First Saturday practice

Fun fun! We had a small bunch today because I don't think everyone knew what was going on with this practice, but it was all good. Lots of endurance and footwork and I'm starting to get better and better. Having good skates helps a TON! I think I've solved the issue with pulled muscles when I do falls by raising my toe stops and I've also started making progress on the T stops. Now if I could just get the front to back transition down and improve my backwards skating I'd be moving! Also, gotta start making some noise on plow stops so it doesn't take me two extra feet LOL But I'm so not the only one having troubles with that. It's highly unlikely that I will be at the next two Saturdays due to work, but as long as I get my Wednesdays I can live with that I think. And that's things...gotta go make dinner!! DL<3!

Dixie von D.

Thanksgiving Eve practice

Awesome!!!! I'm getting better on my new skates and tonight is the first practice in a bit that I've come home sore form (of course I was also out for a while lol)Most of the soreness is good, but my pull thigh muscle is not good as it kind of hampers me from getting up when I fall and I cannot even try to practice falling drills. Luckily I'm not too bad at falling!

Kind of sad that I missed Wall of Pain cause I wanted to try it on my new skates, but after the first two laps when my baseball slide made me obviously grimace in pain my derby wife (love you Aeon Fox!!) promptly told me to get my butt off the floor and go sit down before I hurt myself worse. So I pouted and then wandered off the floor all sad :(

However Endless Jammer was lots of fun, better skates are helping both my form and my endurance, and we did several scrimmage jams tonight that were pretty awesome and epic if I do say so myself. I really need to work on my timing, my ability to move within the pack, and my overall blocking skills, but I have improved soooooo much since I started and that makes me srsly happy! DL<3


Dixie von D.

Last Sunday practice

So last night was our last Sunday for a while and I decided that I would go to this one because I was going with a brand new Revel Invader DA45 set-up and was DYING to skate them! I had pulled the wheels and dyed them, played with the truck adjustments and whatnot and had them all set to skate, knowing that I most likely would need to adjust them at least once to get very far. As I had correctly assumed after taking one lap my trucks were WAY to loose and sloppy and my wheels were also loose as I cannot seem to get the hang of getting them so they spin freely but don't wobble. So I asked Mike to give me a hand, laughed when he was wobbling the trucks back and forth like crazy cause I had them that loose and watched and learned a bit while he made adjustments. Eventually I need to get better at doing them, but I figure I want to skate not spend practice fighting with my skates to get them adjusted like so.

Going from a 88a outdoor wheel to a 92-93a Fugitive was a BIG change for me and it took me a few laps to get my crossovers back completely and I did take some pretty good falls (my right knee is sore and a wee bit swollen today). Also I pulled a thigh muscle cause I got distracted when we stretched and was screwing off...gotta stop that!

We did a warm up of 20 laps as a pack and normally I have hell with this and am very quickly lagging behind the rest of the pack. Last night I did considerably better than I had previously, was keeping up with the pack, weaving a bit, and at one point just for giggles took off on a semi-sprint around the track. My speed is rapidly improving and the better wheels mean I don't tire as quickly because I'm using less force to generate that speed. Got several compliments on how comfortable I seem on the skates and how well my form is. However, the slalom drill last night was not my friend. My first time through I just lost myself and hit the floor and my second time through I slid out trying to slalom through a corner. I still have some adjusting to do when it comes to skating the harder wheels, obviously. So now that I have awesome skates and all my gear I need to really buckle down and start training with more cardio so I can increase my endurance. Winter is coming so no more jogging for me, but I want a to get some zumba videos and the Heart Attacks workout and start using those along with my free weights and a pilates/yoga video that has to be good for me somehow. Also, 25 in 5 needs to happen by March at the latest..it might happen sooner, but I was too chicken to try it last night at practice. LOL But that's it for now and another update will come later in the week after Wed. practice. I can't wait to run an Endless Jammer drill in my new skates!!! DL<3!!!!

DIxie von D.

Return

OK, so after almost a month off skates, surgery, a vacation, and another birthday I am FINALLY back to my normal routine. Mostly...
The important thing about back to normal is that I have been skating again! Last night was my first night back in close to a month and WOW! I sucked. I didn't even try to exercise right after my surgery cause I couldn't move and exercising on vacation just didn't happen, although I think now that it probably should have and I know that for next time. I only fell once and it was partially due to a skate being too loose so I didn't forget everything.
But I definitely have lost some endurance and need to work it back up to where I was. 15 laps at a moderate pace almost killed me and I was doing probably almost twice that before I went out. What a difference!
Also, in awesome news...I ordered new skates! Bright green Rebel DA45 Invaders should be arriving tomorrow. YAY!!!!!! I have red wheels on them, but they will be coming off so I can dye them purple, along with black toe guards, purple laces, and bearing cleaner/speed cream so I can be XTRA awesome! Will maybe post pix of the before and after dye job on the wheels, hopefully they will turn out nice and pretty! But schoolwork and photo uploading are both awaiting me so I'm off. Derby <3!!!

Dixie von D.

Whine...

This is entirely not related to derby at all and basically I'm feeling depressed and whiny and self pitying and bored and a bit pathetic. I know that a LARGE part of the way I feel today is because I have been cooped up at home with nothing to do but clean or do homework for a week now and I still have probably another week to go. Of course, then I go on vacation, but that's not right now and right now is where I'm at.

I can't skate, grocery shopping is a chore that requires me to either ride one of those stupid mart carts or try to walk the whole time and end up hurting because I over did it (both options suck), I have no Halloween plans, I missed the QCRG bout I was supposed to be at cause of my stupid surgery, I'm broke, there is nothing awesome and fun to do, and and and....

Yeah, it's one of those days. *sigh* I'm trying to use all this free time I have to be productive and get lots of cleaning and schoolwork done and get the bylaws done for the derby league I'm with, but I keep getting sad and miserable and don't want to do anything when I'm sad and miserable. Also, feeling like this makes me want to drink alcohol. Drinking when you're already depressed is a bad idea. I know this. Which is why I keep little to no alcohol in my house unless I have plans on drinking it very shortly after purchase when I'm not depressed. Trying not to be come an alcoholic is working, but sometimes it is hard. Ugh, I sound drunk as it is, but I'm not. I'm just sad, miserable, depressed, etc. (SEE ABOVE)*sigh* Gonna try to focus on being productive....

Dixie von D.
:(

Off skates :(

*sigh* Being off skates sucks. I don't mind missing practice due to prior plans or trips or what not, but because of illness or injury is another thing. I want to be better RIGHT NOW so I can skate. But since I have four little holes poked in my belly where they removed my gallbladder it's going to take a few days I think. On the up side this means that my wheels will probably show up soon now because I can't use them...LOL I'm off to go get caught up on life that was put on hold during my hospital stay and will be back when I have something more to share! DERBY LOVE!!!!

Dixie von D.

practice makes progress

So Wednesday night at practice some of us began boycotting certain drills because there are things that we need to be working on that we aren't and things that we are working on that don't seem quite so necessary as prepping for our minimum skills test. I spent more time off skates than was probably ideal, but the time I did have went well. My wheels are still not here (big shock...) and our coach kept telling me I needed to use speed to get through the pack during jamming drills. Do you know how hard it is to get any sort of speed when you're using outdoor wheels on a sport court surface?? Srsly?? I'm almost ready to just order them from elsewhere and eat the extra cost. But Cannonball has an older set of Caymans that she's going to let me borrow and I know that as much as I have heard people say that Caymans suck they will have to better than the outdoor wheels I'm using now. And that was practice. No major falls, nothing super exciting. I'm still improving, I've lost a pound according to the scale, but none of my clothes fit right which indicates that I'm losing fat and inches and gaining muscle. I fit into a size 20 top again which I haven't been able to comfortably do for a while now so yay for that! And now...off to mundane things like housework. DL<3

Dixie von D.