Well, it's been a really hard road, but my coach tells me I'm officially back to where I was before the accident, and making progress again! Whew. That took longer than I thought it would.
The bright spot is that I've managed to significantly improve my posture on the ice while I couldn't do anything complicated - and I think that's really going to be a benefit.
Will and I had an interesting conversation at my lesson last Friday. I had told him about all of the YouTube surfing I've been doing to find video of other adult skaters - mostly so I could see people doing the first three dances I have to test and the first round of fundamentals. I told him that all the adults looked - well - LAME. No energy, no "spark". I told him that if that's as good as I can aspire to, I wasn't going to bother. The last thing I want is to work my way UP to "lame". The good news is that a) he agreed with me and b) I'm in no danger of that - but I have work to do to make sure I don't lapse into lameness land.
Turns out, Will says the reason so many adult skaters come across so "lame" on the ice is that they don't put out that extra bit of energy and commitment that takes just "going through the motions" into something truly interesting to watch. They are playing it safe. This made sense to me, because I've seen the same thing in dancers. There's a real difference between someone who can do the physical moves, and someone who "dances". Same thing is true for skating.
So from now on, every time I'm on the ice practicing, it's full-out, committed movement. No holding back, no "going through the motions". My nightmare would be to be "just another lame skater" at the end of this journey. Will agrees, and actually wants me to eventually start taking the "normal" tests (the harder ones the kids do). It's a high bar for an adult skater, but if I can't be that good, I don't want to do this.
Arrogance, anyone? :)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Flabby Wobbly Skater, but a SKATER again!
Good lord that was scary. First time back on the ice since the accident.
The first good sign is that I still knew where the heck the rink was.
The second good sign is that I could get my skates on, even though my right ankle is still a little swollen and now has 7 inches of titanium on it.
The third good sign is that I was able to step out onto the ice and refrain from falling on my ass...
One step at a time :)
I did manage to get around the rink for 20 minutes. Slow, easy stroking and absolutely NOTHING fancy at all. Forward was fine at his point. Toward the end, I risked a little of the basic edge work. Fine and stable on the left, uncontrolled train wreck on the right. I gave up trying to make the half circles and settled for just going forward.
One step at a time :)
Ok - so I DID try forward crossovers. Again, fine to the left, major wobbly on the right - but I was able to do them, so that's the fourth good sign!
I had to explain my absence to several of the adults who were there... and also why I was skating like a 90 year old with two recent hip replacements and wouldn't stray more than 3 feet from the wall :)
I start back into lessons with Will on Friday. I've got a ton of work to do to get my right hip stable. The ankle is fine - it's the hip weakness that's messing me up at this point. That, and I managed to gain 10 pounds during this process. Just couldn't get enough cardio in - so instead of losing 20 pounds (which was my sick-time goal) I managed to put on 10. Shit. Now I have to lose 30, including my second chin and my third buttcheek. No one likes a flabby skater.
One step at a time :)
DAMN
The first good sign is that I still knew where the heck the rink was.
The second good sign is that I could get my skates on, even though my right ankle is still a little swollen and now has 7 inches of titanium on it.
The third good sign is that I was able to step out onto the ice and refrain from falling on my ass...
One step at a time :)
I did manage to get around the rink for 20 minutes. Slow, easy stroking and absolutely NOTHING fancy at all. Forward was fine at his point. Toward the end, I risked a little of the basic edge work. Fine and stable on the left, uncontrolled train wreck on the right. I gave up trying to make the half circles and settled for just going forward.
One step at a time :)
Ok - so I DID try forward crossovers. Again, fine to the left, major wobbly on the right - but I was able to do them, so that's the fourth good sign!
I had to explain my absence to several of the adults who were there... and also why I was skating like a 90 year old with two recent hip replacements and wouldn't stray more than 3 feet from the wall :)
I start back into lessons with Will on Friday. I've got a ton of work to do to get my right hip stable. The ankle is fine - it's the hip weakness that's messing me up at this point. That, and I managed to gain 10 pounds during this process. Just couldn't get enough cardio in - so instead of losing 20 pounds (which was my sick-time goal) I managed to put on 10. Shit. Now I have to lose 30, including my second chin and my third buttcheek. No one likes a flabby skater.
One step at a time :)
DAMN
Monday, September 14, 2009
Setting the date for my first time back on the ice!
I'm setting Monday, September 28 for my first time back on the ice since the accident back in June! That will make just over three months.
Physical therapy is going well. Actually, right now it's not really about the ankle so much... it's about the whole LEG having gone to hell while I was in those blasted casts... my right hip is weak, my right quads are completely clueless, and the calf seems to have checked out and flown home already. Now it's all about progressive weights and a lot of careful ballet barre work to get the strength and stability back in those joints.
I will probably will only do laps, and very VERY careful laps at that, but I'm determined to be ready, strong, flexible..... and patient.....
Do they make training wheels for ice skates? I wonder.......
Physical therapy is going well. Actually, right now it's not really about the ankle so much... it's about the whole LEG having gone to hell while I was in those blasted casts... my right hip is weak, my right quads are completely clueless, and the calf seems to have checked out and flown home already. Now it's all about progressive weights and a lot of careful ballet barre work to get the strength and stability back in those joints.
I will probably will only do laps, and very VERY careful laps at that, but I'm determined to be ready, strong, flexible..... and patient.....
Do they make training wheels for ice skates? I wonder.......
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Cast came off today!
I'm officially bipedal again! Wow that leg is weak. I have a lot of serious work to do in the gym. My doctor says he wants me to wait a month before I do anything on the ice, but my goal is to be back doing at least easy laps within three weeks. That will mean hitting the gym daily and doing a lot of walking, but that's what it will take to get my butt back on the ice again!
I talked with my Coach yesterday. I had figured that I probably had to let go of my plan to compete at the Gay Games next summer - owing to having lost nearly 6 months. Interestingly enough, he thinks it still may be possible. I love his confidence in me, but it also scares the crap out of me sometimes :)
I talked with my Coach yesterday. I had figured that I probably had to let go of my plan to compete at the Gay Games next summer - owing to having lost nearly 6 months. Interestingly enough, he thinks it still may be possible. I love his confidence in me, but it also scares the crap out of me sometimes :)
Monday, August 10, 2009
I LOVE PHYSICAL THERAPY!
I have a new love in my life. Her name is Anna and she's my physical therapist at G2 Sports Therapy in Seattle. It was a major stroke of luck that the orthopedic surgeon on call the day I had my accident is also a sport medicine guy. He referred me to a sports therapy place, and I managed to scope a PT that is a dancer and works on many of the PNB folks as part of her practice. For such a crappy thing to happen, I certainly have gotten lucky with everything that has happened since then. Between friends who carted my sorry ass around town for a month to an "ex" who took care of me at the house, I really don't have a lot of room to complain.
Anna absolutely "gets" what I need, "gets" I'm impatient, and "gets" that I'll do whatever she tells me to do if it means getting back on my feet again. I've had three sessions with her, and already I can feel the ankle getting flexible again, and much stronger. I think there is actually some hope that I might be able to start doing laps at the rink by early September, if I take it easy!
I'm back to the gym as well. I feels so good to be able to exercise, although I still get some weird looks when I show up in my walking cast and start doing a ballet barre exercise holding onto one of the structural posts... Right now, it's mostly stretching and light upper body work, but I did make a promise to myself that I'd use this downtime to dump the rest of the weight and get some muscle tone, and it looks like I'll be able to make good on that promise.
Of course, none of this has stopped me from trying to figure out a way to put a skate blade on the bottom of my walking cast....
Anna absolutely "gets" what I need, "gets" I'm impatient, and "gets" that I'll do whatever she tells me to do if it means getting back on my feet again. I've had three sessions with her, and already I can feel the ankle getting flexible again, and much stronger. I think there is actually some hope that I might be able to start doing laps at the rink by early September, if I take it easy!
I'm back to the gym as well. I feels so good to be able to exercise, although I still get some weird looks when I show up in my walking cast and start doing a ballet barre exercise holding onto one of the structural posts... Right now, it's mostly stretching and light upper body work, but I did make a promise to myself that I'd use this downtime to dump the rest of the weight and get some muscle tone, and it looks like I'll be able to make good on that promise.
Of course, none of this has stopped me from trying to figure out a way to put a skate blade on the bottom of my walking cast....
Monday, August 3, 2009
Good to be independent again
Wow it's nice to be independent again. I can get around the house, do chores, and (best of all) DRIVE again. The "boot" took a little getting used to, but I'm negotiating it pretty well and starting to get back to a more normal life.
Got to the gym on Saturday for the first time in over a month. It's Monday now and (of course) I'm sore as all hell - but it's a "good" sore and I'm happy to be feeling the pain. I took it easy for my first time back - only spent about 20 minutes and concentrated mostly on core work and a little upper body toning. "Taking it easy" isn't my strong suit, but I need to school myself for patience and take this one step at a time.
I've pretty much accepted that going to the Gay Games next summer is probably off the table at this point - I can't imagine I'm going to be even remotely ready with all the time I've lost. Sigh - means a four year wait for the next round. I'm not happy about that, but there's not much I can really do, except keep training, and probably do some competitions on the adult circuit. It just means I will go to the Games in 4 years much better prepared to be proud of my performance.
Got to the gym on Saturday for the first time in over a month. It's Monday now and (of course) I'm sore as all hell - but it's a "good" sore and I'm happy to be feeling the pain. I took it easy for my first time back - only spent about 20 minutes and concentrated mostly on core work and a little upper body toning. "Taking it easy" isn't my strong suit, but I need to school myself for patience and take this one step at a time.
I've pretty much accepted that going to the Gay Games next summer is probably off the table at this point - I can't imagine I'm going to be even remotely ready with all the time I've lost. Sigh - means a four year wait for the next round. I'm not happy about that, but there's not much I can really do, except keep training, and probably do some competitions on the adult circuit. It just means I will go to the Games in 4 years much better prepared to be proud of my performance.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
One step closer to being bipedal again!
Well, tomorrow morning, I should be getting my walking cast - actually it's a removable boot sort of thing... but I'll be able to walk using two legs, take a REAL shower, and start back to the gym.
Tomorrow begins the fight back to fitness. I need to lose about 15 pounds and have a lot of toning to do. In a few weeks, hopefully the Doctor will let me start slowly strengthening the ankle again.
I'm still not expecting to be back on the ice again until the end of September, but with luck and careful training, I might be able to start at least doing easy slow laps earlier than that!
Tomorrow begins the fight back to fitness. I need to lose about 15 pounds and have a lot of toning to do. In a few weeks, hopefully the Doctor will let me start slowly strengthening the ankle again.
I'm still not expecting to be back on the ice again until the end of September, but with luck and careful training, I might be able to start at least doing easy slow laps earlier than that!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Making the best of it
Well, I saw my doctor for the first post-surgical followup. The good news is that the bone is healing well. The bad news is that there is a lot more soft tissue damage that we originally thought. Essentially, I have a really bad sprain in addition to the broken bone. So he put me back in another cast - fiberglass this time and a LOT lighter - and I'm in this for three weeks. Toward the end of the month, I will hopefully get that walking cast - for 3-4 weeks, then I can start rehab. Bottom line, it's probably going to be late September before I'm back on the ice again.
Damn. Damn damn damn.
OK - well the doctor did say I can exercise - I just can't put any weight on the right leg. That means I can do quite a bit, including core work and stretching, as well as upper body stuff. I've decided to make the best of the next six or so weeks by using the time well in the gym and dropping the other 15-20 pounds I planned to get rid of anyway. That way when I'm finally back on the ice, I'll be in better condition than when I left and ready to start making progress again.
As for doing the Gay Games next summer - that's up in the air. I was planning on taking my first round of skating tests this Fall, which would set me up to start looking for a partner and working toward the competition. As it stands, I probably won't take the tests until January now - which puts me a full six months behind schedule.
No worries, though. If I can't do the Games next year, I can always do the next cycle. An in the interim, I can start competing on the adult circuit and get some experience.
When life sends you lemons, make a pie :)
Damn. Damn damn damn.
OK - well the doctor did say I can exercise - I just can't put any weight on the right leg. That means I can do quite a bit, including core work and stretching, as well as upper body stuff. I've decided to make the best of the next six or so weeks by using the time well in the gym and dropping the other 15-20 pounds I planned to get rid of anyway. That way when I'm finally back on the ice, I'll be in better condition than when I left and ready to start making progress again.
As for doing the Gay Games next summer - that's up in the air. I was planning on taking my first round of skating tests this Fall, which would set me up to start looking for a partner and working toward the competition. As it stands, I probably won't take the tests until January now - which puts me a full six months behind schedule.
No worries, though. If I can't do the Games next year, I can always do the next cycle. An in the interim, I can start competing on the adult circuit and get some experience.
When life sends you lemons, make a pie :)
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sidelined until probably September
Well, my mid-life crisis decision to get a motorcycle paid a little dividend.... I managed to get in an accident and broke my right ankle. They put a plate in it and I'm now hobbling around the house in a walker. Hopefully I get a walking cast on Monday, then probably 4 weeks later I can start re-strengthening the leg. At this point, I hope to be back on the ice in early September. It means I'm going to miss the Fall tests (I had planned on taking my first round of both MIF and Dance tests) but I'm definitely coming back!
No more posts until I get out of the cast. I'll pick up from when I start my strengthening work to get ready to get back on the ice, hopefully in August sometime.
No more posts until I get out of the cast. I'll pick up from when I start my strengthening work to get ready to get back on the ice, hopefully in August sometime.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Finally up for air and back to the rink
It's been a little over three weeks (or maybe even four). Yes, I haven't been writing and no, I haven't been to the rink this entire time. Blame Nathan Hale High School's musical. I signed on as the costume designer this year - and 160+ HORRIBLE 1980's outfits later (they did "The Wedding Singer". Dippy story, but it's set in 1985 so the clothes, hair, and makeup are awesomely horrible) I basically didn't get anything done for the past few weeks but get that show up and running.
Whew - back to the rink this week after another long layoff.
Mr. Skull, please meet Mr. Ice. Mr. Ice, have you met my friend Mr. Skull. Oh, you have met - how nice....
I had what can only be described as the wipeout to end all wipeouts at the end of my lesson today. At least when you are skating forwards, you can catch yourself if you fall (which I do regularly, and am good at it). However, when you are skating backwards, suddenly you discover to your horror that your arms are on the wrong freakin' side of your body to do you any good when it's time to fall. Today, I managed to catch an edge doing a right inside 3 turn, did a 360 and came down squarely on the side of my skull, full force. Hard enough that I saw stars and was dizzy enough that it took three coaches to get my ass off the ice.
Ow. I'll say it again, ICE IS HARD. You should see the bruise on the side of my head. Monumental.
Obviously, "thus endeth the lesson" and I had to sit for 20 minutes before risking taking the skates off and heading home. I'm still in pain. This one will be with me for a while.
The good news, I suppose, is that I HAD managed to pull of the combination on the left just before trying it on the right (my stupid side, anyway) and having the wipeout of the century. Will threw something at me today that, he admitted later, was two levels above where I am right now. Stupid, testosterone-poisoned me just HAD to try it, even when he changed his mind and said I shouldn't. I was raised by a Marine, for godsake. As I've done with Blue, I was all "4, bring it on!", which you already know has gotten me into trouble during my workout sessions.
Oh hell, I see Blue tomorrow for the first time in three weeks. I am SO dead.
Whew - back to the rink this week after another long layoff.
Mr. Skull, please meet Mr. Ice. Mr. Ice, have you met my friend Mr. Skull. Oh, you have met - how nice....
I had what can only be described as the wipeout to end all wipeouts at the end of my lesson today. At least when you are skating forwards, you can catch yourself if you fall (which I do regularly, and am good at it). However, when you are skating backwards, suddenly you discover to your horror that your arms are on the wrong freakin' side of your body to do you any good when it's time to fall. Today, I managed to catch an edge doing a right inside 3 turn, did a 360 and came down squarely on the side of my skull, full force. Hard enough that I saw stars and was dizzy enough that it took three coaches to get my ass off the ice.
Ow. I'll say it again, ICE IS HARD. You should see the bruise on the side of my head. Monumental.
Obviously, "thus endeth the lesson" and I had to sit for 20 minutes before risking taking the skates off and heading home. I'm still in pain. This one will be with me for a while.
The good news, I suppose, is that I HAD managed to pull of the combination on the left just before trying it on the right (my stupid side, anyway) and having the wipeout of the century. Will threw something at me today that, he admitted later, was two levels above where I am right now. Stupid, testosterone-poisoned me just HAD to try it, even when he changed his mind and said I shouldn't. I was raised by a Marine, for godsake. As I've done with Blue, I was all "4, bring it on!", which you already know has gotten me into trouble during my workout sessions.
Oh hell, I see Blue tomorrow for the first time in three weeks. I am SO dead.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Getting better in spite of lack of time to practice
Well, work kicked my ass again this week, and between that and trying to finish up the costumes for the high school's musical, I only got to the rink twice this week, and one day of that was my lesson! I hope I can stabilize things better next week so I can skate more...
That being said, I actually did make some progress this week, and managed to surprise Will in the process! He taught me three-turns about two lessons ago, and during my practicing, I started doing them while skating forward ("in the field") rather than around the circle, which is where he taught me. At the start of my lesson, he said "let's see your turns", and as we went down to the other end of the rink to find some space, I did one out of the blue. He was actually surprised! Woo Hoo!
Of course, the rest of the lesson was back to the microscope. Will and his dance partner are going to nationals next week, and were there practicing before and after my lesson - which of course meant that they both did my lesson this week. :) It's kind of fun to watch them team-teach. They have such different methods for teaching skills, and they sort of get into arguments sometimes about it DURING my lesson (don't you hate it when Mom and Dad start fighting?). :) She loses patience with him sometimes and you can VERY much tell they are a couple when that happens... she gets this "there he goes again doing it WRONG" look on her face when she doesn't agree with how he's explaining something, and he's WAY patient when she jumps in after she just can't stand it any longer - with this long-suffering look on his face along with a loving smile. They are going to be a VERY cute old married couple one day if they don't kill each other first. :)
Because they will be gone to nationals next week, we will be missing a lesson, so Will poured on the new stuff to keep me busy. I've got my hands full practicing two of the three dances for my first test, as well as some new footwork stuff that my feet simply refuse to understand.
Step, Step, Tangle, LooneyTunesFall, sheepish grin.....
All in all, however - things are really settling in. I'm feeling less the mutant on the ice now, and if I can figure out how to balance things so I can get to the rink consistently, there might just be hope for me yet!
Oh - and I worked out with Blue this week - and once again I was nearly prostrate with exhaustion by the end... in fact I actually got sick DURING the workout and had to ask him to back off the intensity. I'm willing to work as hard as he pushes me, and I don't seem to have a "governor" that will stop me from killing myself.
You see, the problem is that I'm a middle-aged has-been with a testosterone poisoning problem. During my workouts, Blue is always asking "where are you painwise on a scale of 1 to 10? 8?". My response? "4, bring it on!", even though I'm much nearer 11 by that point. Yes, I'm an idiot. Testosterone doesn't make that any better.
We had a long talk and he's going to ease up on the intensity so I won't die in his studio. We can work hard without killing me - and his 32-year-old underwear-model brain just has to learn that I'm friggin' 47 and can't keep up!
At least, not yet :)
That being said, I actually did make some progress this week, and managed to surprise Will in the process! He taught me three-turns about two lessons ago, and during my practicing, I started doing them while skating forward ("in the field") rather than around the circle, which is where he taught me. At the start of my lesson, he said "let's see your turns", and as we went down to the other end of the rink to find some space, I did one out of the blue. He was actually surprised! Woo Hoo!
Of course, the rest of the lesson was back to the microscope. Will and his dance partner are going to nationals next week, and were there practicing before and after my lesson - which of course meant that they both did my lesson this week. :) It's kind of fun to watch them team-teach. They have such different methods for teaching skills, and they sort of get into arguments sometimes about it DURING my lesson (don't you hate it when Mom and Dad start fighting?). :) She loses patience with him sometimes and you can VERY much tell they are a couple when that happens... she gets this "there he goes again doing it WRONG" look on her face when she doesn't agree with how he's explaining something, and he's WAY patient when she jumps in after she just can't stand it any longer - with this long-suffering look on his face along with a loving smile. They are going to be a VERY cute old married couple one day if they don't kill each other first. :)
Because they will be gone to nationals next week, we will be missing a lesson, so Will poured on the new stuff to keep me busy. I've got my hands full practicing two of the three dances for my first test, as well as some new footwork stuff that my feet simply refuse to understand.
Step, Step, Tangle, LooneyTunesFall, sheepish grin.....
All in all, however - things are really settling in. I'm feeling less the mutant on the ice now, and if I can figure out how to balance things so I can get to the rink consistently, there might just be hope for me yet!
Oh - and I worked out with Blue this week - and once again I was nearly prostrate with exhaustion by the end... in fact I actually got sick DURING the workout and had to ask him to back off the intensity. I'm willing to work as hard as he pushes me, and I don't seem to have a "governor" that will stop me from killing myself.
You see, the problem is that I'm a middle-aged has-been with a testosterone poisoning problem. During my workouts, Blue is always asking "where are you painwise on a scale of 1 to 10? 8?". My response? "4, bring it on!", even though I'm much nearer 11 by that point. Yes, I'm an idiot. Testosterone doesn't make that any better.
We had a long talk and he's going to ease up on the intensity so I won't die in his studio. We can work hard without killing me - and his 32-year-old underwear-model brain just has to learn that I'm friggin' 47 and can't keep up!
At least, not yet :)
Friday, April 3, 2009
Better and better
This has really been an ego-positive week on the ice. I'm really starting to "get" all this, and now that I'm getting good enough to start doing things that are interesting, my attitude is improving.
At my lesson today, Will deconstructed my backward inside edges (posture problems again - when oh when will I stop looking down at the ice!!), checked in on my backwards serpentines (the new trick I learned last week that I LOVE), and at the end of the lesson, threw TWO new somethings at me.
Three Turns - Will said "it's time to start learning turns" and promptly showed me the quickest way yet to put my butt on the ice.... turns out (and he warned me, but did I listen?) when you first learn inside three-turns, you are absolutely, positively guaranteed to land on your ass. No questions and no exceptions. On outside three-turns, you have a free leg on the side you are moving toward that you can use to catch yourself. No problems there. However, on an INSIDE three-turn, the leg you might use to catch yourself is conveniently placed on the wrong side of your body.... so when you catch an edge (which you WILL DO), there's nothing keeping you from a technicolor wipeout.
Ouch.
I finally got it, after a fashion, and now I have something new to obsess about during my practice sessions.
The other thing he threw at me was my SECOND DANCE!!!! The Canasta Tango isn't that hard, but it's a smaller pattern on the ice and being 6'3", small is always an issue for me. Hell, as a dancer, by the time I did tombe, pas de bouree, glissade I was already at the other wall and had no room for the beautiful jete that's supposed to come at the end of that classic floor combination. Tombe, pas de bouree, glissade, WALL. Not pretty. Same problem here.... too much Clay, not enough ice. Trying to keep this sucker small will be good for me.
Still, I take it as a good sign that Will is starting to throw more stuff at me. But DAMN I'm going to have to start working even harder in my practice sessions if I'm going to keep up. I normally get to the rink 4 mornings a week, but I'm going to have to really try for five. The rink is canceling the Saturday morning times beginning next week (I think the hockey program is doing so well they need the time), so my only opportunities will be weekdays - gotta make the most of them
So all in all - good week. I seem to be having more of those than not these days. Thank goodness!
At my lesson today, Will deconstructed my backward inside edges (posture problems again - when oh when will I stop looking down at the ice!!), checked in on my backwards serpentines (the new trick I learned last week that I LOVE), and at the end of the lesson, threw TWO new somethings at me.
Three Turns - Will said "it's time to start learning turns" and promptly showed me the quickest way yet to put my butt on the ice.... turns out (and he warned me, but did I listen?) when you first learn inside three-turns, you are absolutely, positively guaranteed to land on your ass. No questions and no exceptions. On outside three-turns, you have a free leg on the side you are moving toward that you can use to catch yourself. No problems there. However, on an INSIDE three-turn, the leg you might use to catch yourself is conveniently placed on the wrong side of your body.... so when you catch an edge (which you WILL DO), there's nothing keeping you from a technicolor wipeout.
Ouch.
I finally got it, after a fashion, and now I have something new to obsess about during my practice sessions.
The other thing he threw at me was my SECOND DANCE!!!! The Canasta Tango isn't that hard, but it's a smaller pattern on the ice and being 6'3", small is always an issue for me. Hell, as a dancer, by the time I did tombe, pas de bouree, glissade I was already at the other wall and had no room for the beautiful jete that's supposed to come at the end of that classic floor combination. Tombe, pas de bouree, glissade, WALL. Not pretty. Same problem here.... too much Clay, not enough ice. Trying to keep this sucker small will be good for me.
Still, I take it as a good sign that Will is starting to throw more stuff at me. But DAMN I'm going to have to start working even harder in my practice sessions if I'm going to keep up. I normally get to the rink 4 mornings a week, but I'm going to have to really try for five. The rink is canceling the Saturday morning times beginning next week (I think the hockey program is doing so well they need the time), so my only opportunities will be weekdays - gotta make the most of them
So all in all - good week. I seem to be having more of those than not these days. Thank goodness!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
My coach ROCKS
I probably don't say it often enough, but my coach ROCKS!
I had my pickup lesson this morning. After spending Monday and Tuesday practicing the new backwards arabesque thingy he threw at me on Friday, he was really pleased with my progress and helped me deconstruct why I was less stable on my left leg than on my right. I am continually amazed at his ability to figure out exactly why something isn't working, and give me just the right guidance to correct it. Given how subtle a lot of the positioning can be, that's a minor miracle.
I really worked hard the past few days - possibly too hard, as I'm pretty sore right now. I really like doing that new move - it's the first time I've actually felt like a dancer again, rather than a mutant on ice with an extra elbow or three. I even started playing around with different arm positions and variations (which Will chided me for... it was messing up my alignment, and was part of my problem on the left). Be that as it may, the past three days have really been a joy at the rink.
And wonder of wonders, Anna even complimented me on my forward stroking as I was finishing up my practice!
It's officially the end of the world, and hell has truly frozen over.
Want to have a snowball fight? :)
I had my pickup lesson this morning. After spending Monday and Tuesday practicing the new backwards arabesque thingy he threw at me on Friday, he was really pleased with my progress and helped me deconstruct why I was less stable on my left leg than on my right. I am continually amazed at his ability to figure out exactly why something isn't working, and give me just the right guidance to correct it. Given how subtle a lot of the positioning can be, that's a minor miracle.
I really worked hard the past few days - possibly too hard, as I'm pretty sore right now. I really like doing that new move - it's the first time I've actually felt like a dancer again, rather than a mutant on ice with an extra elbow or three. I even started playing around with different arm positions and variations (which Will chided me for... it was messing up my alignment, and was part of my problem on the left). Be that as it may, the past three days have really been a joy at the rink.
And wonder of wonders, Anna even complimented me on my forward stroking as I was finishing up my practice!
It's officially the end of the world, and hell has truly frozen over.
Want to have a snowball fight? :)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Still feel like "Mutant On Ice"
Well, in spite of being out for nearly two weeks, Will tells me that he can't tell. So either I am hopeless and practice doesn't help, or I am starting to 'get it'. I choose to believe the latter. :)
I will say that things are starting to settle in, at least from a technique standpoint. Will keeps throwing new stuff at me, and I manage to have at least one "a-ha" moment in each practice. The problem right now is that it doesn't FEEL like it LOOKS like anything. "Dancer Brain" isn't happy. It all feels so mechanical - no life, no spark, no fluidity, no beauty.
I told Will as much during my lesson today. He says that it does "look like something", and that the rest will come in time. He told me today that he's actually holding me to the "kid's" standards, which are much tougher than the "adult" standards - the "kid's" standards are what leads to the normal competitive ranks, ending with nationals, worlds, and the Olympics. The Adult standards are lower, and geared to make it possible for adults of all levels to still enjoy competition. This explains the feeling I get that I'm a paramecium under a microscope all the time...
It's a good thing, though. I WANT to be held to the higher standard - I want to be that good. Most of the adults I've seen are mediocre at best and that's just not for me. Do it well, or don't bother doing it. Of course, that could be the hyper-competitive side of my nature.... heck, I'd make breathing a competition if I could figure out how :)
He has admitted, though, that the "artistic" stuff isn't is strong suit. He and Anna struggle with that part of their performances. Technically, no one competing today can touch them - they are focusing now on enhancing the emotive layer to their performances. "Getting across the footlights", as I call it when teaching dancers. Once they conquer that, there will be no stopping them. They are amazingly talented and work their butts off, and I know they will get there. I have high hopes for their performance at Nationals in April. By the end of next month, I may be able to say I'm training with a National Champion. :)
Bottom line, I need the technical rigor and microscopic focus on technique that Will brings to the table. There will be time enough to make it into art later. "Dancer Brain" isn't happy about it, but it's the right thing to do.
Oh - after 6 months of skating and two months of Blue, I noticed today that I have may ass back!
I can tell you precisely when it fell - February 8, 2003. I woke up that morning, after 3 years of no workouts because I'd opened a bar, and could tell it had moved South. I failed the "pencil test". I cried all day. I'm not much to look at - never have been - but I've had a great ass ever since I started dancing in my early twenties. My one redeeming feature was gone, and I was now officially not just plain, but homely. :(
When I was getting dressed to skate this morning, I pulled on my unitard (worn under my skating clothes for warmth), looked in the mirror and WOO HOO, the booty is back where it belongs!
If I never skate any better than mediocre, this alone makes all the work and humiliation worthwhile. :)
I will say that things are starting to settle in, at least from a technique standpoint. Will keeps throwing new stuff at me, and I manage to have at least one "a-ha" moment in each practice. The problem right now is that it doesn't FEEL like it LOOKS like anything. "Dancer Brain" isn't happy. It all feels so mechanical - no life, no spark, no fluidity, no beauty.
I told Will as much during my lesson today. He says that it does "look like something", and that the rest will come in time. He told me today that he's actually holding me to the "kid's" standards, which are much tougher than the "adult" standards - the "kid's" standards are what leads to the normal competitive ranks, ending with nationals, worlds, and the Olympics. The Adult standards are lower, and geared to make it possible for adults of all levels to still enjoy competition. This explains the feeling I get that I'm a paramecium under a microscope all the time...
It's a good thing, though. I WANT to be held to the higher standard - I want to be that good. Most of the adults I've seen are mediocre at best and that's just not for me. Do it well, or don't bother doing it. Of course, that could be the hyper-competitive side of my nature.... heck, I'd make breathing a competition if I could figure out how :)
He has admitted, though, that the "artistic" stuff isn't is strong suit. He and Anna struggle with that part of their performances. Technically, no one competing today can touch them - they are focusing now on enhancing the emotive layer to their performances. "Getting across the footlights", as I call it when teaching dancers. Once they conquer that, there will be no stopping them. They are amazingly talented and work their butts off, and I know they will get there. I have high hopes for their performance at Nationals in April. By the end of next month, I may be able to say I'm training with a National Champion. :)
Bottom line, I need the technical rigor and microscopic focus on technique that Will brings to the table. There will be time enough to make it into art later. "Dancer Brain" isn't happy about it, but it's the right thing to do.
Oh - after 6 months of skating and two months of Blue, I noticed today that I have may ass back!
I can tell you precisely when it fell - February 8, 2003. I woke up that morning, after 3 years of no workouts because I'd opened a bar, and could tell it had moved South. I failed the "pencil test". I cried all day. I'm not much to look at - never have been - but I've had a great ass ever since I started dancing in my early twenties. My one redeeming feature was gone, and I was now officially not just plain, but homely. :(
When I was getting dressed to skate this morning, I pulled on my unitard (worn under my skating clothes for warmth), looked in the mirror and WOO HOO, the booty is back where it belongs!
If I never skate any better than mediocre, this alone makes all the work and humiliation worthwhile. :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
New Law
I am proposing a new law.
When you have been sick for two weeks, and go to see you underwear-model trainer for the first time...
It shall be illegal for him to show off the 6-pack abs he's been working on for a photo shoot.
Illegal - PERIOD.
Sigh.
I'm back to skating as of today. It's been two weeks since I was at the rink, and I can really tell. All of the fine tuning that Anna did with me two weeks ago is completely gone out of my head. I guess it's two steps forward, one back for a while. I had a horrible cold that put me out of work for over a week, and I'm just now feeling strong enough to get back to my routine, although I still have the sniffles.
I decided to go see Blue the previous Saturday (when I started feeling better), hence the new "law". To his credit, he took it easy on me - of course, that's a relative term with him, and I still felt like crap when I left after an hour. But that's nothing new, now is it?
When you have been sick for two weeks, and go to see you underwear-model trainer for the first time...
It shall be illegal for him to show off the 6-pack abs he's been working on for a photo shoot.
Illegal - PERIOD.
Sigh.
I'm back to skating as of today. It's been two weeks since I was at the rink, and I can really tell. All of the fine tuning that Anna did with me two weeks ago is completely gone out of my head. I guess it's two steps forward, one back for a while. I had a horrible cold that put me out of work for over a week, and I'm just now feeling strong enough to get back to my routine, although I still have the sniffles.
I decided to go see Blue the previous Saturday (when I started feeling better), hence the new "law". To his credit, he took it easy on me - of course, that's a relative term with him, and I still felt like crap when I left after an hour. But that's nothing new, now is it?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Down with the flu
Well, it turns out that there is another thing that gets in the way of being able to skate every day.... catching the flu.
On Wednesday, I had my "pickup lesson" per usual - although it wasn't "usual" because Will was out with a pulled muscle so his skating partner did it instead. She's a stickler for body alignment, so we spent the 15 minutes (it was more like 20) working specifically on my body placement - and it actually helped a LOT with some of the backwards stuff. When I found out that Anna would be doing my lesson, I was scared sh*tless, but it all turned out good! I was really looking forward to practicing with these new alignments on Thursday. They made a huge difference and I could really tell things were falling into place.
Then on Thursday, I promptly got the flu.... and it went to my chest... and it wasn't until today that I started feeling good again.
Damn.
I'm going to try to skate tomorrow, and we will see how long my lungs hold out.
On Wednesday, I had my "pickup lesson" per usual - although it wasn't "usual" because Will was out with a pulled muscle so his skating partner did it instead. She's a stickler for body alignment, so we spent the 15 minutes (it was more like 20) working specifically on my body placement - and it actually helped a LOT with some of the backwards stuff. When I found out that Anna would be doing my lesson, I was scared sh*tless, but it all turned out good! I was really looking forward to practicing with these new alignments on Thursday. They made a huge difference and I could really tell things were falling into place.
Then on Thursday, I promptly got the flu.... and it went to my chest... and it wasn't until today that I started feeling good again.
Damn.
I'm going to try to skate tomorrow, and we will see how long my lungs hold out.
Friday, March 6, 2009
At the 5 month mark...
Skaters are SUPPOSED to fall down a lot. Here I've been trying so hard not to make a fool of myself (and failing miserably) and congratulating myself that I don't fall down terribly often.
Then I watched a 15 year old girl work on a double something-or-other on Thursday morning.
She must have spent nearly an hour. Over and over again, build up speed, flip backwards, spot, launch, turn once, then twice, then touch a toe back to the ice, miss the landing, and collapse in a heap. Often, in what looked like pain - the pain of falling definitely, but also the pain of frustration.
At yet she got up, brushed the ice shavings off her legs, went back to the other side of the rink, and started it all over again.
That's when I suddenly realized that falling was part of the process - falling a LOT. If you aren't willing to fall, you won't take the risks you need in order to improve.
Duh. Old people are so slow sometimes. :)
It did change the way I approach things. I started being willing to throw myself off-balance to get a position right, take a risk of leaning just a little farther than I wanted to, or throw myself into a new skill and not worry so much about doing it wrong and falling down.
If the 15-year-old could do that much, then so could I. I had some spectacular blow-outs that were worthy of "Wide World of Sports" trailers, but it did change my attitude.
It seemed to help. Will has been starting to focus on the nuances of placement and alignment, and often times that means being willing to off-balance myself in order to find the correct balance point, not just the first one I found. Anna is doing the same thing, and although I tease Will by calling her "The Micrometer Lady", I don't feel so much the fool when she does it now. Yes, I'm going to fall, and yes, it's going to hurt my ego and my ass sometimes. But if you aren't willing to risk a little, you might as well park your butt on the couch and eat potato chips in front of the TV.
Once again, work got completely in the way of skating - and that's starting to piss me off. I only got to the rink three times this week. I did spend nearly an hour on Tuesday just practicing the backwards edge control exercises - Will always remarks on my ability to do the same damn thing over and over again until I get it. It's just stubbornness - pure, naked stubbornness. Ballet teaches you that. I think it's one of the reasons that ballet dancers are such complete assholes. I got the outside edge version pretty much down now, but the inside edge version escaped me until my lesson on Friday, when Will broke it down for me again.
The other big thing he has me doing now is connecting things together into patterns and working on my body placement and eye line. I spend WAY too much time starting at the ice, and eventually it makes me hunch over and lean forward. Probably half of my lesson this week was all about "STOP LOOKING AT THE ICE". :) It's funny to me, since I used to yell that at my dance students all the time... "the floor isn't going anywhere, I promise!"
I think this week I actually started feeling like an actual, real-life skater. It's taken 5 months, but I can remember now some of the basic stuff that seemed so hard (hell, just STOPPING terrified me) comes completely naturally now, and I seem to be settling into a rhythm. When I started (and realized how flippin' hard this was going to be), I could hardly imagine myself actually doing this without feeling awkward - but it's slowly settling into my body and every once in a while, the stars align and DAMN I'm actually a skater!
That's pretty cool.
Then I watched a 15 year old girl work on a double something-or-other on Thursday morning.
She must have spent nearly an hour. Over and over again, build up speed, flip backwards, spot, launch, turn once, then twice, then touch a toe back to the ice, miss the landing, and collapse in a heap. Often, in what looked like pain - the pain of falling definitely, but also the pain of frustration.
At yet she got up, brushed the ice shavings off her legs, went back to the other side of the rink, and started it all over again.
That's when I suddenly realized that falling was part of the process - falling a LOT. If you aren't willing to fall, you won't take the risks you need in order to improve.
Duh. Old people are so slow sometimes. :)
It did change the way I approach things. I started being willing to throw myself off-balance to get a position right, take a risk of leaning just a little farther than I wanted to, or throw myself into a new skill and not worry so much about doing it wrong and falling down.
If the 15-year-old could do that much, then so could I. I had some spectacular blow-outs that were worthy of "Wide World of Sports" trailers, but it did change my attitude.
It seemed to help. Will has been starting to focus on the nuances of placement and alignment, and often times that means being willing to off-balance myself in order to find the correct balance point, not just the first one I found. Anna is doing the same thing, and although I tease Will by calling her "The Micrometer Lady", I don't feel so much the fool when she does it now. Yes, I'm going to fall, and yes, it's going to hurt my ego and my ass sometimes. But if you aren't willing to risk a little, you might as well park your butt on the couch and eat potato chips in front of the TV.
Once again, work got completely in the way of skating - and that's starting to piss me off. I only got to the rink three times this week. I did spend nearly an hour on Tuesday just practicing the backwards edge control exercises - Will always remarks on my ability to do the same damn thing over and over again until I get it. It's just stubbornness - pure, naked stubbornness. Ballet teaches you that. I think it's one of the reasons that ballet dancers are such complete assholes. I got the outside edge version pretty much down now, but the inside edge version escaped me until my lesson on Friday, when Will broke it down for me again.
The other big thing he has me doing now is connecting things together into patterns and working on my body placement and eye line. I spend WAY too much time starting at the ice, and eventually it makes me hunch over and lean forward. Probably half of my lesson this week was all about "STOP LOOKING AT THE ICE". :) It's funny to me, since I used to yell that at my dance students all the time... "the floor isn't going anywhere, I promise!"
I think this week I actually started feeling like an actual, real-life skater. It's taken 5 months, but I can remember now some of the basic stuff that seemed so hard (hell, just STOPPING terrified me) comes completely naturally now, and I seem to be settling into a rhythm. When I started (and realized how flippin' hard this was going to be), I could hardly imagine myself actually doing this without feeling awkward - but it's slowly settling into my body and every once in a while, the stars align and DAMN I'm actually a skater!
That's pretty cool.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Less clueless every week
I'm not willing to say I'm getting this, but I am willing to say I'm less clueless. At least this week... It was my birthday - I guess that's my present.
Damnit, work is really putting a crimp in my skating schedule. Blasted early morning conference calls. I decline most of them, but enough get through that I end up missing skating. No wonder so many in my age group are getting fat. Who has time to exercise?
I had another ego-positive lesson this week. I thought I was getting the hang of the backwards crossover "thing" and turns out, I was right. I think Will was pleasantly surprised. I've got more stuff to work on now. He's starting to throw step combinations at me to practice transitions and form. Now it's chasse-swingroll over and over and over and over again... Probably out of sheer malice, he showed me BACKWARDS chasse's this week as well - yet another move that my feet simply refuse to understand. Needless to say, I spend the second half of my lesson wildly flapping my arms while going backwards and trying desperately NOT to fall on my ass.... lord only knows if I was anywhere even CLOSE to that "backwards chasse". I am just happy I didn't break anything.
Blue continues to be the bane of my existence. This week it was chest, and by Friday evening I couldn't carry anything with both hands without screaming at the top of my lungs from the pain. You know, opera training really shows when it comes time to scream. I'm sure I can be heard with perfect clarity in North Dakota. I bet I caused a sheep stampede that even now the ranchers are trying to understand.
515 days to the Gay Games. It's gonna be a race to see whether I'm actually DOING anything by then or not... that, and not in a cast from some technicolor wipeout.
God help my first partner.
Damnit, work is really putting a crimp in my skating schedule. Blasted early morning conference calls. I decline most of them, but enough get through that I end up missing skating. No wonder so many in my age group are getting fat. Who has time to exercise?
I had another ego-positive lesson this week. I thought I was getting the hang of the backwards crossover "thing" and turns out, I was right. I think Will was pleasantly surprised. I've got more stuff to work on now. He's starting to throw step combinations at me to practice transitions and form. Now it's chasse-swingroll over and over and over and over again... Probably out of sheer malice, he showed me BACKWARDS chasse's this week as well - yet another move that my feet simply refuse to understand. Needless to say, I spend the second half of my lesson wildly flapping my arms while going backwards and trying desperately NOT to fall on my ass.... lord only knows if I was anywhere even CLOSE to that "backwards chasse". I am just happy I didn't break anything.
Blue continues to be the bane of my existence. This week it was chest, and by Friday evening I couldn't carry anything with both hands without screaming at the top of my lungs from the pain. You know, opera training really shows when it comes time to scream. I'm sure I can be heard with perfect clarity in North Dakota. I bet I caused a sheep stampede that even now the ranchers are trying to understand.
515 days to the Gay Games. It's gonna be a race to see whether I'm actually DOING anything by then or not... that, and not in a cast from some technicolor wipeout.
God help my first partner.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Changing to Once-A-Week Posts
Ok - so the slog has definitely begun. At least three days a week, hear the alarm go off WAY earlier than it should, drag my sorry middle-aged ass out of bed and get dressed to skate - drive 20 minutes to the rink, skate for an hour, drive 30 minutes home (traffic has started by then) and try to get my day started....
The only real thing that's wrong right now is that I can't seem to get to the rink more than 3 times a week. Last week it was only once. If it's not an early morning con call at work, then I'm in so much pain from my Thursday torture session with Blue that I can't move, much less pretend to skate... Last week was no exception. Skated Wednesday (had calls Monday and Tuesday, DAMNIT), then had my workout with Blue on Thursday.
The muscle du jour? Shoulders. Suffice it to say that he discovered that my left shoulder is weaker than my right, so he went to town on it. By Friday morning, I literally couldn't lift my arms, and that didn't get any better until Tuesday. I finally got to the rink yesterday morning.... Blue is going to have to back off a little so I can still function after my workouts with him. It's getting so that I spend every weekend with some part of my body in so much pain I can't operate normally... I know this is all having an effect, but DAMN the process is brutal!!!!
Let's see - Last week, my coach and his dance partner went to the Pacific Sectionals in Las Vegas and placed second - so they have once again qualified for Nationals in April. Last year they were the surprise silver medalists and are definitely the couple to watch on the adult competition scene. Will and I had our lesson Wednesday before they left, and I ended up having them BOTH trying to give me coaching on the same backwards move... and they were telling me DIFFERENT THINGS! :) The good news is that I finally "got it", and when I went to the rink yesterday, it all started to "click". I can now credibly skate backwards in that power-pumping style that skaters user to build up momentum for a big jump.
For me, it's a power-pumping, speed generating, wind in your non-existent-hair thrill leading up to a very dramatic......
crash into a wall because I wasn't watching where I was going.... Sigh. I am SO predicable sometimes. Guess what - I actually bounce when I hit something that hard. Who knew.
I'm going to start only posting once a week, probably after my lessons on Friday unless something unusually bad or inexplicably good happens in the interim. My ex managed to run his truck into a telephone pole while I was on vacation (he's OK but banged up bad) so I have almosts no time now - I have to bathe him, dress him, and of course ALL of the household work falls to me.... which is nothing new since he never lifts a friggin' finger anyway (did I say, "ex"?) At any rate, I don't have a lot of time and getting to the rink is a struggle, much less sitting down to write about it afterwards just so I can bore you to tears.
I promise not to leave out anything juicy...
or "bouncy" as the case may be. :)
The only real thing that's wrong right now is that I can't seem to get to the rink more than 3 times a week. Last week it was only once. If it's not an early morning con call at work, then I'm in so much pain from my Thursday torture session with Blue that I can't move, much less pretend to skate... Last week was no exception. Skated Wednesday (had calls Monday and Tuesday, DAMNIT), then had my workout with Blue on Thursday.
The muscle du jour? Shoulders. Suffice it to say that he discovered that my left shoulder is weaker than my right, so he went to town on it. By Friday morning, I literally couldn't lift my arms, and that didn't get any better until Tuesday. I finally got to the rink yesterday morning.... Blue is going to have to back off a little so I can still function after my workouts with him. It's getting so that I spend every weekend with some part of my body in so much pain I can't operate normally... I know this is all having an effect, but DAMN the process is brutal!!!!
Let's see - Last week, my coach and his dance partner went to the Pacific Sectionals in Las Vegas and placed second - so they have once again qualified for Nationals in April. Last year they were the surprise silver medalists and are definitely the couple to watch on the adult competition scene. Will and I had our lesson Wednesday before they left, and I ended up having them BOTH trying to give me coaching on the same backwards move... and they were telling me DIFFERENT THINGS! :) The good news is that I finally "got it", and when I went to the rink yesterday, it all started to "click". I can now credibly skate backwards in that power-pumping style that skaters user to build up momentum for a big jump.
For me, it's a power-pumping, speed generating, wind in your non-existent-hair thrill leading up to a very dramatic......
crash into a wall because I wasn't watching where I was going.... Sigh. I am SO predicable sometimes. Guess what - I actually bounce when I hit something that hard. Who knew.
I'm going to start only posting once a week, probably after my lessons on Friday unless something unusually bad or inexplicably good happens in the interim. My ex managed to run his truck into a telephone pole while I was on vacation (he's OK but banged up bad) so I have almosts no time now - I have to bathe him, dress him, and of course ALL of the household work falls to me.... which is nothing new since he never lifts a friggin' finger anyway (did I say, "ex"?) At any rate, I don't have a lot of time and getting to the rink is a struggle, much less sitting down to write about it afterwards just so I can bore you to tears.
I promise not to leave out anything juicy...
or "bouncy" as the case may be. :)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The best time to work out is when you are in PAIN?!
Had my first Saturday workout with Blue today... To his credit, I didn't get any slack.... I'm just going to have to build up my stamina really REALLY fast. With any luck, at least I will have my legs back in reasonable working order by Monday morning.
Note to self - next time I make a classic mid-life-crisis decision like this, pick something easier. :)
Note to self - next time I make a classic mid-life-crisis decision like this, pick something easier. :)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Pain.... on ice!
Damn Blue. God I hurt today, and had to do my lesson on top of that.
So, two hours at the rink - an hour-fifteen by myself, then what turned into a 45 minute lesson. Will decided to spend today doing a breakdown on the fine points of swing rolls and the backwards skating thing. He's an exacting technician, and I guess I'm getting the basics quickly enough that it's time to start nit-picking, which I take as a good sign. I had to keep stopping to stretch my quads, though - they kept cramping up on me, and this evening my abs are starting to scream as well. I have another session with Blue tomorrow, goddess-help-me, and will probably be immobile and on serious painkillers by Sunday afternoon.
I'm beginning to feel more confident on the ice. I think I may be starting to "turn the corner" where my body starts to "get" how this works and I stop fighting it all the time.
One can hope!
So, two hours at the rink - an hour-fifteen by myself, then what turned into a 45 minute lesson. Will decided to spend today doing a breakdown on the fine points of swing rolls and the backwards skating thing. He's an exacting technician, and I guess I'm getting the basics quickly enough that it's time to start nit-picking, which I take as a good sign. I had to keep stopping to stretch my quads, though - they kept cramping up on me, and this evening my abs are starting to scream as well. I have another session with Blue tomorrow, goddess-help-me, and will probably be immobile and on serious painkillers by Sunday afternoon.
I'm beginning to feel more confident on the ice. I think I may be starting to "turn the corner" where my body starts to "get" how this works and I stop fighting it all the time.
One can hope!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Beaten to a pulp
Oh my god.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.
After (hell during) my workout session with Blue today, I literally became physically ill. When I got home, I had to lay down, and then I had a horrible craving for sugar. I really let him take me close to the edge this time. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done. I can barely walk (that's normal), but being physically ill is another matter altogether.
Note to self - be willing to cry uncle before you die, not after. "After" really wouldn't do you much good now would it, shithead...
The frustrating thing is that, 10 years ago none of this would have really been that hard. A challenge perhaps, but not something that was life threatening. I could kick myself for letting life get in the way of my health.
I am beginning, I think, to understand why more adults don't exercise, and why they don't pick up new physical activities very often. How in the hell do you find the time? I've only been to the rink twice this week, when my goal was 5 days a week. Life just gets in the friggin' way. Between nursing my ex, who wrapped his truck around a telephone pole while I was on vacation (asshole), and the hyper-demanding life at Microsoft (with early morning and late evening meetings with folks in other time zones), there just aren't enough hours in the day to properly take care of yourself. This probably accounts for a lot of growing waistlines, bulging buttocks, and early heart attacks, to be sure.
I can't imagine what people with kids do. When would you have TIME to properly take care of your family? I can't imagine.
When I embarked on this process, I never dreamed what it was really going to demand of me.
Surprise! I guess..... :)
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.
After (hell during) my workout session with Blue today, I literally became physically ill. When I got home, I had to lay down, and then I had a horrible craving for sugar. I really let him take me close to the edge this time. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done. I can barely walk (that's normal), but being physically ill is another matter altogether.
Note to self - be willing to cry uncle before you die, not after. "After" really wouldn't do you much good now would it, shithead...
The frustrating thing is that, 10 years ago none of this would have really been that hard. A challenge perhaps, but not something that was life threatening. I could kick myself for letting life get in the way of my health.
I am beginning, I think, to understand why more adults don't exercise, and why they don't pick up new physical activities very often. How in the hell do you find the time? I've only been to the rink twice this week, when my goal was 5 days a week. Life just gets in the friggin' way. Between nursing my ex, who wrapped his truck around a telephone pole while I was on vacation (asshole), and the hyper-demanding life at Microsoft (with early morning and late evening meetings with folks in other time zones), there just aren't enough hours in the day to properly take care of yourself. This probably accounts for a lot of growing waistlines, bulging buttocks, and early heart attacks, to be sure.
I can't imagine what people with kids do. When would you have TIME to properly take care of your family? I can't imagine.
When I embarked on this process, I never dreamed what it was really going to demand of me.
Surprise! I guess..... :)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Am I actually getting BETTER????
I don't know, but after this morning I'm starting to believe that I might actually be getting better at this! I spent today on the backwards stuff again, and it's really feeling like it's settling in. Of course, I've thought that before and had Will crush my ego into a bloody paste when he saw it and I really WASN'T getting it after all.... but that being said, it DOES feel better, and I was really looking forward to my Wednesday touchbase lesson today.
Will overslept his alarm or something (poor guy) so no touchbase lesson today - RATS!!! I don't mind though - he's getting ready for a big competition in two weeks, and I'm sure he has a lot on his mind just now. I can totally understand. I am looking forward to showing off for him on Friday though... let's just hope I'm not deluding myself yet again!!!!
Working still on trying to get the Dutch Waltz to take up the whole rink - and still not succeeding.
The "little fucker brigade" is now actually acknowledging my presence and saying "hi" when they see me. That's new. I was beginning to think I was either a) a lot scarier looking than I thought or b) invisible. :)
Oh... and pray for me. My workout with "Satan" is tomorrow night.
Will overslept his alarm or something (poor guy) so no touchbase lesson today - RATS!!! I don't mind though - he's getting ready for a big competition in two weeks, and I'm sure he has a lot on his mind just now. I can totally understand. I am looking forward to showing off for him on Friday though... let's just hope I'm not deluding myself yet again!!!!
Working still on trying to get the Dutch Waltz to take up the whole rink - and still not succeeding.
The "little fucker brigade" is now actually acknowledging my presence and saying "hi" when they see me. That's new. I was beginning to think I was either a) a lot scarier looking than I thought or b) invisible. :)
Oh... and pray for me. My workout with "Satan" is tomorrow night.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Mondays are so hard....
I am SO not a morning person. Getting my sorry ass out of bed at 5am is bad enough, but on Monday's, it's nearly impossible. I struggled this morning, but eventually I did get out of bed and get moving. Once I'm actually out the door, I guess the body just realizes that I'm NOT going back to bed and stops fighting :)
Not a bad workout today. I concentrated on the skating backwards stuff that Will wants me focusing on more. The lesson on Friday was a real eye opener - I really got the hang of where my problems were, and after today I can say (with a straight face) that I'm getting it.
At the end of the practice, I went back over the Dutch Waltz some more. It's supposed to take up the WHOLE length of the ice, and I always come up about 30% short of the end. It's the only time I've ever NOT been able to fill up a space. Back in my dancing days, two jumps and I was already against the far wall of the studio... that was always a problem for me because I'm so tall. On skates, however, I don't seem to have the problem, and am really having to WORK to get the pattern to end up at the other end of the rink, and not way short of it.
More to work on, I suppose.... there's ALWAYS more. :)
Not a bad workout today. I concentrated on the skating backwards stuff that Will wants me focusing on more. The lesson on Friday was a real eye opener - I really got the hang of where my problems were, and after today I can say (with a straight face) that I'm getting it.
At the end of the practice, I went back over the Dutch Waltz some more. It's supposed to take up the WHOLE length of the ice, and I always come up about 30% short of the end. It's the only time I've ever NOT been able to fill up a space. Back in my dancing days, two jumps and I was already against the far wall of the studio... that was always a problem for me because I'm so tall. On skates, however, I don't seem to have the problem, and am really having to WORK to get the pattern to end up at the other end of the rink, and not way short of it.
More to work on, I suppose.... there's ALWAYS more. :)
Friday, February 6, 2009
Got my first rave!!
It's officially the end of the world.... I got what I can only assume is an actual compliment today during my lesson. As you will recall, most of the time, these are soul-crushing experiences that seem designed specifically to pound me ego into a formless mass of goo. Today was a pleasant and completely unexpected surprise. After working on fundamentals and correcting my form in microscopic detail (which I appreciate, it's just hard), Will had me show him the Dutch Waltz. I can do it, after a fashion, but I know I look like a ruptured duck.
What looks slow and effortless to a spectator is, in reality, an ongoing epic battle with gravity.
I finished doing a pass, and Will immediately started raving about how deep my edges were. Hold it - Will.... raving..... never expected to put those two thoughts together, at least not yet.
Evidently, most beginners don't have the guts to commit to really leaning into the edges, and I guess I'm just too stupid to know just how badly I could get hurt if I lost it. :) It still doesn't look like much, but "depth of edges" is TOTALLY Will's hot button, and for the first time, I felt like I actually might - just MIGHT - be getting this after all.
My backward skating is also improving. We spent some time breaking down why my feet kept getting tangled, and once I got it right, it FELT right. I need to work on stamina, but I have to say that I left the lesson today in a good mood - which was weird, in and of itself. :)
Oh - and after my training session yesterday with "Blue" - yes, I can't lift my arms. :)
What looks slow and effortless to a spectator is, in reality, an ongoing epic battle with gravity.
I finished doing a pass, and Will immediately started raving about how deep my edges were. Hold it - Will.... raving..... never expected to put those two thoughts together, at least not yet.
Evidently, most beginners don't have the guts to commit to really leaning into the edges, and I guess I'm just too stupid to know just how badly I could get hurt if I lost it. :) It still doesn't look like much, but "depth of edges" is TOTALLY Will's hot button, and for the first time, I felt like I actually might - just MIGHT - be getting this after all.
My backward skating is also improving. We spent some time breaking down why my feet kept getting tangled, and once I got it right, it FELT right. I need to work on stamina, but I have to say that I left the lesson today in a good mood - which was weird, in and of itself. :)
Oh - and after my training session yesterday with "Blue" - yes, I can't lift my arms. :)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Satan isn't Red....
Satan isn't red - he's BLUE...
Damn.
Ok - so this time, "Blue", my personal torturer/trainer, decided it was going to be all about upper body stuff - and I am quite sure tomorrow morning I won't be able to lift my arms. At least I should be able to get through my lesson. Small favors...
The pack of the kiddies that are on the ice with me most mornings evidently have a group workout with him just before my scheduled session - we all crossed paths as they were leaving and I was arriving. The paranoid side of my personality has them thinking "god, won't he just go away!!!". As you will have noted from one of my first posts, the little fuckers intimidate the crap out of me.
Blue told me a cute story today during my workout - evidently he gets "chatty" when inflicting pain on others. Who knew. At any rate, he said he was visiting a friend (former girlfriend) in San Diego and decided to borrow her car and drive to Palm Springs, since it sounded nice (he assumed "palms" and "springs"....). Little did he know, poor little straight-boy... ;)
Picture this, if you will: Tall, blonde, blue-eyed underwear model, driving down the main drag of Palm Springs with his shirt off in a PINK CONVERTABLE. Can you say "feeding frenzy" ladies? He figured out really quickly that a) there weren't any "springs" and b) the place is positively crawling with gay men acting like wolves on the prowl and he was, for all intents and purposes, a wounded deer.
If you are in Palm Springs, you are either really OLD or really GAY.
Needless to say, I nearly dropped a 10 pound dumbbell on my head when he hit the punchline. The image of him thrown into that mess like chum in a sea full of sharks was just too much. Quite frankly, I'm surprised he escaped.
Had a good afternoon skating practice session today as well. I think I've gotten the hang of the mohawks, although I always come out of them going in a tight little circle.... backwards and one foot no less :) Who said I ain't coordinated!
So it's getting less crappy as I get further into learning stuff, I suppose. Still terribly frustrated that I'm not picking this up as effortlessly as my arrogant dancer-brain expected I would, but I've resigned to the process and am settling in.
Damn.
Ok - so this time, "Blue", my personal torturer/trainer, decided it was going to be all about upper body stuff - and I am quite sure tomorrow morning I won't be able to lift my arms. At least I should be able to get through my lesson. Small favors...
The pack of the kiddies that are on the ice with me most mornings evidently have a group workout with him just before my scheduled session - we all crossed paths as they were leaving and I was arriving. The paranoid side of my personality has them thinking "god, won't he just go away!!!". As you will have noted from one of my first posts, the little fuckers intimidate the crap out of me.
Blue told me a cute story today during my workout - evidently he gets "chatty" when inflicting pain on others. Who knew. At any rate, he said he was visiting a friend (former girlfriend) in San Diego and decided to borrow her car and drive to Palm Springs, since it sounded nice (he assumed "palms" and "springs"....). Little did he know, poor little straight-boy... ;)
Picture this, if you will: Tall, blonde, blue-eyed underwear model, driving down the main drag of Palm Springs with his shirt off in a PINK CONVERTABLE. Can you say "feeding frenzy" ladies? He figured out really quickly that a) there weren't any "springs" and b) the place is positively crawling with gay men acting like wolves on the prowl and he was, for all intents and purposes, a wounded deer.
If you are in Palm Springs, you are either really OLD or really GAY.
Needless to say, I nearly dropped a 10 pound dumbbell on my head when he hit the punchline. The image of him thrown into that mess like chum in a sea full of sharks was just too much. Quite frankly, I'm surprised he escaped.
Had a good afternoon skating practice session today as well. I think I've gotten the hang of the mohawks, although I always come out of them going in a tight little circle.... backwards and one foot no less :) Who said I ain't coordinated!
So it's getting less crappy as I get further into learning stuff, I suppose. Still terribly frustrated that I'm not picking this up as effortlessly as my arrogant dancer-brain expected I would, but I've resigned to the process and am settling in.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
On balance (not mine)...
On balance, this wasn't a bad practice session today. A few weeks back, I approached Will about adding a second "touchbase" coaching session on Wednesday mornings - sort of a mid-week check-in on what I'm working on, mostly to make sure I've not started a bad habit before I've practiced it too much. Today was the first of those check-ins, and it had the intended effect.
Of course, before working with Will, I spend more time on backwards stuff.... It's kind of there, but not really - and when Will and I went through it again, I saw immediately what I was doing wrong. I can't actually do it correctly yet, but at least I know what NOT to do. :) At any rate, it kept me from practicing things too wrongly for the rest of the week, so I count that as time (and money) well spent.
At the end of the session, Will surprised me again and added a new skill (like I can even do the stuff he's already thrown at me!). To practice skating backwards, I've been turning around the way I've always done it on rollerblades. Not graceful, but it gets the job done in that my ass is now leading instead of my nose.... He decided it was time to start cleaning that up, so today he showed me how to do a proper "mohawk", which is one of the really basic ways of switching from forward to backward. I've seen other skaters doing this, of course, and it looks like one of those things you just do without thinking....
Of course, "not thinking" is pretty much always a bad idea for me, and since this involves going from one foot going FORWARD to the other foot going BACKWARD, this is a prescription for a wipeout. Needless to say, I hugged the wall while trying to figure out how to do it without getting my legs tangled up in the process.
The good news is that I "get it", although I can't really do it yet without a walker, a cane, or better yet a Hoverround....
Will is really starting to pile on the new skills these days. Either I'm getting this better than I think I am, or he's getting collassally bored with me doing the same crap over and over again and is showing me new stuff so that HE doesn't get bored.... :)
Oh, my coach and his partner were featured in a really good story for the local newspaper, with great pictures! Pictures and Story
Of course, before working with Will, I spend more time on backwards stuff.... It's kind of there, but not really - and when Will and I went through it again, I saw immediately what I was doing wrong. I can't actually do it correctly yet, but at least I know what NOT to do. :) At any rate, it kept me from practicing things too wrongly for the rest of the week, so I count that as time (and money) well spent.
At the end of the session, Will surprised me again and added a new skill (like I can even do the stuff he's already thrown at me!). To practice skating backwards, I've been turning around the way I've always done it on rollerblades. Not graceful, but it gets the job done in that my ass is now leading instead of my nose.... He decided it was time to start cleaning that up, so today he showed me how to do a proper "mohawk", which is one of the really basic ways of switching from forward to backward. I've seen other skaters doing this, of course, and it looks like one of those things you just do without thinking....
Of course, "not thinking" is pretty much always a bad idea for me, and since this involves going from one foot going FORWARD to the other foot going BACKWARD, this is a prescription for a wipeout. Needless to say, I hugged the wall while trying to figure out how to do it without getting my legs tangled up in the process.
The good news is that I "get it", although I can't really do it yet without a walker, a cane, or better yet a Hoverround....
Will is really starting to pile on the new skills these days. Either I'm getting this better than I think I am, or he's getting collassally bored with me doing the same crap over and over again and is showing me new stuff so that HE doesn't get bored.... :)
Oh, my coach and his partner were featured in a really good story for the local newspaper, with great pictures! Pictures and Story
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Do it in TWO directions...
Well, I can now successfully and theatrically fall down while skating either forwards OR backwards! Am I talented or what?
Before I went on vacation last week, Will told me to start spending half of my practice time skating backwards. Today was my first practice after vacation - so this probably wasn't the best time to follow his instructions - but I did.
Trip, flail, crash, sliiiiiiiiiiide. Ow. It hurts either direction.
As happened after my last long layoff, things didn't go well in general, and I spent most of this practice just trying to stay vertical and reasonably in control. Failed on both accounts (I managed to fall down forwards as well. I'm ambeedecstrus!
Sigh. One of these days, I hope I can look back on these months of embarrassment and abject failure fondly from the perspective of a proficient skater. How long should you persevere before you admit failure and take up something safe like lion taming? :)
Before I went on vacation last week, Will told me to start spending half of my practice time skating backwards. Today was my first practice after vacation - so this probably wasn't the best time to follow his instructions - but I did.
Trip, flail, crash, sliiiiiiiiiiide. Ow. It hurts either direction.
As happened after my last long layoff, things didn't go well in general, and I spent most of this practice just trying to stay vertical and reasonably in control. Failed on both accounts (I managed to fall down forwards as well. I'm ambeedecstrus!
Sigh. One of these days, I hope I can look back on these months of embarrassment and abject failure fondly from the perspective of a proficient skater. How long should you persevere before you admit failure and take up something safe like lion taming? :)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Locked in a room with an underwear model...
What was I thinking.... Had my first workout with "Blue" today. Imagine my out of shape middle aged ass locked in a converted garage with a twenty-something, blue-eyed underwear model who keeps saying "just three more", even after "three" has CLEARLY passed by some time ago.
Welcome to Hell. Satan is cuter than I thought he'd be. :) Here are some links.
If stepping out onto the ice for my first practice session was the bravest thing I've ever done, this was a very VERY close second.
Much like Will, Blue gleefully exposed all my weaknesses and exploited them. Again, this was Will's idea, and as I said with Pilates, if this doesn't make me a better skater, I'm going to freakin' kill him.
Or just lock him in a garage with Blue for an hour. Oh hold it, that wouldn't be a problem for him. Damn.
Actually, the workout was just what I needed. I think Blue is going to be a great help in struggling my way back to being in shape - and I can definitely see that this is going to be a huge help to my skating. He trains a lot of skaters, and I can see that he "gets" what to do. In addition to needing to drop about 25 pounds of flab, I really need to reduce my upper body muscle mass and tone up so my center of gravity will be lower - it would help a lot with my balance on the ice. Blue understands the goals, and I am very confident that his coaching is going to be helpful.
So welcome to my Hell! Populated by an assortment of characters, designed to make my life a little more healthy and the expense of my dwindling ego. Between Will, Anna, Pilates, and now Blue I'm pretty much not safe anywhere... except the donut shop :)
Welcome to Hell. Satan is cuter than I thought he'd be. :) Here are some links.
If stepping out onto the ice for my first practice session was the bravest thing I've ever done, this was a very VERY close second.
Much like Will, Blue gleefully exposed all my weaknesses and exploited them. Again, this was Will's idea, and as I said with Pilates, if this doesn't make me a better skater, I'm going to freakin' kill him.
Or just lock him in a garage with Blue for an hour. Oh hold it, that wouldn't be a problem for him. Damn.
Actually, the workout was just what I needed. I think Blue is going to be a great help in struggling my way back to being in shape - and I can definitely see that this is going to be a huge help to my skating. He trains a lot of skaters, and I can see that he "gets" what to do. In addition to needing to drop about 25 pounds of flab, I really need to reduce my upper body muscle mass and tone up so my center of gravity will be lower - it would help a lot with my balance on the ice. Blue understands the goals, and I am very confident that his coaching is going to be helpful.
So welcome to my Hell! Populated by an assortment of characters, designed to make my life a little more healthy and the expense of my dwindling ego. Between Will, Anna, Pilates, and now Blue I'm pretty much not safe anywhere... except the donut shop :)
Danced with a partner for the first time today!
OK - so after his normal round of soul-crushing commentary on my non existent technique, Will and his dance partner surprised me at the end of my lesson. Madame De Sade herself came up, pulled me into the Killian position, and proceeded to do some simple combinations with me! And wonder of wonders, I didn't run over her, trip her, crush her, or do anything else that would leave a mark or require weeks of psychoanalysis to get over!!!! I have officially done my first steps with a dance partner.
Wow - it's REALLY different with a partner. Especially one who knows what the heck she is doing. Did someone say "back lead"? Imagine, if you will, a linebacker being pulled around the rink by a chihuahua and you get the basic picture...
Bottom line - it was a HOOT and I hope I get to practice with a partner more - especially after I prove it won't be a fatal mistake. :)
Wow - it's REALLY different with a partner. Especially one who knows what the heck she is doing. Did someone say "back lead"? Imagine, if you will, a linebacker being pulled around the rink by a chihuahua and you get the basic picture...
Bottom line - it was a HOOT and I hope I get to practice with a partner more - especially after I prove it won't be a fatal mistake. :)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Learned my first complete dance today!
Ok - so my lesson today was pretty normal for me - I thought I was doing better - Will disabused me of that notion and proceeded to show me just how horrible I was. Nothing new there. :)
However, at the end of my lesson, he suddenly said "follow me" and proceeded to show me the steps and pattern for my first complete dance! Hello, "Dutch Waltz"!
It goes without saying that I suck at it, and can barely remember the pattern...
BUT I LEARNED MY FIRST DANCE!!!!!
That's some sort of milestone, right? :)
However, at the end of my lesson, he suddenly said "follow me" and proceeded to show me the steps and pattern for my first complete dance! Hello, "Dutch Waltz"!
It goes without saying that I suck at it, and can barely remember the pattern...
BUT I LEARNED MY FIRST DANCE!!!!!
That's some sort of milestone, right? :)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
No rink time in a week!
Work has been kicking my butt this past week, and I've had to be in early meetings every day - that precludes getting to the rink, as it's in the opposite direction of my office. :) Hopefully things will be better this week, schedule-wise - I'm going on a week-long mid-winter holiday next week, and specifically chose somewhere that has an ice rink, so I'll be taking my skates with me and keeping up! With any luck, I'll actually get to spend more time practicing that I would normally - which would be a good thing.
Oh - and my attitude seems to be improving. Note to self - next time I start learning something new, remember that I'm going to suck at it bigtime and that's not some sort of assessment of my personal worth. :)
Oh - and my attitude seems to be improving. Note to self - next time I start learning something new, remember that I'm going to suck at it bigtime and that's not some sort of assessment of my personal worth. :)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Motivation....
Well, it finally happened today - I had to force myself to get out of bed and go to the ice rink this morning. I wasn't especially tired - I was just unmotivated. I will admit to really struggling with how hard this is turning out to be, and how much work I'm going to have to put in before I feel like I actually belong on the ice with everyone else.
The good news is that I got my lazy ass out of bed and did go to the rink this morning. After my normal edge control warmup, I decided to focus on backward stroking, something that Will threw at me during my last lesson. It let me stay at one end of the rink, out of everyone's way and relatively isolated. I think by the end I had started to get the hang of it. I know I'm not bending my knees enough (that's an ongoing issue) but I do think I understand the basics after 30 minutes of pushing myself backward.
Pilates continues to kick my ass. This just isn't designed for someone as big as I am. I have way too much muscle to make many of the exercises work, and the tightness across my chest and back from all that heavy lifting has pretty much shot my flexibility. Add to that my seeming complete lack of any abdominal strength, and the whole experience is pretty demoralizing. Since I'm starting with "Blue" next week, and gym training is something much more familiar to me, I might decide to drop the Pilates for now. Getting my ego beat down at the rink, and then again in the Pilates studio, is just a bit more than I can handle at the moment. If Blue constructs a good program for me, at least working out in a gym is something very familiar, and which I'm likely NOT to be terrible at - so that will help counterbalance days like this :)
Still glad I'm doing this? Absolutely. I just need to find ways to balance how this makes me feel about myself with something more positive until this becomes an activity that doesn't suck out my soul every morning :)
The good news is that I got my lazy ass out of bed and did go to the rink this morning. After my normal edge control warmup, I decided to focus on backward stroking, something that Will threw at me during my last lesson. It let me stay at one end of the rink, out of everyone's way and relatively isolated. I think by the end I had started to get the hang of it. I know I'm not bending my knees enough (that's an ongoing issue) but I do think I understand the basics after 30 minutes of pushing myself backward.
Pilates continues to kick my ass. This just isn't designed for someone as big as I am. I have way too much muscle to make many of the exercises work, and the tightness across my chest and back from all that heavy lifting has pretty much shot my flexibility. Add to that my seeming complete lack of any abdominal strength, and the whole experience is pretty demoralizing. Since I'm starting with "Blue" next week, and gym training is something much more familiar to me, I might decide to drop the Pilates for now. Getting my ego beat down at the rink, and then again in the Pilates studio, is just a bit more than I can handle at the moment. If Blue constructs a good program for me, at least working out in a gym is something very familiar, and which I'm likely NOT to be terrible at - so that will help counterbalance days like this :)
Still glad I'm doing this? Absolutely. I just need to find ways to balance how this makes me feel about myself with something more positive until this becomes an activity that doesn't suck out my soul every morning :)
Friday, January 9, 2009
For Once, a lesson went well!
It's been a while, but I finally had what I consider to be a positive-ego-experience lesson! I got to the rink an hour early to practice some more, and then my lesson started. Will complimented my stroking, but he realized I was doing it fast to cover up stuff - and went he made me do it slowly all of the flaws showed up - so much for smoke-and-mirrors.... :) Bottom line, I have some more tweaking to do, but the news was largely positive. Also got kudos for my edge control.
Crossovers are still plaguing me - the changes he gave me haven't settled in as yet, and I'm going to really have to work at it in coming days. I think it's all about being willing to go slower than I want to, and really drill in on the boring, piddly stuff that drives me insane.
I guess everything was - on balance - good, because he threw some new stuff at me today... more backwards stuff. If I thought forward stroking correctly was hard, BACKWARD stroking is an entirely different ball game, and I can already tell I will be blogging about falling BACKWARDS on my ass in the very near future. However, skaters spend most of their time going backwards, so I gotta figure this out quickly.
On my own, I've been doodling with one of the simplest ways of switching from forwards to backwards - it's called a "mohawk" and I think I've just about figured out how to do it and not come completely unglued in the process. You basically go from forward on one foot to backward on the other, and you do most of the work with your hips. The few times I committed to the move and threw caution to the wind, I actually pulled it off. I think a lot of learning new shit on skates is going to be like that. You have to just throw yourself into it, roll the dice, and hope you don't break something in the process. No wonder this is easier for kids to do - they don't really understand "consequences" at that age - as an adult, my whole life revolves around that. It's probably the only real difference between us - adults live in a world governed by consequences, kids just don't.
At the end of the day, I had my second Pilates torture session. Yes it still hurts, and yes I'm still going to do it. My core strength is pretty much nil, and Pilates has all those abdominal strength exercises that you know you SHOULD do, but don't because you know they are going to hurt like hell. Pilates coaches must either be complete sadists, or or just numb to other peoples' pain. I'm going to keep up with this because it's good for me, not because I enjoy it.
I also finally got the nerve to call that athletic-model trainer guy, "Blue". Good lord, what a name. I need the intensive personal training he offers, and I'm just going to have to get past my personal demons. Pretty people are just like everyone else, just prettier.... and they get their lived handed to them.... and clothes fit..... and and and :) I start next week with a one-hour familiarizing workout - more for him to see where I am and what I need to do. I've already told him that right now I have completely the wrong body for skating, and I have to lose some of this muscle mass and get a lot more toned. I've already started watching what I eat so the flab will start to drop off. "Blue" will help me restructure the body that's underneath it. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, turning my bodybuilder-wannabe/linebacker body back into something more appropriate for the ice, but I'm committed to doing the work. I've enjoyed having the muscle, but it's in my way now.
Crossovers are still plaguing me - the changes he gave me haven't settled in as yet, and I'm going to really have to work at it in coming days. I think it's all about being willing to go slower than I want to, and really drill in on the boring, piddly stuff that drives me insane.
I guess everything was - on balance - good, because he threw some new stuff at me today... more backwards stuff. If I thought forward stroking correctly was hard, BACKWARD stroking is an entirely different ball game, and I can already tell I will be blogging about falling BACKWARDS on my ass in the very near future. However, skaters spend most of their time going backwards, so I gotta figure this out quickly.
On my own, I've been doodling with one of the simplest ways of switching from forwards to backwards - it's called a "mohawk" and I think I've just about figured out how to do it and not come completely unglued in the process. You basically go from forward on one foot to backward on the other, and you do most of the work with your hips. The few times I committed to the move and threw caution to the wind, I actually pulled it off. I think a lot of learning new shit on skates is going to be like that. You have to just throw yourself into it, roll the dice, and hope you don't break something in the process. No wonder this is easier for kids to do - they don't really understand "consequences" at that age - as an adult, my whole life revolves around that. It's probably the only real difference between us - adults live in a world governed by consequences, kids just don't.
At the end of the day, I had my second Pilates torture session. Yes it still hurts, and yes I'm still going to do it. My core strength is pretty much nil, and Pilates has all those abdominal strength exercises that you know you SHOULD do, but don't because you know they are going to hurt like hell. Pilates coaches must either be complete sadists, or or just numb to other peoples' pain. I'm going to keep up with this because it's good for me, not because I enjoy it.
I also finally got the nerve to call that athletic-model trainer guy, "Blue". Good lord, what a name. I need the intensive personal training he offers, and I'm just going to have to get past my personal demons. Pretty people are just like everyone else, just prettier.... and they get their lived handed to them.... and clothes fit..... and and and :) I start next week with a one-hour familiarizing workout - more for him to see where I am and what I need to do. I've already told him that right now I have completely the wrong body for skating, and I have to lose some of this muscle mass and get a lot more toned. I've already started watching what I eat so the flab will start to drop off. "Blue" will help me restructure the body that's underneath it. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, turning my bodybuilder-wannabe/linebacker body back into something more appropriate for the ice, but I'm committed to doing the work. I've enjoyed having the muscle, but it's in my way now.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Ouch.
If you ever want to have it driven home how out of shape you really are, take a Pilates class.
Ohmyfriggingawd that hurt.
I had my first session with Cathy today. She looks like she spends her life teaching yoga - she has a Pilates studio in California, and it's no stretch to see here doing this there - everybody drink your wheat grass and sing "Kumbaya". You know the type - middle-aged, short hair that's grey and not dyed (heaven forfend), skinny little fucker that can probably twist herself into a pretzel first thing in the morning and has probably been able to do that all her life.
She's evil. Pure, unadulterated, smiling eeeeevil. And here I was with my out of shape 46-year-old ass trying to keep up with all of the twisting, stretching, and contortions that constitute Pilates. The equipment could easily be at home in a medieval torture chamber, and my screams transformed the place into something only the Inquisition would find "fun". I see her again on Friday, goddess protect me.
All I can say is this better make me a good skater, or I'm gonna kill Will.
or better yet, lock him in a room with Cathy for an hour.
I'm coming to realize that, although I was right to retire from my dance career, I NEVER NEVER should have stopped dancing. It's hard to be a mess.
As for my skating practice this morning... Sigh. I hate that I have to spend my hour in the corner working on just staying vertical while all around me the kiddies are whizzing by, blithely executing moves that would probably put me in the hospital for a month if I tried them at this point.
I worked today mostly on coasting backward in a circle on one foot. It sounds pretty simple, but given the number of times I fell flat on my ass, I can tell you it's NOT. The only bright spot is that I inadvertently executed a back, outside 3-turn at one point (a move I'm nowhere near attempting on purpose) while I was trying to catch my balance.... and Will's dance partner saw me do it! She came over to correct my form (duh) and I had to admit to her that what looked like a passably executed 3-turn was really my pitiful attempt to keep from going face down on the ice again, and that she shouldn't expect to see it again for months. She quickly switched gears and corrected my "coasting backward on one foot" form. Gee, I wonder if I'm at least BREATHING correctly. In and out, right?
It's days like this that I really have to buck up and be willing to be BAD at something, publicly and potentially for a really long time. I've always said that everyone should do something every day that they are bad at.... but after skating AND Pilates today, I need to go do something I'm REALLY REALLY good at for an hour or so...
I just have to remember what that is.... :)
Ohmyfriggingawd that hurt.
I had my first session with Cathy today. She looks like she spends her life teaching yoga - she has a Pilates studio in California, and it's no stretch to see here doing this there - everybody drink your wheat grass and sing "Kumbaya". You know the type - middle-aged, short hair that's grey and not dyed (heaven forfend), skinny little fucker that can probably twist herself into a pretzel first thing in the morning and has probably been able to do that all her life.
She's evil. Pure, unadulterated, smiling eeeeevil. And here I was with my out of shape 46-year-old ass trying to keep up with all of the twisting, stretching, and contortions that constitute Pilates. The equipment could easily be at home in a medieval torture chamber, and my screams transformed the place into something only the Inquisition would find "fun". I see her again on Friday, goddess protect me.
All I can say is this better make me a good skater, or I'm gonna kill Will.
or better yet, lock him in a room with Cathy for an hour.
I'm coming to realize that, although I was right to retire from my dance career, I NEVER NEVER should have stopped dancing. It's hard to be a mess.
As for my skating practice this morning... Sigh. I hate that I have to spend my hour in the corner working on just staying vertical while all around me the kiddies are whizzing by, blithely executing moves that would probably put me in the hospital for a month if I tried them at this point.
I worked today mostly on coasting backward in a circle on one foot. It sounds pretty simple, but given the number of times I fell flat on my ass, I can tell you it's NOT. The only bright spot is that I inadvertently executed a back, outside 3-turn at one point (a move I'm nowhere near attempting on purpose) while I was trying to catch my balance.... and Will's dance partner saw me do it! She came over to correct my form (duh) and I had to admit to her that what looked like a passably executed 3-turn was really my pitiful attempt to keep from going face down on the ice again, and that she shouldn't expect to see it again for months. She quickly switched gears and corrected my "coasting backward on one foot" form. Gee, I wonder if I'm at least BREATHING correctly. In and out, right?
It's days like this that I really have to buck up and be willing to be BAD at something, publicly and potentially for a really long time. I've always said that everyone should do something every day that they are bad at.... but after skating AND Pilates today, I need to go do something I'm REALLY REALLY good at for an hour or so...
I just have to remember what that is.... :)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Ever have one of those days where you are suddenly clueless?
Oh god - it happened today. I had days like this when I was a dancer, and always dreaded them. The horrible day that I step onto the ice and seem to have zero balance..... As a dancer, I could tell within moments of starting a class that I wasn't going to be worth shit that day - and on the ice it's no different. From the moment I took off the blade guards and stepped out onto the ice, I could feel that my balance just wasn't there today. My placement was shot, I kept losing my center and wobbling all over the place. Stuff that was effortless is now gone completely.
I hate days like this.
I kept at it though - decided to concentrate on basics as a way to compensate, so I did 30 minutes of edge control work, about 15 minutes of VERY slow stroking, and the rest of the time breaking down swing rolls with the new corrections Will gave me at my lesson on Friday.
I suppose the good news is that things seemed to start evening out by the end of the hour, and Will (who showed up for his own practice) complimented me on my stroking.
I guess the moral of days like this is to just plow through them and work it out.
I still hate days like this, though!
OK - went to the Pilates place.... $95 a session!!!!! No friggin' way! Damn, I'm in the wrong line of work! The good news is they train Pilates teachers, and you can work with one of them for $20. That's do-able, and I'm happy to work with a student, since the option is not doing this at ALL. WOW that's a lot of money! As soon as the students start back for the semester, they will contact me to set up my first session. Twice a week for a month, then we can probably go to weekly. Did I say this was an expensive hobby? :)
I hate days like this.
I kept at it though - decided to concentrate on basics as a way to compensate, so I did 30 minutes of edge control work, about 15 minutes of VERY slow stroking, and the rest of the time breaking down swing rolls with the new corrections Will gave me at my lesson on Friday.
I suppose the good news is that things seemed to start evening out by the end of the hour, and Will (who showed up for his own practice) complimented me on my stroking.
I guess the moral of days like this is to just plow through them and work it out.
I still hate days like this, though!
OK - went to the Pilates place.... $95 a session!!!!! No friggin' way! Damn, I'm in the wrong line of work! The good news is they train Pilates teachers, and you can work with one of them for $20. That's do-able, and I'm happy to work with a student, since the option is not doing this at ALL. WOW that's a lot of money! As soon as the students start back for the semester, they will contact me to set up my first session. Twice a week for a month, then we can probably go to weekly. Did I say this was an expensive hobby? :)
Friday, January 2, 2009
Lesson after a long break
Ok - so I decided to get to the rink an hour before my lesson today to make some vain attempt at improvement before I had to show Will my progress.
So - I thought my left progressives were good and my rights needed work. Guess what - it's the other way around. Sigh.... more work to do. Will said I was doing it correctly on the right side, probably because I was paying more attention to it. So now I have to unlearn some habits on the left side and get comfortable with how it's REALLY supposed to feel.
I also had thought my swing rolls were coming along. Not so much. My leg alignment was way off, and my shoulders weren't were the were supposed to be.
Oh, and my progressives suck as well.
Gee - wonderful lesson - so good for the ego!
Will broke things down for me again. I think I'm just trying to go to fast (not a surprise for me) and need to just be willing to slow down, take it easy, and really concentrate on the mechanics of everything. I am frustrated as all hell that I'm not doing anything remotely artistic at this point, and maybe that's why I'm cutting corners. I just have to be OK with piddling about in the corners for a while longer.
Will gave me a referral to a trainer who works with skaters. He's a model (wonderful....) so I'm going to have to get over the intimidation that being around someone really pretty always causes. He's supposed to be really good, so I have to just get over it. I HATE being around "pretty people" - it just reminds me how unremarkable-looking I've always been, and that's not anything that working out or grace is ever going to change. I'm normally OK with it as long as I don't have to stand next to the pretty people! I'm a comic, character actor for a good reason. :)
Will also suggested I start Pilates to build core strength. He's right - it's shot to hell from being out of dance for 15 years. I've got a name of a place he suggested, so will go check them out.
So - I thought my left progressives were good and my rights needed work. Guess what - it's the other way around. Sigh.... more work to do. Will said I was doing it correctly on the right side, probably because I was paying more attention to it. So now I have to unlearn some habits on the left side and get comfortable with how it's REALLY supposed to feel.
I also had thought my swing rolls were coming along. Not so much. My leg alignment was way off, and my shoulders weren't were the were supposed to be.
Oh, and my progressives suck as well.
Gee - wonderful lesson - so good for the ego!
Will broke things down for me again. I think I'm just trying to go to fast (not a surprise for me) and need to just be willing to slow down, take it easy, and really concentrate on the mechanics of everything. I am frustrated as all hell that I'm not doing anything remotely artistic at this point, and maybe that's why I'm cutting corners. I just have to be OK with piddling about in the corners for a while longer.
Will gave me a referral to a trainer who works with skaters. He's a model (wonderful....) so I'm going to have to get over the intimidation that being around someone really pretty always causes. He's supposed to be really good, so I have to just get over it. I HATE being around "pretty people" - it just reminds me how unremarkable-looking I've always been, and that's not anything that working out or grace is ever going to change. I'm normally OK with it as long as I don't have to stand next to the pretty people! I'm a comic, character actor for a good reason. :)
Will also suggested I start Pilates to build core strength. He's right - it's shot to hell from being out of dance for 15 years. I've got a name of a place he suggested, so will go check them out.
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