The Art of Over Thinking...

I'll be the first to admit that I over-think EVERYTHING. I have ditched many a workout just by thinking about every step needed to get me out of my office chair and into the gym... (get up, get into hot car, drive, change my clothes, get all sweaty, have to change back, get back into car: etc...) Just thinking about it made me tired. I have tried to get my brain to think about just one word - GO - and not over-think the journey, focus on the destination. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I've been really good about not over-thinking skate prep; because it takes me a while to gear up and get my wheels on the pavement. I have pretty much gotten to the point where I can get my brain to skip past thinking about gearing up and get straight to the part where I'm actually coasting along, happy as a lizard baking away on a rock in the sun.

So, last night I went to Washington park to skate with another skater. I was a bit hesitant because I haven't skated Wash park since '98, and my memory of the park is basically one of painfully trying to cruise along on a cobblestone-like surface, and enduring rude cyclists who like to spit on people. I was also not looking forward to the drive in rush hour traffic in 90+ degree heat. But I focused on the fact that I would be meeting with a speed skating coach and that was going to be really exciting. I got to the park, strapped on my skates and rolled around with the coach.

He gave me a lot of good pointers on things like what to wear, how to hold my position at the front of the pack so no jerks could cut in front of me; what to eat, how to recover, how to stop without using a brake; things like that. As we were skating along I was also surprised to realize that the cobblestone was gone and the pavement was actually pretty smooth. I didn't get spit on, cussed at, yelled at, clipped, or ran over by any rabid Denver cyclists either! Happy! After the coach was done and we were standing by his vehicle chatting about the Rocky Mountain speed skating group, another skater came up to ask if we were with the Denver inline skate club. (I had sent out an email earlier to see if any of them would be skating so we could meet up.) I said I was, introduced myself  and after coach left I set off to cruise with skate club guy.

Skate club guy helped me with my stride, showed me how to draft, and videotaped me skating so I could see how badly my upper body (head in particular) bobs all over the place. He drafted me for a while to show me how it felt and I have to admit - it was really uncomfortable. I got really self-conscious about having some dude I just met crouched a foot from my ass with his hand on my back. He was completely professional, so this was all on me. When it was my turn to draft, oh lordy - I couldn't do it. I felt awkward and uncomfortable. I couldn't maintain a steady pace. It felt too WEIRD. He kept reassuring me that it was ok, that while skating in a line it's expected to feel a hand on your back, or to get passed, or to have someone cut in front of you (how rude! But anyway...) We skated a few laps together and then I realized it was getting late. All in all, the entire evening was a really good experience and I appreciated meeting and skating with both of them and I feel like I learned a lot.

Here is a shot of a few of the Texas Flyers in a pace line... See what I mean?? CLOSE!!

Another one of a gaggle of skaters in a line... It's going to take a while to be comfortable enough to do that!

So... Not only do I need to work on my head bobbing (I had NO idea I moved around that much!) but I also need to work on getting that insecure part of my brain to stop wondering if the person behind me is marveling at how fat my ass looks in spandex (or how awkward it is to have an ass encased in spandex less than a foot from MY face) and focus instead on the fact that a pace line is a beneficial part of skating a marathon. If I'm going to continue to improve and keep moving up to the next levels, then drafting is a part of that growth.

A group of speed skaters meets up at Washington Park every Tuesday. The coach told me that they are all really nice, and that I just need to go up and ask them if I can tag along with them. Will I actually have the courage to do that? Every skater I've met so far has been super friendly and more than willing to share their knowledge, so I sure hope so. I'd really like to work past this. I'd like to be able to comfortably skate a foot away from the person in front of me and reap the benefits. But most of all, I'd really like to learn how to stop thinking so much and start learning to trust my skating instincts.