So this morning I broke down and got my OWN gym membership.
There were several times I just wanted to go to the gym and run my ass off. However, I didnt have my own, I was piggy backing my roommates for a few visits to see if I was going to like it after a few goes.
When I was down for the gym (and had the time) she wasn't really feeling it.
So now I do not have to wait for her and thats an awesome feeling. It is open 24/7 so I can go super early on the weekends when I wake up because sleeping in is something I cannot do anymore in my old age.
With THAT being said, I have no excuse to not be running AT LEAST twice a week for 30 minutes.
Lets set some goals here shall we? My main goal is to improve my time each time. Okay we can work on that as far as running a mile. With treadmills you have all these numbers and gauges that are awesome because it helps you set little tiny baby goals to help get to your big goal of your main goal. . . .go it? little tiny baby goal>big goal>main goal.
So the next 3 trips of running I want to:
*Run a 12 minute mile.
*Run @ at least 5.5 mph for 5 minutes straight.
*When I slow down to a speed walk for a break, only do so in a max of 45-second intervals.
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This my goal for my next treadmill adventure.
*First 10 minutes=Speed Walk
*5 minutes=jog
*45 second speed walk break before mile.
**12 minute mile
I have also downloaded a new app that can help track my steps and blah blah running stats so I may utilize that and see if any interesting data is gathered that is worth sharing. Sometimes things like that is very motivational but we'll see.
I have B-team practice tonight but if I flake I will definitely be running instead. That is my "punishment" for skipping any practice from here on out. Even if its not a practice I don't normally attend (Sunday AMs *cough cough*)
Okay, sooo Monday was SUPPOSED to be gym time with the team for an hour then promptly off to practice.
An hour before I was supposed to leave, a torrential downpour ensued. Power flickering, cable out, yard flooding, the whole she-bang.
Now, in Charleston, when it rains it floods really bad. Speaking from a few different instances where I have trudged through the rain to make it to practice and 1 of 2 things always happen. . .
1. Stuck on the island for a while
2. It takes 2 hours to get to practice due to traffic.
So I made the executive decision to stay home. I was really bummed. I wanted to go to the gym and I wanted to skate with the B-team.
Let me start first, by saying how I have always been real adamant in the past about going the gym. I had prided myself in hating gyms. Well, sometimes you have to break old habits in order to become something newer and better.
So I went to the local gym up the street and completed the following:
4:00 plank w/ transition (w/o coming down)
25 man pushups
1:00 minute worth of jump squats
1:30 of 6-inch leg lifts
1:30 of wall squats
30:00 on the treadmill. Now, since I suck at running I speed walked the first 20 getting warmed up to run. The last 8 minutes I ran at a decent pace, but the final 2 minutes (think 2-minute jam) and ran my ASS off.
I have never ran on a treadmill in a serious manner so, when the treadmill does that automatic slow shit towards the end, I just bumped my speed back up to where I was.
I got off the treadmill and I felt like I had been drugged. It was then pointed out to me that you should slow down so it makes the transition from moving floor to stationary floor at little less discombobulating.
So even though I missed practice AGAIN plus a gym visit, I really think I made up for it. I really like that gym (granted, I haven't been to many lol) I think I membership is in my future.
So I started all this groundwork for this huge plan to get better in the offseason.
I started it off right by skipping Monday AND Tuesday practice. I havent ran or done my burpies because I suck. No excuses, I just suck.
I AM going to the gym tomorrow (which I have always been proud of being hellbent on not being a gym-goer) and I am going to run until I just can't anymore. Bare minimum, I want to run a timed mile, take a stretching break, then just run some more until my muscles turn to jelly. Immediately following: go home and just lay on my floor in a pain angel. ("Pain Angel" GTS*)
Wednesdays practice was pretty motivational. Our Coach is implementing a lot of, shall we say, "Creative Writing Class" type tools to help motivate everyone. I feel like in general, it will help me personally. Included are journal entries and some imagery readings during stretching.
Monday will be a good practice because we are going to the gym as a team with a personal trainer BEFORE practice, so that day, I am sure I will be feeling like I was hit by a truck. All of that on a Payroll Monday. Oi. No Mercy.
On Wednesday some of are drills set me up perfect to work on my first platform of goals.
-My outside cuts have already greatly improved which also helped in my outside hockey stops which was just a perk of improving the first. Still not quite as strong as my cuts/hockey stops to the inside but its already very close. I feel a lot more during these drills because I was really digging so SHRUG that shit happens. Can't let it discourage.
-I do not know why I thought getting anywhere on the track (within 10 ft) in 3 steps sounding challenging. Its actually very simple, so I may revamp that one.
-We did basketball shuffles so this was perfect chance to work on my speed and gait with those. I managed to keep up with a player that is pretty quick at these. So that was very much an improvement. Now, to keep the consistency.
One thing NOT on my list are grapevines. Now, my thing with grapevines is we do grapevines PRIMARILY to work on cross overs. We are told to get low when we do these. However, I feel like my body mechanics its impossible for me to get into standard derby position and do grapevines. ALSO, when your crossing over, chances are you are not in a pack, therefore are not in derby position preparing to be hit. Your legs are pretty straight and you are bent over at the waste with tits over toes.
I don't think I have ever seen blockers GRAPEVINE over to the outside line from the inside line or vice verse to catch a jammer. . .
So it makes you wonder. . .why do we grapevine drills the way we do? Seems kind of counter productive. Any thoughts on grapevine in derby positions as a drill are welcome with a open-mind.
I want my grapevines to be this pretty! Notice how the legs aren't so much bent in derby position but bent mainly at the hips. TOTs.*
This position gets a bad rap as "TABLE TOPPING" but in reality if you're a jammer this is position you want. Take heed and watch a speed skater. Most leagues have a former speed skater or two, watch their form. They are table topping like a boss. Its how you are taught to skate fast. So I, as a jammer, work on this form a lot.
However, I am primarily a blocker so I know when to abandon the "good" table topping and get my ass low.
Yeah, thats me. Average "In-Pack" low for me. I have seen people's "in-pack" lows a lot lower. I am 5'0 so, me needs to work on that.
So summing it up, I slacked off this week, but I made some improvement with my 1st platform.
You gotta take the good with the bad. . .even if the bad was 75% my fault.
I will be checking in again either Saturday night or Monday, posting my results on my gym adventure.
I feel like I should really reiterate how much I DESPISE gyms. . . .already putting myself in uncomfortable situations for the sake of PROGRESSION!! RAWWR!!
Not going to spend a lot of time introducing myself because this is mainly for my own purposes.
My league at the moment has basically ended their season due to lack of schedule. It is September. This is fairly early for any derby team. As it stands now, we have approx 4-5 months to get our shit together.
I want to take this time for myself to better myself as a skater.
I want to bust my ass to surpass some of my peers.
I do not want to plateau.
I will not make excuses.
I dont have time for that shit anymore, its time to get real.
I decided to take some advice of a high-level skater and create a checklist for myself. Each checklist will have some fundamental things to work on, on each platform. I cannot advance to the next platform until I have checked off ALL of the current one.
Now I have some "main" goals and some pretty substantial "sub-goals" that will assist in getting to MAIN goals.
I am on the cusp of an A-team B-team split. I am the bottom of the allstar charter thus making me the top 6 of my b-team. Kind of an awkward place to be.
In order for my to become top 14 of the Allstar charter (thus being rosterd for all-star games and NOT BY DEFAULT) I must work on things I need to work on as a b-team skater. If I can shine as bteam skater I am that much closer to being out of the bottom 6 doo-doo bucket.
Now that I have explained the method to my madness. Lets do some work.
[GOAL: MVP Jammer for the B-Team] Sub-Goal: Better Blocker(B-Team level) Sub-Goal: Better Agility (B-Team level) Sub-Goal: Better Endurance (B-Team level)
Here is flow chart that breaks each category down into smaller goals to achieve that will help me reach my overall goals.
Now, I know what you must be thinking. "MVP Jammer" is kind of a pompous goal, eh?
Then I would have to say to you "Yeah, it totally is."
The reason why I specifically chose" MVP Jammer", is because there is so much unclear feedback that I never know how I am (in reality) doing. I always seem to feel I am playing awful when I'm not or I think I am doing well and I effing suck.
Getting that title at least once means there is no doubt about it in your mind that you were ON POINT that game. Therefore, having a pretty awesome baseline at not-sucking.
What I know: I am on the A-Team. I am on the B-Team. I am a B-Team skater. I will be an A-Team skater NOT by default.
I will not get into my head when I dont get my way.
I will not try and figure out how coaches/captains think.
I will not complain.
I will knock a bitch down.
So this is the beginning of this complicated, hard-as-fuck "to-do" list over the next 4-5 months.
I am a firm believer in sink or swim. Time to take these concrete shoes off and act like I give a shit.
