While this may not be a revelation, it's something I never fully appreciated until I was living it. It's not just the constant sore muscles, or the physical fatigue, it's mental. All your focus is on this one thing, and this thing is something that takes time to see results with. I think this is the hardest part for me. As hard as I try to not expect instant gratification, there is a part of me that is really impatient. To put this much work into something, I want to see it pay off! I do see the progress over the last several months. That helps me to retain focus, but I have days where I get grumpy, and feel like I’m not getting the kind of return on my time that I'd like. These are the days I sometimes have to give myself permission to be lazy. It doesn't happen often, so I really appreciate those days when I have them. I had one Saturday, and I felt rested and ready to get back out there Sunday.
I had a much better practice Sunday than I did Thursday. My muscles were much more responsive, even considering the 15 minutes I spent doing lunges with weights, and the extra strength yoga. I'm really seeing results from my strength training class. My core is stronger, and up downs are SO much easier because of that and increased upper body strength. I can do pushups, my planks are much more solid, and I can skate much lower with much less back pain. I'm seeing stronger crossovers, and stronger one leg skating. That being said, I still have so far to go. At least it seems much more attainable now. It's so wonderful to have those "Aha!" moments where everything comes clear, I have to keep in mind that those moments will continue to happen with things that are a struggle now.
It's also been helping me to not think of all the things I have yet to master as individual tasks. If I instead break those things down into the basic skills they require, it seems so much easier. Such as the step from one foot to the other before blocking, crossovers, and mohawks are all about skating on one leg. Really, most skills in derby are about skating on one leg. So instead of thinking of all the separate parts, I can focus on becoming a stronger one leg skater. It's so much less stressful to think about that way, and cuts down on my mental noise during practice. I only have to concentrate on one thing at a time
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Balance
This has never been my strong suit. Not in any sense of the word. Balanced meals, balance between work and down time, balance as in not falling down, none of these things come naturally. This was made abundantly clear to me again last night.
Since last Sunday, I have skated 9.5 hours and had a strength training class. This means that I have not had any time off since last Saturday. Now, a normal, mentally balanced person would probably at some point in this week say "Hmm, I should probably take a break and listen to the fact that every muscle in my body hurts." But no. Not me. I had to have some sense literally hit into me last night.
I have read countless times in my quest for sports type knowledge that the way to train is to push yourself, then have recovery time. I have been so concerned with how much I still need to improve, that I've been pushing without letting myself recover. My first sign should have been that at practice last night I was having trouble with drills that are usually not only easy, but fun for me. Then, when I tried to re-test for blocking, even though I got in some really solid blocks, I could tell that my muscles were fatigued, and I was fighting cramps and aches the whole time. I talked with my blocking tester and coach, and we decided to stop the test where we were, and pick it back up again another time from where we left off. My coach said that I'm not ready for blocking practice yet, and that I need to work on getting my agility stronger and more consistent, which is 100% true, but never fun to hear.
I got so caught up in my grand plan of how I was going to work so hard and blow everyone away with my progress, that I didn't give myself permission to rest. This is especially bad, because my body's response to being over-tired is to cry. My teammates must think I cry into my cereal every morning and weep inconsolably at sappy commercials, they've seen me tear up so many times at practices.
My focus is now going to be on balance. Both the life, and the not falling down kinds.
Since last Sunday, I have skated 9.5 hours and had a strength training class. This means that I have not had any time off since last Saturday. Now, a normal, mentally balanced person would probably at some point in this week say "Hmm, I should probably take a break and listen to the fact that every muscle in my body hurts." But no. Not me. I had to have some sense literally hit into me last night.
I have read countless times in my quest for sports type knowledge that the way to train is to push yourself, then have recovery time. I have been so concerned with how much I still need to improve, that I've been pushing without letting myself recover. My first sign should have been that at practice last night I was having trouble with drills that are usually not only easy, but fun for me. Then, when I tried to re-test for blocking, even though I got in some really solid blocks, I could tell that my muscles were fatigued, and I was fighting cramps and aches the whole time. I talked with my blocking tester and coach, and we decided to stop the test where we were, and pick it back up again another time from where we left off. My coach said that I'm not ready for blocking practice yet, and that I need to work on getting my agility stronger and more consistent, which is 100% true, but never fun to hear.
I got so caught up in my grand plan of how I was going to work so hard and blow everyone away with my progress, that I didn't give myself permission to rest. This is especially bad, because my body's response to being over-tired is to cry. My teammates must think I cry into my cereal every morning and weep inconsolably at sappy commercials, they've seen me tear up so many times at practices.
My focus is now going to be on balance. Both the life, and the not falling down kinds.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Ruminations
I've been looking at my schedule for this week and feeling pretty pleased with myself. I've got agility practice tonight, strength training tomorrow, speed Wednesday, speed and practice Thursday, more strength training Friday, and practice Sunday. I may find something to do Saturday, too, just to make the week solid. I love knowing I'm working towards my goals. That's always been a problem for me in the past. I get excited about things, but don't follow through. It's another way that I know derby is for me. I can't not follow through, I love everything about it.
I also get to re-test for blocking on Thursday, which makes me happy. I know I have the ability to pass, I just have to keep my head in the right place during my test. Once I pass, I can go to league blocking and pack awareness classes, which will be invaluable. Also, I'll be able to fully participate in home team practices, so the teams can get to know me, and I can get to know them. Our coach often urges us NOT to attend some of the practices available to us once we've passed, however, because once you're in blocking practices, your chances of getting injured go up. At the same time, not going to practices makes captains think you don't have enough interest, or aren't committed. It's an interesting situation. At least all the strength training I've been doing will help prevent or lessen injuries in my upper body. Though I really need to be working my ankles more, to prepare for these practices.
It's interesting skating with the new people. Especially since I know I was in the same position 4-5 months ago. They're less steady, more skittish, and much more prone to grab people when they fall down. I found myself getting frustrated at practice yesterday because of these things. I had to take a step back and think about how I was when I first started. I still make mistakes now. They will learn, just as I did, what to do and not do. It's also odd because while we're all working on basics, we still get split up for some drills so that we can work on the more advanced things we've learned. Our coaches deserve a lot of credit for basically teaching two classes at the same time.
As much as I enjoy working on blocking for most of our practice time, it's also nice to be working on fundamentals of skating again. No matter how good you are, you can always learn more by working on the basics. I know my crossovers still need work, and it's good to focus on them again. It also brings home your weak areas in a way our more advanced practices didn't. For example, I really need to buff up my one leg skating. This will help with blocking, crossovers, agility, everything! It's easy to see how everything is connected at this level, and how improving one thing leads to so many others.
I also get to re-test for blocking on Thursday, which makes me happy. I know I have the ability to pass, I just have to keep my head in the right place during my test. Once I pass, I can go to league blocking and pack awareness classes, which will be invaluable. Also, I'll be able to fully participate in home team practices, so the teams can get to know me, and I can get to know them. Our coach often urges us NOT to attend some of the practices available to us once we've passed, however, because once you're in blocking practices, your chances of getting injured go up. At the same time, not going to practices makes captains think you don't have enough interest, or aren't committed. It's an interesting situation. At least all the strength training I've been doing will help prevent or lessen injuries in my upper body. Though I really need to be working my ankles more, to prepare for these practices.
It's interesting skating with the new people. Especially since I know I was in the same position 4-5 months ago. They're less steady, more skittish, and much more prone to grab people when they fall down. I found myself getting frustrated at practice yesterday because of these things. I had to take a step back and think about how I was when I first started. I still make mistakes now. They will learn, just as I did, what to do and not do. It's also odd because while we're all working on basics, we still get split up for some drills so that we can work on the more advanced things we've learned. Our coaches deserve a lot of credit for basically teaching two classes at the same time.
As much as I enjoy working on blocking for most of our practice time, it's also nice to be working on fundamentals of skating again. No matter how good you are, you can always learn more by working on the basics. I know my crossovers still need work, and it's good to focus on them again. It also brings home your weak areas in a way our more advanced practices didn't. For example, I really need to buff up my one leg skating. This will help with blocking, crossovers, agility, everything! It's easy to see how everything is connected at this level, and how improving one thing leads to so many others.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Hurdles
This whole process, from the first time I strapped on my skates again, to the tests I have to pass, have been physical and mental hurdles. I'm facing another big one now. My body. I'm in the strength training class, and it's having a great effect on my muscles. The problem is, they're still covered in squish. What's the point of having lovely bulging muscles if I can't see them? Plus, my belly fat is getting to be a big cause of grumpiness. I have lost a lot of fat and gained a lot of muscle since I started this journey, but if I want to take myself to that next level, I need to work harder on making my body more able to handle what I’m making it do. I have a two hour practice every Sunday, and my class is two days a week for 25 minutes each time. I also often do at least one other workout activity during the week. I was feeling down this morning because I feel like it's not having enough of an effect. Then I did some reading between moping, and realized the big thing I'm missing from my workout routine. I'm not getting enough cardio. Our weekly practice helps with this some, definitely, but if I'm going to increase my endurance and shave off some fat, I need to add more cardio. I'm still figuring out how I'm going to incorporate this, since I hate running with a passion, but I'll get there. Getting to more speed practices will definitely help, too.
I went and bought some basic home workout equipment. Resistance bands, a big yoga ball, stuff like that. I still need heavier weights, and a medicine ball. A bosu ball would be nice, but I'm trying to keep this cheap! One of my skater buddies was awesome and gave me a huge list of exercises I can do at home with little or no equipment that specify what muscles and groups they target. So armed, I can plan exercise schedules for myself, feeling confident that I'm actually doing some good. Another problem with the lack of athletic background was not knowing what all my muscles even are, or how to target them. I felt overwhelmed at the beginning when we were told all the different things we should be doing on our own time. I was like a child learning adding and subtracting, who was trying to do algebra. I understand so much more now about my body, about how to work out, and about what things are supposed to feel like. It's amazing. I feel almost like I've learned another language. I finally feel confident enough in all that I've learned to really put it to use. It's strange and exciting.
I went and bought some basic home workout equipment. Resistance bands, a big yoga ball, stuff like that. I still need heavier weights, and a medicine ball. A bosu ball would be nice, but I'm trying to keep this cheap! One of my skater buddies was awesome and gave me a huge list of exercises I can do at home with little or no equipment that specify what muscles and groups they target. So armed, I can plan exercise schedules for myself, feeling confident that I'm actually doing some good. Another problem with the lack of athletic background was not knowing what all my muscles even are, or how to target them. I felt overwhelmed at the beginning when we were told all the different things we should be doing on our own time. I was like a child learning adding and subtracting, who was trying to do algebra. I understand so much more now about my body, about how to work out, and about what things are supposed to feel like. It's amazing. I feel almost like I've learned another language. I finally feel confident enough in all that I've learned to really put it to use. It's strange and exciting.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)