Stolen Time

We got out of choir practice early, so I made a beeline for the rink and was able to get in almost an hour's worth of skating. Apparently the rink has an (unadvertised) last hour rate of $5.50 (vs. $7 for the full session).

It wasn't too crowded, and the ice was in okay shape. I spent most of my time working the same things, crossovers and 3-turns and LBI edge. The 3-turns are a little better than on Saturday -- still very inconsistent. I need to relax (as usual). When I'm relaxed I can turn out a pretty nice one. When I'm not I force it and it's bad. I worked on my 2-foot turns too and noticed that I have tended to not bend my knees enough. When I remember to do so they are much smoother (fancy that :-)!). The thing about the down-up-down is that I really only have to remember the "down"; the "up" takes care of itself. Of course I still have to work on the trailing "down"...

The crossovers are going to take a long time, I suspect. I really need to get down in my knees more for them, and just do about a zillion of them. My backward glide (mostly LBI) is coming along well; I had a couple of really nice long ones. It actually feels like the limiting factor right now is that I need to keep my left hand extended in front to balance on them, and I can't do that for all that long still (although my shoulder is much, much better than last week). But I had a couple of them that had that delicious sort of feeling I remember from when I was working on my forward one-foot glide. As always my main difficulty backward seems to be a tendency to rise up in the toe (weight too far forward) instead of just allowing myself to be in my boot! It's getting better though.

I was struck by how much I am held back (even now) by my own chicken-heartedness. I have not fallen, really, since I hurt my shoulder over 4 weeks ago! So it's obvious I'm holding back. I've not really even touched Mohawks in that long, for example. Next week or so I really need to commit to working on some of that difficult stuff and allow a fall to happen if it's going to (which I am sure it will). I really need to LEAN more on my edges, and get down in my knees. Grrr.

I worked up a good sweat just in the hour or so I was there. I am really wishing it were summer again, or at least that the hockey season were over. I could be skating 4 or 5 times a week if it were, and I would be Mr. Buff Gordon Sk8er Boi in no time... Really! Not to mention a much better skater...