May 2005
Week of May 1, 2005
Running a Little
I pulled on a pair of pants that fit just fine last fall and decided I could not wear them because they were too tight. Those trousers seemed to scream: “Wake up, you fat complacent slob!” Weight gain is progressive, but since the rink closed last month, I have been less active. I have also been very busy and caught a cold, which limits my workout potential. And of course, I eat as though nothing has changed. Excuses, excuses. Anyway, the problem remains. Instead of aerobics, I have been taking more walks lately. The weather has been nice. The trees are leafing, and flowers have bloomed in a delightful cacophony of color and scent. I want to be outside.
The neighborhood where I walk provides a challenging variety of slopes. However, simply walking the course does not raise my heart rate to an aerobic level. It is better than sitting home doing nothing, but it will not result in quick, effective weight loss. We have planned a three-week European vacation at the end of June, and I would like to shed some excess mass before the trip. Dropping ten pounds should make me look significantly better in a swimsuit. With this goal in mind, I have started jogging the flat sections of my walk route. This further enhances the circuit training nature of the exercise while upping my heart rate.
Running consumes more calories than any other form of exercise, with aerobics following a close second. I never bothered with running because it pounds the knees and can cause shin splints. Ironically, these problems plague the bigger, heavier runner because his or her mass causes more impact to the joints and lower body. These are precisely the people who really need to run to lose weight. While I do not feel any joint pain, my shins have become sensitive. With this in mind, I do not run continuously. I run in spurts and only on level terrain, enough to keep my heart beating faster throughout my walk-jog. I am pleased with the distance I can run without discomfort. After only a week of this new routine, I have lengthened my running segments and can handle more frequent jogging. Presently, I jog about one quarter of the course. Eventually, I would like to jog half of it. I intend to walk-jog everyday until we leave for vacation, weather permitting.
Week of May 8, 2005
Motivational Garment
I displayed the tight pants mentioned in last week’s entry in a prominent location reminding me to exercise and not to eat like a pig. They serve as a motivational garment. I have not utilized this weight loss incentive since high school when I hung a pair of purple brushed denim jeans in front of my closet so I could see them every time I opened the door. Of course, I was young then and probably had not yet developed hypothyroidism. Pounds came off easily. Now I need to try considerably harder, or at least it feels as though I do. As a teenager, I did not have the freedom or money to go out for scrumptious meals all the time, so that was never a sacrifice. Now I have to stay home and eat a salad while my favorite Indian place beckons.
Fortunately, I do not need to stare at the pants for ten minutes before forcing myself to workout. I have maintained my walk-jog routine and am pleased with my developing stamina which will certainly help on the ice. The fabled “runners’ high” seems to have lasting effects. My body apparently craves a little jog every evening. Once I start running, I set my sights on a goal and keep moving until I reach it. Then I stop to stretch, catch my breath, and continue to jog. Intermittent stretching seems to be important to preventing injury and muscle cramps. I stretch before starting, then walk briskly down the main road to the pleasant neighborhood that serves as my course. I stretch my legs again at the first flat area before beginning to jog. This initial stint is probably my longest nonstop run for now. I run all the way to the first hill, stretch, and walk down the steep slope while working my arms in calisthenics patterns to maintain an elevated heart rate.
Over the weekend, I passed another jogger. She was running down the steepest hill in the area. I was sweating profusely and walking up the same incline. I had completed my workout and was headed home. The other woman had a typical runner’s body with long lanky limbs and lean muscles. She lacked the telltale skater’s butt and thighs. I possess both of these with a little extra to spare. I turned to watch her disappear into the distance, still jogging at the same pace, and felt a twinge of jealousy. Running is a skill built over time, like ice skating. I am a beginner. She has probably been jogging for years and is good at it. If she saw me centering a camel or layback she might reciprocate my envy. Once I reached the summit, I stretched and began to run again.
Week of May 16, 2005
Addictions
An childhood friend called after reading my latest journal entries about my newly discovered interest in jogging. My friend, a girl I have known since the sixth grade, was a distance runner. While in training, she ran sixty miles per week. Compared to that, I am merely piddling around. I have no intention of running long distances; though, as a beginning skater, I wondered if I could ever do a layback. That indecision flew out the window about a year into the sport. For now, I happily run a little bit farther each day. Since I began this endeavor as a means of dropping a few pounds before summer, I have tripled my distance. Of course, I started out small, running to a mailbox down the street before stopping to stretch. Now, I pass the mailbox, continue down the road, around the corner, and so on. However, I probably do not run more than about a half mile at any given stretch. For me, this is a great accomplishment.
When my friend and I were in college, we shared an apartment for a year. She would go out jogging and disappear for hours. Where did she go? Did she stop somewhere and hang out with somebody? Did she run someplace comfortable then take a nap? Where in the hell does one run in two or three hours? How could a human being run continuously for that long? Now I realize elite athletes in many different disciplines do this as a part of their training. Skaters run. Personally, I never considered running because I feared for my knees. I am not a typical petite female ice skater. In fact, I used to distance roller skate in the summers as an alternative to jogging. However, the problem was not necessarily my knees but my lungs. I started smoking at sixteen years old and did not quit until (coincidentally?) about a month before I began keeping this journal in the spring of 1999. Since then, cellular replacement has healed my lungs. I no longer feel the effects of the years I spent as a smoker.
Bred from hearty Eastern European stock, I have terrific stamina. If the ox died, my ancestors could have pulled the plow themselves. I have inherited that trait. Of course, I am also a big woman and tend to build bulky muscle. Our folk could survive brutal northern winters because we stored blubber like whales, bears, and sea lions. Food coats lard on my ass faster than I can work it off. Even though skaters spend considerable time in the cold, a layer of insulating fat is not an advantage. Continually fighting genetics and thyroid disease, I am becoming a true all-around athlete, a skater who also runs.
Every day I am pleased with each bit of improvement I display in terms of distance, frequency of running stints during my workout, and speed of travel. No pun intended, but I have made great strides this week. One particular flat part of my course used to require two or three rest and stretch breaks. I can now jog it without stopping at all. I past my usual resting spot and continued to run. I could go a little farther. Still confident, I ignored another rest area. With the stream in sight, I knew I could get to my goal without pausing! Instantly shot full of adrenaline and endorphins, I picked up speed and forged on, pumping my arms overhead with realization. As I reached the stream, my favorite place to enjoy the scenery and stretch, I cheered my own victory to anyone who was outside that morning.
My current objective is to run a flat loop in the neighborhood and measure my improvement by circuits jogged around that loop. I estimate its distance to be approximately a third of a mile. The road to the stream lies on a tangent to the loop. Omitting the detour to the stream, I easily completed the distance. I ran from the stream to the next big hill and walked another dead-end street to cool down. I jogged from the dead-end street, out of the neighborhood, and down the main road all the way home. Upon deciding I could get home without stopping, I cheered myself again. In the yard, I stretched my warm limber muscles thoroughly.
That run felt like an axel. I ruled the world for about an hour. I am addicted. When I get the fat off my backside and look gorgeous in my late thirties wearing a bikini, I am getting my belly button pierced.
Oh, and by the way, the motivational garment fits.
Week of May 22, 2005
Monday in Paradise
About a month had past since I last stepped on the ice. I took another day off from work and drove directly to the rink. It took a while for me to regain my bearings. My first spins made me dizzy, though I doubt my body will ever forget how to spin. I was sore from jogging, but found myself full of energy and eager to dig into the ice, extracting every bit of speed I could coax out of my blades. There is no thrill like the velocity generated by a powerful set of legs pushing into clean ice. I discovered new grace within myself. Instead of pumping around the rink like a bulldozer, I stretched my legs into elegant extensions and moved my arms matching the flow of each stroke.
My goal for the day was to try to recapture the magic of the inside edge back camel. I have completed these advanced spins sporadically over the last couple of months and want to keep the skill fresh, even though I cannot practice very often. I hit some beautiful back camels and talked to myself out loud, trying to convince my foot to rock to the back of the blade and change edges. To an on-looker, I probably seemed completely insane repeating the plea: “Come on, get over there,” and finally concluding a perfectly impressive spin with: “Damn it!” Every attempt to switch edges failed, though I managed some admirable backward camels on the typical outside edge.
I also worked on inside edge upright backspins. Not the blunders people perform when they cannot complete a proper outside edge backspin, but one that intentionally changes to an inside and rides a large circle. The body position exaggerates the edging, leaving no doubt that it is not a mistake. I stretch my free leg and point the toe into the circle, leaning and extending my arms to echo the curved bodyline. Of course, this has been better too.
Although three hours of skating cured me of any awkwardness I may have experienced after weeks off-ice, I could not execute my challenge skills, those that dance just beyond permanent possession. Infrequent skating may allow me to maintain the bulk of my abilities, but it certainly does not permit development and acquisition of new material. Oh, well, I had a great time and appreciate a day on the ice far more than I did when it was always available.
Memorial Weekend, 2005
Trampoline
Months ago as my husband and I prepared for the move to our new house, I fantasized about having my own exercise room. Well, the exercise room exists but is rather makeshift. It consists of one expensive stationary bicycle that squeaks, a cheap wind resistance bike that squeaks once in a while (but makes a lot of noise regardless), a big TV, and a crappy VCR. Not exactly what I had in mind. However, we have been slow to furnish and decorate the house; and, frankly, I really don’t care. We have plenty of space to spread out and I am more comfortable than I have been in years. Someday the exercise room will be the panacea I have imagined, but that someday is not tomorrow.
I have grown bored with at-home aerobics in the exercise room while watching taped television shows. Besides, my favorite show, Battlestar Galactica, is in reruns until sometime in July. I started jogging several weeks ago, and still jog regularly. I needed to find another activity to intersperse with jogging to give my shins and joints a reprieve. Over the holiday weekend, we bought a trampoline at Wal-Mart. It was incredibly cheap; less than $140.00. My husband put it together that afternoon in the backyard. By evening I pulled myself onto it and began to play.
At first, I just bounced without lifting my feet from the surface. This allowed my knees and general equilibrium to adjust to the movement. Soon, I jumped cautiously up and down. Before long, I sprung as high as I could and enjoyed a long moment of suspension in the air; longer than any aerial moment I have experienced on the ice or can hope to experience. Being able to leap that high while skating must be the most incredible rush on earth. I got quite a jolly out of doing it on a trampoline. While my trampoline is not competition quality, I pondered the height and rotation achieved by competitive trampoline athletes. As an Olympic sport, trampoline gymnasts bounce extremely high and complete complex twists and flips, much like divers. However, they perform these movements in succession and must remain centered over the trampoline, kick out vertical at the apex of the jump, and land the final trick without bouncing. Landing without bouncing challenges the thigh muscles and coordination. I practiced this from basic jumps. While I have no intention of performing flips on my backyard trampoline, I might consider lessons if I can find a facility and coach nearby.
The trampoline offers an opportunity to work on positional jumps such as stags, splits, and pikes. I seem to remember skaters decades ago leaping into pike positions. I enjoy stags and splits on the ice, but have trouble lifting my trailing leg. The trampoline allows me to improve my position, though simulating an ice take-off is not realistic. Russian splits and pikes require abdominal strength to lift the legs in front of the body. While I already possess the necessary flexibility, I lack the quick reflex action to pull up my legs while airborne. On the trampoline, I can explore these skills. After a few days of practice, I impressed myself with the height of my Russian and box splits. Neither creates a perpendicular to my torso yet, but after one week, I have discovered an untapped ability.
Along with positional jumps, I also work on rotation. One turn is very simple. Remaining perfectly straight during multiple rotations requires more concentration. A sloppy hunched posture during advanced jumps slows rotation. I struggled with this while learning doubles. Maybe I will be able to correct those problems for future jump training.
As an additional benefit to off-ice skating workouts, the trampoline is excellent aerobic exercise. It is less monotonous than solo, in-front-of-the-TV aerobics. And it is really fun!
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