First ever 5K-Mission Accomplished!

Well, tonight was the night....my first ever 5k!  It was a "pi/pie" run at a local food festival here in town, so the distance was 3.14 miles (*rimshot*). I have to admit that I'm going off an adrenaline rush, so to say that I really had a good time was an understatement.  I did not jog the whole time, but I did run for about 3/4 of it...not bad at all for a first time 5k if you ask me.  I felt really good about doing this, especially since I had a HARD fall on my run a few days beforehand.  I was running in a local park, where I tripped and fell flat on my front. I ended up getting bumps and bruises on my arms and elbows, and really jamming my left hand.  Considering that I'm a musician, and write left handed, that was a major blow.  Of course, I also know better than tell off Karma that I wans't going to trip (like I did on the run before THAT), because we all know that she is, and what she's capable of doing. 

So anyways, I found the whole run to be very fun,and much more entertaining than my usual runs.  Everyone was also super supportive, which was great, and it was so nice to hear cheers from the sidelines.  As I said, I did walk a few times throughout the race. I mostly walked at the water/pie stop areas (I did have one small slice of pie, as it was a "pie run"), and there was one point where I did get very tired towards the end of the second mile.  I allowed myself to walk a few blocks, but when I saw the volunteers towards the end of the race, I made myself jog again, and finished it out.  Plus, it also helped that I had a song on my ipod in which the lyrics were, "Don't stop. The party doesn't start until I walk in." (Ke$ha's "Tik Tok"), so those gave me the boost I needed to finish the race.

For those who have never done a 5k, and am considering it...or even just wondering what it's like...give it a shot!  I did find it helpful to train with a C25K program on my ipod by ZenLabs (freebie), but do whatever will get you going.  I also highly recommend doing an un-timed/fun race for your first time, or maybe first few races. With this race, I found those I was running with to be very supportive and encouraging. Some of the people went by themselves (like myself), and some had a few friends, or even their children.  There were a few runners in the front, with most people jogging, and some walkers in the back.  It is TOTALLY okay to walk if you need to! If you need to, run with your ipod, but I also found it great to wave at people as they watched us, and even thanking those who were helping direct traffic. This was because without them, the race wouldn't happen, nor be as safe for us. Whatever you do, run through the finish line, and pat yourself on the back for finishing!  Trust me, it will be totally worth it. :)

Off-ice work--it WILL pay off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wckn21Bc9chttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zC9p9vKwJ0
Since our rink closed in May for the summer, I've been working on skating-related skills off-ice, and just trying to make myself as healthy as possible.  A big accomplishment for me has been running, especially since I've decided to do my first 5K on June 22.  I've been using a freebie Couch to 5K app (C25K) from ZenLabs since mid-March. I started the program because I needed something to keep me motivated with running and to some extent, track my progress.  Before I started with the program, I tried running laps at the rink. I started off with just running a lap or two, then add on laps each week. However, I found that it wasn't really working for me, so it was hard for me to stick with it, especially since I didn't have a definite plan.  So I came across the app and gave it a go.  Although I didn't necessarily run every other day as the program recommends, or decided to repeat a day or two because I felt the need to do so, bad weather, schedule conflicts (like the ice show rehearsals), etc., I stuck it out.  Basically, I decided when I was ready to do the run on my own terms, but I did shoot for trying to run at least twice a week. I'm not going to lie, A LOT of those runs were really hard, but I also had some really good ones in there as well, and it was an awesome feeling to have that "I rock! I can do this!" feeling. 

That being said, I have one last day on my training program, and that's Day 3 of week 8.  I'm determined to make it through the full 30 minutes. I hope to make it to the three miles (or at least close), but if I don't, I want to at least be jogging the full time.  Unfortunately, now that it's summer, it won't be as cool for me to run in, so I will have to watch it with jogging in the warmer weather.  However, I am determined to do it, and actually have at the 5K.

The cool thing about the 5K is that that's a "fun" run/walk event, so if I need to walk, THAT IS FINE (have to remind myself of that).  It's a "pi/pie" run through our local park district, so at each of the main water stations throughout the race, there will be also pie served from local bakeries. At the end of the race, I'm choosing to run with "flying pies," which means I can have pies thrown at me as I cross the finish line.  I can choose to go "pie free." However, the former sounds a lot more fun!  Plus, this event is un-timed, which is PERFECT for a first time 5K jogger like myself.  A few weeks ago, if you were to ask me if I was ever going to do a 5K, my answer would've been a quick, "no!" I knew I should've kept my mouth shut with that one.... :)

When I'm not out running, I've been either doing off-ice stuff at home or at a local indoor track.  Since I live in an upstairs apartment, I refrain from working on jumping. so that I don't make my neighbor mad with all the thumping around.  However, I have been working on things like a "check in/check out" drill with weights, holding a plank position, tricep push-ups, modified and regular push-ups, rotating push-ups, sit-up/crunches and their variations, beginning sit spin positions (those are HARD), along with stretching.  Stretching wise, I pretty much have my left leg split, center is getting better, and right split still needs A LOT of work.  My right leg is much harder for me to get into that stretch, partially because it feels awkward.  Plus, I'm having to be careful with the hamstring area, as I've noticed that it just only wants to go so far, and I really just can't (and shouldn't) fight it. So, I'm doing what I can to work with it, and it will gradually get better. For those of you who may want a good stretching video on splits, feel free to check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvEC3x603Gc&list=PL-foYRcy0Hoo8fr20gxZAC-dL7CnsZwQo. She has "follow along" videos that you can try to help leg strength and flexibility.  I will say that for the leg flexibility, please be aware you may be sore the next day, and your legs may feel like jello for a while afterwards.

When I am at the indoor track, I'm including more plyometric work (such as jumping or hopping off of benches), and recently started working on getting full rotations in the air while jumping.  It's still a MAJOR work in progress, I have been able to a full rotation jump in my normal clockwise direction, and in the counterclockwise direction.  Although I'm just on two feet now, my hope is to eventually do them on one foot, with good body poise and check-out.  If you want to see the clips that I have on them, you can see them on my youtube channel (jfluter). 

Last but not least, despite all this hard work that I know I'm putting in with my off-ice training, I sometimes ask myself, "Am I really getting better?  Will my hard work be noticeable when I get back to the rink?"  I think this is because I sometimes (okay, a lot), expect too much out of myself, even if I'm just a beginner at something.  For instance, I literally just working on the sit spin position a few days ago.  I know I have the flexibility to get down lower, but the strength is a totally different story, especially since I'm essentially balancing on my toe, trying to get my butt lower. I have to keep reminding myself that just because I'm not getting the full position now, doesn't mean I won't, and heck, that spin itself is at least one level higher than what I'm currently skating at, so it's going to take a lot of patience.  However, the OTHER things I've been doing (running, rotational jumps, push-ups, etc), there's NO WAY that I could've even done vast majority of those things for a full minute a few months ago, let alone do some things like a set of rotating push-ups, plank hold, and push-ups back to back for a minute each like a I did tonight.  Plus, on my "check in/check out" drill, I added a full pound wrist weight, in addition to my regular 5 pound weights that I've been using.  I'm even thinking of starting to include my balance disc for more balancing drills (maybe even the check in/check out one), so if that's not progress, someone please that questioning part of my brain because it needs to shut up!

 Stay strong and keep skating (off or on-ice)!

All good things sometimes have to come to an (temporary) end

My rink has closed for the summer, which means I may very likely be skating a lot less frequently.  Looking back on this year, I have to admit that I'm very happy with what I've been able to accomplish.  I do have hopes to skate at least a few times this summer, but it would be at a rink that's about a hour away.  My ability to skate will depend on my work schedule, and carpooling issues.  In the meantime, my hope is to continue with off-ice work by running, stretching, swimming (soon---yay!), and maybe take some other type of recreational class, such as a dance classes, pilates, or even yoga. I have yet to decide on all of this.  In addition, chances are that I will be working for a summer camp for youth with disabilities, so there will be physical activities involved with that as well. 

Since my last posting, I have passed FS 2 with good marks, and I'm looking forward to FS 3 in the fall.  In addition, I've decided to join USFS, and will be starting to work on the Adult Pre-Bronze level.  I also want to seriously learn ice dancing/MITF, and take as many other skating-related classes as possible.  I've come to realize that I actually don't like the idea of rushing through things, so my plan is to take things at my own speed and get things really consistent. Once that consistency is achieved, then my coach and I can discuss what to do next.  I know that I tend to be very ambitious (maybe a bit too much), so I have remind myself that there's nothing wrong with taking things slower if one wants to.  Even re-visiting previously worked on ideas isn't a bad idea because it helps refresh one's mind, yet allows for those ideas to move forward, as you're building upon those basic ideas.

For instance, as a musician, I've been trained/drilled scales and arpeggios, which are the basic compositional ideas for western classical music (Bb concert scale anyone?).   Even though I've been playing for many years, I STILL go back to those on a regular basis, using them as warm-ups in various ways,  and may even just practice those "basic" elements on a day when things are just out of whack.  It's the same thing, I think, with skating.  We all have elements to work on, and sometimes, it's just best for us to slow things down, so that we can get everything together. From there, a skater can build upon those ideas, which creates progress.  Sometimes, that progress seems slow, and sometimes, it seems to be fast. It's a totally individual thing.

Keep skating and have fun!

Spring Break!

This week, I am on Spring Break, as the high school I work at follows the university schedule pretty closely.  So, not only am I on break, but so is the ice arena.  Our arena is only open for part of the week, so I'll be making the most of that I can on the ice, as well as some extra off-ice training. 

That being said, skating has gone VERY well for me these past few days, and I met my goal of doing a salchow!  Jeremy and I started working on them on Wednesday morning, and I took a few spills in the process.  I also ended up with a big bruise on my left knee from my landing edge, but man, has it been worth it! I know this jump will take a lot of work for me to get down, but my coach was very happy with me just landing on a 3/4 rotation.  We also attempted a few toe loops, but I haven't worked on those much on ice yet, as I've been addicted to getting the salchow down.  I worked on salchows at the FS session the next day, and managed to take a video of them.  As I've said, I've got a lot of things to work on with this jump, but for doing them for only a day, I was pretty proud of myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoMP0M1T1ME

Off-ice training
I've been making an effort to go our indoor track to practice off-ice several times a week.  I'll be honest, my most dreaded thing there is jogging/running.  I think it's partially being due to being inside, and feeling like being on that track is like a being in a hamster wheel. I'm hoping that once our weather warms up (I'm in Central-East Illinois), I'll be able to start running at a local park, or throughout my neighborhood.  In the meantime, in order to hopefully boost my interest in jogging/running is by using a "C25K" (couch to 5k) from my ipod.  I have absolutely NO interest in signing up for a 5k (which is approximinately 3 miles) at this point in time.  However, I am hoping that following the training program, which spreads over 9 weeks at 3 days per week, will help build my endurance. 

In addition to running, I can really use ideas for plyrometrics, as I'm really needing to work on power and rotation with my jumps.  Here's two things that I'm doing for anyone that's wanting some ideas:

Bench Jumps (use a bench that is fairly low, about mid-calf in height).
1. Start with feet facing forward
2. While still on the ground, bend your right knee, other knee up (arms are behind as if to prep for a jump)
3. Hop onto the bench with your free foot landing on the bench. (arms come forward)
4. Use your body weight to step up on to the bench with your left leg (arms begin to cross)
5. Hop with the left leg to change legs, so you land on your right leg. (arms are crossed)
6. Step off the bench with your left leg. (arms back down)

I've been doing these in about 2-3 sets of 10.  You can also switch the legs depending on what you need to work on, or whatever you feel like doing.

Stationary Jump
1. Stand with feet shoulder apart
2. Squat down as low as you can with arms behind you
3. Jump up as high as you can, bringing the arms forward and then crossing them.
4. Land on your feet with arms behind you.  Do 10 times.
4. On the last time, when you land, instead of landing on both feet, land in your landing position, and hold for 5 seconds.

Circular Jump
1. Repeat the steps from the stationary jump, but for each jump, you rotate 1/4 around.  If you want more of a challenge, then go 1/2 away. 

One last thing
With doing off-ice work, especially with jogging/running, I find it very helpful to listen to music with a beat, so for me, this means a lot of pop music. As much as I love classical music and other genres, pop music is generally the best for me when I need something with a strong beat.  If you're looking for a playlist, feel free to use these as suggestions:

Lady Gaga: Born this way, Judas, You and I, Edge of Glory, Scheibe, Just Dance, Paparazzi, Poker Face, Bad Romance

P!nk: Raise Your Glass, Try, Just Give Me A Reason

Shaikira: Waka Waka (This is Africa)

Madonna: Revolver (feat.Lil Wayne)

Adelle: Rolling in the Deep, Rumour has it

Kenny and the Scotts: I Would Walk 500 miles

Beyonce: Halo, Single Ladies

Kelly Clarkson: Stronger (What doesn't kill you)

Dynamite: Taio Cruz

Happy Skating!

I did it!!!

Last weekend, I know that I was very frustrated with my skating.  As a classically trained musician (flutist/piccoloist/singer), I know all too well that bad rehearsals often lead to excellent performances.  We just have to get that one or two really rough rehearsals out of the way.  In my experience, skating is the exact same way.  I had to get to get that one really discouraging skate out of the way so that I could skate well for my test.

So, back on Wednesday, I tested FS 1. I have to admit, I was very nervous during the FS session right beforehand.  I wasn't wasn't shaking from the nerves, but I definitely had the butterflies in my stomach.  Since this was an official test session at my rink, I skated in front of three judges, all of which are coaches at the rink.  First, they judged me on all of my elements (forward pivot, 2 foot spin, arabesque, backward edges, 1/2 flip jump, waltz jump).  During my arabesque, one of my former coaches who was judging me shouted, "That looks so much better!," which was really great for me to hear!  When I had worked with her, I could barely get my leg up to the required 90 degree angle, and now, I'm able to get it much higher as I've been working on my flexibility.  It was so nice to know all of that hard work on that spiral paid off!

As for my program itself, it went okay, although a few things didn't go as well as I would've liked, particularly with my two foot spin and my 1/2 flip jump. However, I don't think any program goes absolutely 100% perfect.  My pivot and spirals went fine, and for once in my life, I went for my waltz jump with more speed and courage.  My coach later told me that he had never seen me do that before with the waltz jump, which was a really good thing.  I ended my program with a T-stop, and was still standing on two feet.  :)

I was not asked to re-skate anything, and when I asked the judges if I passed, they said yes!  YAHOO!!  My scores ranged from mostly 5/6 from one judge (scores are based from 1-10, with 5 being a pass) who is known to be very tough, but I also got a good dose of 7s,8s, and even a few 9s thrown in for good measure. My 8s and 9s were mostly for my arabesque and pivot.  My program scores, in general were decent, but those also showed room for improvement, and I'm totally okay with that.  I was more concerned on getting through all of my elements rather than making it look totally pretty and stuff, so it was to be expected.  I did 10s for my program length, so I at least don't have to worry about that in the future.

Now that I'm officially in FS 2, I have a whole new set of things to master.  I've been working on the FS 2 dance step sequence for a while, but that needs a lot of cleaning up.  In addition, I've also been working on my 1 foot spin.  Like the dance step sequence, it needs a lot of cleaning up, but it's totally doable, and I hope to have 6 rotations down in just a few weeks.  In addition, I started working on a 1/2 lutz jump, ballet jump, and 1/2 toe wally.  My coach expects that I'll have these moves down really soon, which makes it that much more exciting for me.  This is because I have a huge goal of landing my first full rotation jump by the end of the semester.  Our rink closes in early May, so this is something that I'm going to do my best to work REALLY hard for.  If I don't do a single rotation jump by the end of the semester, it's not the end of the world, but I know that I'm getting closer and closer to doing it. :)

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Since I've started lessons with my new coach, I've been working really hard to improve my skating, both off and on the ice.  I'm even trying to eat healthier most of the time.  It's like I have this overwhelming need to please and prove to my coach that I AM working my tail off, and honestly trying to learn whatever he throws at me.  I know that I probably shouldn't feel this way, but I do.  However, today was a very frustrating skate, and I honestly felt like crying (wouldn't have been the first time), and I really felt like that I didn't have anything to show for all of my hard work that I've been doing.  As an adult skater, I know that I'm not the only one that has ever felt like this, but sometimes, it's so discouraging to see younger skaters at the rink who seemingly "get" the moves and jumps right away, and just fly through levels, while it's taking me a lot longer to do everything.

What's mostly been frustrating me is my waltz jump. I can, and have done the jump many times. However, my biggest bugger has been the kick through. I can never seem to get enough kick through to my jumps bigger. It's like I get to the point where I just sorta freeze because I'm afraid of falling flat on my face.This totally showed up today in my lesson, and at this point, especially with my test being on Wednesday (yes, I'm FINALLY testing then), I feel like that I should be over that hump by now.  I have done drills both off and on ice to work on the kick through, and what I did have to show for it today? Not.a.thing! For once in my skating life, I want to show my coach a really good, clean waltz jump that has some height and air time!  Right now, they're still tiny jumps, and its so incredibly frustrating!

We also did a run through of my program today, and I guess I shouldn't say it was all bad (since it wasn't), but I got majorly off in my music, which threw me off with everything else. This was mainly due to the rink being crowded, so there were a lot of people in the center circle, which blocked my way, even though I was wearing the "program" scarf that we wear when we are doing programs in busy sessions.  I felt that my performance was very scratchy, I totally missed one of my elements, didn't get all of my revolutions on my spin, my waltz jump was pitiful, and I struggled with my spiral.

After my program run through finished, my coach and I went to the boards, where I sat down on one of the benches behind it.  By this point, I was so frustrated that I wanted to cry and even chuck my skates across the ice.  I know that my coach could tell that I was majorly frustrated because the first thing he told me to do was breathe.  He then asked me about the good things on the program, and honestly, I really didn't want to answer him at that point.  I was just too frustrated at that point where I didn't even want to speak, and also had half a mind to tell him to back off and leave me alone.  However, knowing that he is doing a great job as a coach, I need to reciprocate by continuing to give him my attention and respect that he deserves.  So I answered him, although we both knew that I was treading on very thin ice emotionally at that point.  I took a few more breaths, and got back onto the ice.  Although my frustration was still very present, we had hoped to do a second run though.

I didn't get the chance for the second run through since FS was up for the day.  I don't know if the second run through would have done me any good or not.  However, knowing that a lot of skaters have a bad run through or two before a competition or test, I'm hoping this was the same for me. That way, I can focus on having a clean skate for my test on Wednesday.

New month: new adventures and new goals

It's a new month, which will hopefully mean some new adventures with my skating.  It's kinda hard to believe that just three years ago, I just passed my Pre-Alpha skating test as a 30 year old adult.  I even took the test in the rental skates that I was using at the time....wow.

The biggest challenge for me this month is that I will be taking my first ever FS test. I do have my music picked out (music from the soundtrack to "The Cider House Rules"), and a general routine.  I have skated through the routine now about 5 times on the ice, and many more times off-ice and inside my head.  I try to make it a point each day to listen to the music a few times, and at least mentally run through it. If I was on the ice tonight during the public skate, I probably would've even done a mini-run through in the center circle, if space would allow.

How do I feel about this test?  Honestly, I'm nervous about it, as this is my first "real" skating test.  The thought alone of having a judge watch me skate, looking at every stinking little thing (I think), makes me nerves.  However, in a way, this is a good thing, as I want my nerves to work for me. I'm shooting for keeping my nerves in check, and just skating as well as I can in that moment. I don't like messing with the "perfection' issue because it causes a lot of stress, and that can majorly mentally interfere with the performance itself.  Jeremy and I did skate through my program at my last lesson, and I did ask him if it was of passing quality.  He told me it was (phew), but he wants to shoot on making it better, which I totally agree with.  Although my elements were considered "passing," I was not happy with how I skated.  So, my goal for my test is to pass by skating well, keeping my nerves in check, and being confident with my abilities.

That being a said, I did have a HUGE confidence booster over the last weekend.  That was due to my best friend, Melissa, coming to visit.  Melissa and I go back 20+ years, and she also figure skates.  We had been talking for quite some time about getting together to skate, and we finally made it happen. :)  She generally skates at level or so higher than me, but is with the USFSA.  She's not much of a jumper or spinner, but really enjoys ice dancing, and I could totally tell with her edge work quality...wow!  Her edges were so nice and deep. Someday, I will have the confidence to go onto that deep of an edge, and I would even be interested in testing some of the dances once I'm good enough.  It was so great to skate with her as she was so positive and encouraging with my skating, and I got to help her with some of her skills as well. Plus, having cheesecake between skating sessions didn't hurt either. :)  It was actually hard to see her leave that afternoon, but we're hoping to skate together again sometime soon, as we both determined that this needs to happen again.  :)

That's the latest news for right now, but stay tuned......