base to widen the slot. Today however, Greg took my frame and inspected it. We discovered that there was a "plastic material" build up in the track of where the bolt goes. In other words, this material was preventing the bolt sliding fully over to the inside. Digging this crap out with my car keys and a skate tool allowed me to move the frame properly to the inside. Yah! Hopefully this will make a difference....hopefully with my back too! Such a small discovery can bring so much joy.

I am hoping to get that distance in a few times a week before heading to Montreal. I figure with more distance under my belt, the more prepared I will be. That logic is sound right?

Skating Goodness

2008-04-18T17:08:04Z

Although I have been suffering from strange back pain recently, I have to say that yesterdays practice was fan-fuc*ing-tastic. After running the loop and doing a very light amount of plyo based exercises, we donned our skates (without stretching tsk tsk) and focused on pack skating. Love this exercise as we don't often get to practice lots of pack stuff over the winter. We try but the skill levels don't usually accomodate everyone on such a small indoor track.

Anyway, several times during the practice, I jumped onto the race team pack and managed to get about 3-4 laps with them before being dropped or dying from fatigue. (edit: a lap is just shy of 1km) Either way, sticking with them for 4 laps was totally amazing. I had to skate at about 90% of my ability but it felt grrrreat to be a part of that pack, even for just a small amount of time. The speed is a bit crazy and you have no time to worry about the surface you are on because you are focusing on keeping up and staying in a controlled peloton. Very different level of focus. At least for me. The great thing is the realization that at least I can do it. Even though I realize that they are only skating at about 60%, it is still a good feeling. Of course my legs are so sore today that I can hardly move but still, it was fun.

As I mentioned, I still had a few back issues but this time around it was a bit different. I was able to give my back a break from time to time by standing up and just changing position but at one particular point of the night I had a bizarre turn of events. Instead of my back being sore while skating, it spasmed when I tried to stand up. My laps were over and as I was rolling to a stop I tried to stand up and the pain was like a punch in the gut. No breathe at all. It took a good 2 minutes to finally be able to get up and once I did manage it, I tried to stretch it out a bit at a time.

I am still working on core strength off and on skates and I hope that with the more skating I do, the quicker things will fall into place. At least that is the goal. With tips and comments coming in from everyone (thanks) I will be putting many things into practice to see if that helps.

Taking the Plunge - Finally

2008-04-17T13:20:43Z

Well the time has finally come. Time to put my money where my mouth is.

I am officially registered for my very very very first inline event. The Roller Montreal Marathon on May 11th, 2008. http://www.mtlroller42k.com/index-en.html

Now I only have 3.5 weeks to learn how to stay low for more than 3km without my back spasming. Should be a super fun 3.5 weeks. I am hoping to skate every night from this point onwards so who wants to come out and play on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays?

Asticou - First Time

2008-04-16T13:04:12Z

Practice last night was held at Asticou. I had never been there before so I was looking forward to grading the pavement and the facilities as I had heard nightmare stories of this place for the past year. Although it has its patches of rough, overall it was an okay loop.

I wasn't 100% happy with my skate yesterday but it wasn't as bad as I thought once I chatted with Greg on the way home and calmed down a bit. Sure I had some back issues but they were relieved (for the most part) when Dan D and Alicia gave me some great tips. Alicia reminded me to get even lower and to suck in my bellybutton to give my lower back a break. Worked like a charm. Dan D reminded me that if you are in a pack and you are in the middle or at the end, there is really no need to stay super low all the time. If you need to, stand up and give your back a break. Once I did that and took advantage of the bigger guys in front of me, I was able to increase my distance on the first try.

I couldn't complete all the sets that Dan had us doing but I did put in an effort. I completed about 25km of the 30+km that were required. It seemed that about every 5km I had to break in order to rest my back or stretch out. That still seems to be my challenge thus far. I am going to work on strengthening my core as much as possible on non-skate days and see if that helps at all. And as Alicia mentioned, I might just need to push through that wall and see if maybe my body can adapt. Lots of things to try, lots of things to learn. I am hoping that it is just "new season" aches and pains. Regardless, I WILL prevail.

On a more positive note, I did manage to do a 2k loop with Stephane. Although it was his warm up lap, the pace was still pretty fast for me. I had to give my 80% just to match his speed. It was great fun.

The Corner Kid Killer struck again last night and Benoit was the latest victim.  I guess he was getting to close and she kicked him to the curb. Poor guy. Although he kept on skating, he did have some nice road rash as a souvenir of this senseless attack. I think I will have to rename this skater the Corner Kill as she now seems to be going after adults as well. There seems to be no discrimination now. When will it ever stop? Something has to be done!

As always, the race team were pretty focused and were just blurs of speed the whole night. You can tell that they are stoked that the outdoor season has begun. The fun and games are over. Training time has begun! I am bummed that I can't train with them on Wednesday mornings because I totally think I could benefit from it but this damn job of mine keeps getting in the way. But I am looking forward to when the Saturday morning sessions start. I will totally be there! No one is going to question my intentions this summer, let me assure you.

Lastly, I have to give some props to Shannon. I am totally jealous of his endurance improvement over the winter season. Speed and distance are looking great buddy. I think you are the next "skater to watch".

And Greg, I am going to take your advice and let go.

Flickr Update

2008-04-15T00:46:37Z

Hey again everyone. Just so you know, I have updated my flickr account with more photos. You can find your Run for Reach photos here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/30813780@N00/sets/

BTW, I create individual folders for each skater whom I have more than one photo for so if you don't have a folder yet, it is only because I need more shots. Be patient.

I have folders for people I don't even know. How strange is that!

Not many read this blog so if you do and you know people who have a folder here and would like to know, share the info share the love.

Thx all.

Run 4 Reach

2008-04-13T23:02:24Z

****Update: Seems the time counter at the race was a bit off. Therefore the times on your pics are incorrect. For your even BETTER results, go here:

http://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.php?lang=eng&racecode=43186

So the first event of the season has come and gone and I can honestly say that I am glad I sat this one out. It just didn't feel right . Plus I wanted a few more sessions with my new skates before I commited to an event. whaaa whaaa whaaa I know. Spare me the violins. I know how it sounds.

Anyway, I promise I will have my crap together for Montreal in a few weeks. Even if I have to put on my old skates, it is going to happen!

On a positive note, I just have to say how amazing it is to watch my fellow skaters cross that line. Even if they didn't do as well as they hoped, just doing something like that is amazing to me. To think that there is only a small community of people in Canada who can do a half marathon within 30 - 45 minutes and YOU are one of them. I think people lose sight of how great they are in the eyes of other people.

On the photo side of things I have to apologize. My camera was malfunctioning and the majority of my shots were overexposed or had major focus problems. Peter Doucet of Speedskateworld, our 1st place winner with a 37.50 minute race was also the first victim of my bad camera skills. Sorry Peter!

Here are a few shots that did make the cut.

Benoit, our second place skater. 38.01

Allain. Always in the lead pack. 40.09

Morgan from TO. 41.19

Sarah from TO. Our ladies 1st place winner. 41.22

Travis from....TO (I think) and JF. 44.12

Dan the man. 44.24

Dominique (corner kid killer) 44.28

Candy from TO. My competition for next time. 45.52

George from TO and Tom. 45.57

Tanya. A great race!! 52.32

Tom and Melissa. The dynamic duo.

Dominique and someone. No introductions.

No clue who these people are either. LOL They look nice!

Deja Vu? He looks familiar.

Bailin, the Devil and Lisa. Seriously, doesn't Benoit look like he could set you on fire by looking at you! Told ya! I am sure he has evil powers. I just know it.

Our fearless leader. Peter Doucet, the 2008 champion.

On second thought...

2008-04-13T12:41:23Z

Il Peloton had its open house last night and it was tons of fun. Great time, good food and best of all, amazing people. It was great to see some of the TO crew there but unfortunately they came in just as I was heading out. Argh.

I always enjoy seeing skaters outside the spandex and helmet world. However, sometimes I need to remember that these are people I don't see socially all that often. So I sometimes forget to put that "social check" on myself. You see, I have a REALLY twisted sense of humor. REALLY twisted. I imply everything and substantiate nothing. I deny nothing and offer up everything. All in fun of course. I totally enjoy getting a rise out of my friends so I will admit to anything. And the thing is, I don't usually have to explain myself because my friends know when I am being an ass. (which is most of the times) so they know to take me with a grain of salt. But when an equally sarcastic person gives you that "look" of "hmmm are you serious", then you know the joke has failed miserably.

With that said, I noticed that at key times last night I would get very funny looks from people I was talking to. Some with raised eyebrows and some with nervous laughs. I have to make it a point to remember that not everyone has the humor tools to cut through the sarcasm and invention to find the joke. Crap! Uh oh I have a feeling there are some skaters out there that have a very scary view on yours truly.

LOL I am a good person, really! I am normal damnit! I am a gentle and delicate person full of sunshine and puppies....really.

I will have to redeem myself when I see some of last nights crew today. LOL This should be fun.

Another Ottawa Inline Event - Lets do it!!

2008-04-11T17:24:01Z

Although the Ottawa Inline Club is not officially promoting this event, I think it is totally one worth mentioning and promoting to our fellow skaters around the region. The price is right, the route is reasonable and the timing is perfect.

On May 4th, Nortel is holding its annual Nortel Tour. A bike, walk and inline event that circles around its main site in the West end of Ottawa. There is traditionally only one event open to inline skaters but this year, with permission, we have been given the okay to participate in the 35K road tour as well.

Where the 12k tour circles the site on very nice pavement, the 35K tour goes offsite on what can be described as a somewhat challenging route. There is a tough hill and a patch of rough pavement but apart from that the route is about 75% standard fair. No problems for our average marathon skaters.

The cost is only $25 bucks and this can either be paid through a pledge or through registration. That is all. You can even do both events if you really like!!

For those interested, drop me a line. Cor1000@yahoo.com I would love to do the 12K but am hoping I can get a group of people together for each of the events.  For me, it will be my first inline event and I do NOT want to skate it alone. Come on people!!

Things to keep in mind.

1. It is not a race. Just a friendly day of fun.
2. Although we have been granted an early exit time, there will be cyclists on the route with us.
3. Visit the site for more information. http://www.tournortel.com/

Feedback required

2008-04-09T16:44:08Z

Since Mexico, I have been brainstorming with team members, board members and other athletes about this idea I have. Here is the gist, reasoning and process behind it. Let me know what you think.

To me, coaches are defined as those who take the responsibility of teaching skills, rules and tactics involved in a particular sport to its players.

Trainers on the other hand are those who take on the responsibility of increasing the physical fitness level of players in a particular sport. That is to say that the basics of the skills are there and a “next level” is being sought.

How does that relate to skating? Well ask yourself these questions.

1. Do you receive one on one instruction?

2. Do you receive regular feedback on your performance?

3. Do you have a technique goal or a fitness goal? Have you informed anyone of these goals?

4. Do all the members of your group share the same goals?

5. Do you consider yourself more of an “improved skater” or a more “fit skater” after a season?

For the most part, based on the above questions, I think I approached my first winter season with the wrong goals. My particular focus was to complete (to the best of my abilities) the drills and exercises outlined by the Race Team. These drills usually focused on endurance, interval training, speed and relays. All of which pushed me to my limits and at times over my threshold which I discovered was surprisingly low.

The level of training is and has always been fantastic and difficult. No complaints there! I am clearly a more fit skater compared to last year and that is thanks to the routines and drills set out by the Speed Hour group at our indoor and outdoor sessions. Without those drills I can’t imagine the belly I would have after the winter season.

I fully recognize that I decided to join the training program of a group of skaters who are clearly at a different level so that I could learn and benefit from them as much as possible. The problem is that I don’t often get the opportunity to learn as much as I thought I would. I am observing tons of skill, technique, speed…etc. but processing that information and putting it into action myself is another story. Many of us are still at an infancy stage when it comes to these particular skills.

I know I have mentioned this a dozen times in the past but it warrants repetition. Each time that Stephane, Ray, Mike, Dominique, Benoit, JF, Sergio and Allain have taken 2 minutes out of their time to point something out to me that I was doing wrong and then SHOW me the proper skill or technique, it has given me something to work on and improve. And I felt I have. They didn’t just say “get low”, they showed me how to do it. How to ankle bend, where to place my shoulders, how to carve that outside edge…etc. Carolyn and Sarah did the same in Mexico. They commented on how I was arm swinging across my body rather than in front of my face. With a 10 second demonstration I was able to correct that technique issue. 10 seconds!!! What I don’t think they understand is that 2 minutes of their time saves us months of repeating a bad habit. Hopefully that can change. This is how.

What: One on One Skater Assesments

A one on one assesment would allow a beginner or intermediate skater to “book” time with either a Race Team member or an advanced skater to review and assess their skill level at varied times through the month/season/year. This would include instant feedback and demonstrations of the skills/techniques that the coach/trainer has identified as needing work.

How: A pre-developed skill list could be created so that coaches/trainers could assess each skater on the most common of skills and techniques. In addition, the skater could also communicate with the coach/trainer on particular goals and objectives they have identified for themselves for that particular month/season/year. For example, common skills could include:

1. The ability to skate in a basic position with good extention.

2. The ability to skate in a basic position with good ankle and knee bend.

3. An assesment of the overall core strength of the skater. Can they skate in a basic position for more than 2km.

4. Can the skater skate in cadence with another skater/pack?

5. Can the skater stop?

For more advanced skaters, skills could include:

1. Can the skater crossover in turns? At what level?

2. Does the skater have adequate underpush?

3. Does the skater toe out when recovering?

4. Does the skater push to the side or to the back when skating classically?

5. Can the skater double push?

When: This can be determined by the skater and the coach/trainer. There is the option of having the assesment done during pre-existing training days or alternatively at a mutually convenient time outside club program timeslots.

Cost: Upon discussions with other skaters, there has been a consensus that a small fee could be charged if need be. In reality, many skaters believe that there should be a fee as the time of the coach/trainer is valuable and not something that should be taken advantage of. Time is money people! The race team would certainly benefit from fees coming in as they could use these funds to offset competition fees, travel fees…etc. Fee structure could be: $25 / assesment (Approx. 1 hour)

There are two remaining options. One is the option of having a fee paid to the coach/trainer directly and not to the race team as a whole. The last is a “no fee” option where the assesment would be done at no cost to the skater. Obviously, the feedback and guidance of the Race Team and the elite skaters would be sought in order to come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

If successful, this could potentially be a service provided by the Race Team that could be advertised. I believe that if managed properly, this could become a very popular and beneficial tool for all level of skaters. Visitors could click on a link and a Race Team member would reply within a time period to set up a time and place for the assesment. How the Race Team would assign coaches/trainers would be up to them. Alternatively, skaters could be given the option of “who” they want as a coach/trainer for their assesment. This would be a discussion point.

Of course, there are other elements to be considered but overall, this is the basic overview. It occurred to me recently that we have all these skilled skaters in our midst and we rarely take advantage of their experience and their guidance. There is obviously a need and a demand, so why not develop a tool to meet these needs? I also believe that with the new “buddy” system discussed at the Registration Night, this assesment tool would be a perfect way to integrate new skaters into the club and also develop the intermidiate and advanced skaters who may wish to take a more active role in the race/marathon events.

As skaters of all levels, I would love to hear your thoughts or suggestions either through this forum or via email. Cor1000@yahoo.com

Randomness

2008-04-09T01:15:13Z

YES, I did see you do that!! ~~Loser.~~ Asshole.

Okay I promise....

2008-04-08T14:54:45Z

No more skate purchases.....for at least a year.  ;)

I finally bit the bullet last night and slipped into my first pair of race skates. I have officially graduated from my semi-race Bonts to a Luigino Boot. I really do like the Bonts but the ones I wanted were over 1K so forget that.

Plus, these boots are a bit lower and I figured that was a big factor. Got to get low....ankle bends are critical.

Anyway, I took advantage of the excellent deal Il Peloton was offering and scooped up a pair of the Limited Edition Pilot Boots. As always the service was amazing which only made me want to spend more money. Luckily they didn't have my size (so far) in the jacket I wanted. I tell ya, I should seriously consider buying stocks in Il Peloton. ;)

I skated outdoors with the new boots last night at my first training session for 4-2-1 GO and it was a strange experience. They hurt like hell since I haven't heat molded them yet but overall I could see the difference with the lower boot right away. I am finding that I am pronating a bit more than usual but I figure that is just my body overcompensating for the lack of the higher boot. I am sure it will take time to properly transition.

The only pain in the ass is that my arches are all screwed up in these boots so I have been heating and re-heating the bottoms with the heat gun here at work all morning. Need to get the arches a bit more flattened and wider. I am tired of taping up my arches for every practice. I had the same probs with the bonts but they didn't have as much stitching on them which made it easier to mold. These ones have tons of stitching pretty low on the boot which is causing some burning issues. Oops. Hopefully I will have them ready to go for tonights session.

Limited Edition Pilot Luigino Boots

Merida - Early Week One

2008-04-06T18:02:40Z

On Sunday, our tour bus arrived in Merida and pulled into the hotel Dolores Alba with some pretty tired skaters. Not from skating but from all the traveling each one of us had to do to get there. Everyone had their stories I can assure you.

The hotel itself was pretty nice by Mexican standards. Compared to Tuxtla, Merida was a 5 star town. I hope to visit there again one day....maybe next year if the training is offered again. Anyway, fast forward to the next morning and we all met downstairs in the lobby for 9:30am (if I remember correctly) which in Sergio time meant 10:00am. There are two official time standards in Mexico that one must be aware of. Mexican standard time and Sergio standard time. Each hold very different implications.

Jumping into cabs the next morning, we all made it to the track bright and early and couldn't wait to strap on the skates. Of course, our excitement was crushed the moment George showed up as our main coach. He had us hit the floor for a good 30 minutes of stretching. Stretching? What the hell is that? I can barely spell the word much less actually do the exercises. That became very evident to poor George in the first 5 minutes as he watched us all struggle to get into and out of the positions he was demanding. It was sad really. I believe he even mentioned to Sergio that he had never seen a more out of shape group of people. LOL It was quite funny to hear all the groans and moans twice each day. I am fairly certain that by the end of each day, we were more sore from the stretching exercises than we were with the skating drills. At least I know I was. The skating was the easy part!

By the time we did get our skates on, it was a wonderful feeling. For us Ottawanians who don't have access to a track and considering for some of us it was the first time on a banked track, the feeling was amazing. The banked part got some getting used to but the best part was the speed. I know I have personally never skated that fast before. And by no means am I fast. The coated concrete was just the right amount of grip and the right balance of speed. I wish we had something like that here. Anyway, we spent most of the morning just getting used to the track and the patterns that the banks forced you into from time to time. What a great time.

Jump to the night skate. The Yucatan team arrived and after our initial stretching torture, we all laced up in our two unique groups and hit the track. It was quite obvious at first that there were egos on the line that first night. We didn't know these kids (age range 7 - 16) and they most certainly didn't know us. Attempts at being friendly were pushed aside at first. Before the Yucatan team were going to get all lovey dovey they had to access our skills and make sure that we were not a threat. That took about 10 laps. It was easy to tell that we really held no advantage over them. We were on their turf and it was clear who owned that track. When someone like JF and Steph came off the track gasping for air and saying "wow, these kids are fast", then you got to know that these kids are damned fast.

The elite team integrated easily in the training pattern of the Yucatan team where as the rest of us usually practiced alone or with a more intermediate group. There was little chance that with a broken toe I was going to keep up with the 1st group so I took this as an opportunity to work on technique as much as I could. With the help of Carolyn from TO and Ray, Dom and Benoit, I was able to focus on certain elements that I needed to work on. That was exactly what I wanted too so it worked out well for me.

On the ladies side, as mentioned in an earlier post, the Canadian women held their own and often led their races and practice sessions. It was no easy task mind you, often times Sarah and Martine acknowledged the skills of the younger girls but did what they needed to do to ensure that there was a mutual respect. This was most obvious with Sarah and Dominique. Often times during races, a Yucatan skater would try to edge them out but they held their own and often times shoved back blocking any chance of a pass. I think it was a case of the younger girls testing the older ones to see just how far they could be pushed. Don't mess with those Canadian girls, they will tear your ass up! It still makes me smile to think of those moments. If you could have only seen the look on one of the girls face as Dominique totally shut her down on a pass almost forcing her into the grill. It was so rewarding, but in a nasty kind of way. Take that little girl!! LOL

After that first night, things eased up a bit but it was never as friendly as I had hoped it was going to be. Maybe next year, maybe not. Martine and JF did okay with the kids as they spoke a bit more Spanish than the rest of us but for the others, a real connection wasn't really made until it was almost too late. I regret not making even more of an effort. My personal connection with the kids happened in Tuxtla after all the teams had left. We got to go back to the track and train with the Chiapas team who seemed super excited to see us.

But that is another story.

Warming up at the track.

Getting familiar with the track.

Working out the kinks. Stretching 101

Relaxing after practice

And so it begins

2008-04-05T13:48:15Z

Friday March 14th: Ottawa to Cancun

Who could have foreseen the drama that would surround this doomed travel schedule? Certainly not any one of us.

As the morning hours crept by, our small group comprised of Corrine, Peter, Kim, Ray and myself hurdled around the Ottawa gate awaiting for our flight to paradise. What started as a small 10 minute delay slowly and painfully stretched into a 8+ hour delay. Something to do with a battery problem. One that could only be solved with a replacement part from Montreal. I actually think they sent someone there in a car to pick it up. No joke!

On several occasions, Peter had tried to talk to the gate representative to find out if there were alternate flights we could take to get things going but unfortunately he was always shot down. As my patience finally wore thin by not getting involved and freaking out on someone, I went up to the desk myself and spoke to the airline rep. I don't understand why Peter was given no service by these people but I was able to secure seats on an earlier flight for all of us. It's all in the blue eyes, I am sure of it. ;) So with that, we packed up our crap and jumped on a flight out of Ottawa. Upon arrival to Atlanta, we regrouped and literally ran to our gate, which still had our plane sitting there. As fate would have it, we were systematically denied entrance to the gate by an uberbitch airline rep. She didn't even want to hear a word from us. The hand went up and the attitude started flowing freely. Peter, Corrine....we each took our turn at her but she was a pro at being a "c word" and didn't offer any help at all. She kept repeating the same thing over and over without even looking up from her terminal. "Sir, go to the service desk at the end of the hall, this gate is closed". Oh no she didn't just put her hand up in my face!!! I am surprised I didn't grab it the first time. Corrine and I both have enough "hood" in us to hold our own. And Corrine's "hood" has a french accent. Even better! The french are inheritently born with a bitch factor. (xoxox Corrine) We could have totally taken her!!

A small word about Atlanta. Although the city may be great and fun...etc., the people are some of the rudest I have ever seen and witnessed in my life. Whether it is a common "american" trait or just one found in Atlanta, the level of arrogance is shocking. If one more person put their hand in my face (imagine "talk to the hand") I was going to bitch slap someone! You are constantly treated like a number and when you say thank-you, they just nod or say uh huh. If I wasn't schmoozing for a seat on a plane, I would have loved throwing it down with some of those people. Bring it!

Anyway, back to the fun. We were instructed to head to the Delta service desk to figure out our scenario. When we got there, the reps were not happy at all and kept saying that we should have been dealt with at the gate. No shit sherlock! Ray was first up and secured a late morning flight to Cancun the next day. I was next and pulled out the charm full force. I batted by baby blues once again and totally sugar coated my compliments to the service rep. I commented on her "hello kitty" earrings and even noticed that her lip gloss was "popping". Of course, she couldn't resist my charms and confirmed me on a 8am flight the next morn. Ray was in shock as he was right beside me being booked on a totally different flight! LOL After about 45 minutes of this, we all seemed to have seats on 3 different flights. It was ridiculous to say the least but the best part of all this was the issuing of the meal vouchers! 7 dollar vouchers for food! Are you kidding me? I can't buy a Starbucks Coffee for less than $10 and they want me to buy dinner for $7? As if.

Inside joke #1: The girl at the luggage carrosel when we were getting our overnight kits was totally checking ME out. (even though she eyed each one of us separately. Slut)

Curling up with my hotel pillow, I kinda fell asleep knowing that the worst was obviously behind us and that within a short time I would be on a warm beach. I should know better than to temp fate, I couldn't have been more wrong. Waking up at 3am to loud booms and incredible noise, we individually wondered what the hell was going on. Later that morn, we each discovered that Atlanta was hit by a Tornado overnight and parts of the downtown core had been destroyed. Great. Just what we needed, more acts of God. Lovely. With this in mind, Kim, Ray and myself all headed to the airport in darkness and pouring rain. I had my flight confirmed but Ray and Kim were going to wait for Standby on my flight. It worked like a charm and they were both able to grab seats. Good seats too! Better than mine! Seems Ray has some charm power of his own. I noted to myself that I would have to keep an eye on him. After all, they can't be two alphas in one pack! It was officially on!!

Inside joke #2: "Cor likes his buns toasted." Kim's perfectly timed quip about the African American woman working the gate that morning. She had the best booty ever! And I am sure her name was Shaniqua or something similar. Too funny.

So after two days of drama, we landed in Cancun, sifted through security and headed to Isla Mujeres. Of course, Ray got tagged in security and was the victim of a random check but it all went down pretty smoothly. With two days of beach time almost gone, we rushed to the Isla ferry, checked into our hotel, changed and headed to the ocean and proceeded to get tipsy on 2 for 1 booze and snacks.

Corrine and Peter decided to stick to their flights and came in later on that afternoon. By dinner time, we had regrouped and were ready to start the adventure. As if it hadn't started already!!

We had officially arrived.

Kim showing us her "Minx" claw at the Ottawa Airport.

The Isla Mujeres Ferry. All aboard.