Sunday, January 3, 2016
A Woman Has Dreams....
Good news! I took all of the padding, cushioning, etc. out of my skates and went "old school". Old school, for those of you who are unaware, was when you took thicker socks, wet them with hot water, put your skates on and either skated or walked around until the socks dried. Yes, it feels weird, but it actually works. Add to the mix, a new lacing pattern taught to me by a post on Skating Forums and (drum roll please), I can wear my skates!!!!
Thank you, thank you very much.
I added to my skate an inexpensive rubber arch support that seems to hit the spot. Today, I skated for 50 minutes and my arches only started to hurt at the final 5 minutes. I AM impressed!!!
I am starting from scratch again, so my lessons consist of crossovers mostly. The skates aren't flexible at all and dig into my leg, which causes me to pitch forward on crossovers, but if I don't think about them, I can do them fine. It's a little frustrating to have to start all over again, but I am hopeful. And I refuse to quit.
Today I discovered that there is a rink 10 minutes from my office and they have very quiet public sessions during the day. Looks like I found a place to go for lunch! At least I won't be disturbed while trying to watch videos of funny cats as I am now. I'd like to see my co-workers follow me to the rink! HA!
Here's an odd bit of information. My new Jackson skates with the blades on them still weigh less than ONE of my old Klingbeils without the blades on them. That being the case, why do I feel as though my new skates are two blocks of cement strapped to my feet?
Prior to this new result with my skates, I felt that I would just have to sell them and try again. You have no idea how happy I am. The lyrics below express how I felt BEFORE.
"A woman* has dreams
Of walking with giants
To carve her* niche
In the edifice of time.
Before the mortar of her zeal
Has a chance to congeal
The cup is dashed from her lips
The flame is snuffed aborning
She's brought to rack and ruin in her prime"***
* The song was written for a man to sing, which I am not.
** A Man Has Dreams from Mary Poppins
Music and lyrics by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman.
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My coach recommends back crossovers for breaking in new boots,
ReplyDeleteLeave your top hooks unlaced and after every ten minutes of skating, stop and retie your laces. This allows your foot to bend at the ankle as well as stretch the laces gradually. The same reason you do back crossovers and leave your top hook unlaced is the same: you get more ankle bend, there's less strain on your feet, and you allow the leather of your boot to stretch and crease gradually in the right places because of proper foot mechanics. Depending on the stiffness of your boots, it will take about 3-6 hours of cumulative time breaking in your boots and laces in this manner. Hope this helps; the good folks at Harlick recommend this method and it has worked for me.
ReplyDeleteIf your boots are very stiff, you might have to first leave the top two hooks unlaced to get better bend at the ankle, accumulate the time, and then graduate to just the top hook unlaced. If your boots are digging in get some Bunga gel ankle sleeves and additional gel discs if necessary.
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