20 miles today on (and to and from) White Rock Creek trail.  It was coolish (upper 40’s F), with a 15 m.p.h. wind from the south – making it a headwind there and a tailwind headed home.   My hands and ears are usually the first things to complain about the cold.   My hands didn’t go numb, my ears were a little cold on the way there (I wasn’t wearing anything on my head) but they were okay.

I’m not even timing myself right now; just watching my technique.  I skated 19 miles on January 2 – same trail but different to-and-from route.  1200 miles for 2010 would only be 100 a month, but it’s the cool-weather months like January and February that usually hurt my miles.  We’ll see how I do.  It’s supposed to be cold the next three days but I may be able to skate again on Sunday (predicted sunny with high of 46 F).

One little thing I’m going to note just in case someone else has the same problem.  Since I’ve had speed skates I’ve always put the ends of the laces right down the front of the skate under the strap.  You know; right on top of the criss-cross’d part of the lacing.  Recently I’d been getting a wear spot just on the forward side of my ankle where my Ezee-Fit bootie ends.  So, on a whim, last Saturday when I skated I put the loose end of the laces down the side of my skate.  Still under the strap, just not on top.  It made a noticeable  improvement on the comfort of both skates.  So, there you go.  Old dog, new tricks.

I’m back on my blended salads after too much junk food for the holidays.  I did have several warm banana chocolate-chip muffins I’d made.  Couldn’t resist.  I’ve been generally pleased that the weight I took off last summer has stayed off without any drastic measures.  Like I mentioned in my last post, I’m planning to drop to 150 during the summer and stabilize around 155.

39 miles / 63 km YTD  (goal: 1200 miles)
167.0 lbs  / 75.75 kg  (goal: 155 lbs)

31 miles today on Katy Trail.  It snowed last night (wasn’t cold enough to stick much) so I waited until this afternoon for things to clear off.  Katy is flat and has good concrete so it dries the fastest of any Dallas-area skate trails.  It was my last skate of the year.  I did my usual 28 miles, plus 3 more to bump me over 1000 for the year.

So for 2009:

• 1002 miles / 1612 km YTD
• 167.8 lbs  / 76.1 kg (down from around 185 lbs i’ve been all my adult life!)
• zero marathons (I was too poor this year)
• zero wipe outs!  (this has never happened before!)
• I haven’t checked my blood pressure in a couple months, but it has been sky high all my life (180/110 when I was 18, for example) and was down in the 125/65 range last time I checked

It’s been my best year of skating ever.  I made my weight loss goal.  It was a nice surprise that my blood pressure responded so well to the exercise and weight loss.  I like feeling thinner too!

Plans for 2010?

• I’d like to work out with the Texas Flyers if my job situation permits
• I’d like to do 2 or 3 marathons
• Skate at least 1000 miles.  Maybe 1200 would be a nicer number?
• I’d like to get down to 150 lbs. or so this summer, and then stabilize around 155
• I would really really really like a new pair of skates!

I went out yesterday for as long as I could stand it.  It was just over 40 F (5 C).  After 3 laps my fingers were numb, my left skate was squeaking (seriously needs bearing attention) and my ears were a bit cold.  If at all possible I’m going to get 29 miles sometimes before 1/1/2010!

971 miles / 1563 km YTD
166.0 lbs  / 75.3 kg

The warmest day of December in Dallas probably happend 12/23.  A cold front was predicted to blow in during the afternoon.  Confounding the weatherman – as weather often does – it was sunny and 70 F.

I was planning to go skating but I got a call from a recruiter and I really need a job.  It wasn’t really an interview, I was just supposed to take a written technical test.  It was scheduled at 2 p.m..  I was hoping for 30 minutes and then jet over to the skating trail.  Instead the recruiter took a long time to get to me and the test took over an hour.

It was almost 4:00 before I got down to my vehicle.  The only thing on my mind was “How fast can I get started skating?”.  Instead, the side window had been broken out of my vehicle and about $1200 of stuff had been stolen!  They took all my skating clothes which normally live in a suitcase behind my seat.  But they left my skates!  The door wasn’t even unlocked.  The thief just reached in and grabbed everything they could, and the skates were too far back to reach (and probably about zero pawn-shop value, as beat up as they are).  I spent the next hour talking to the police and the building management.  Because there were still things of value I couldn’t even skate then with my window broken out.

No fun!

It’s 22 and snowing tonight.  In 50 more miles I’ll have 1000 for the year.  I’m praying for a warm day, but if I don’t get one I’ll go to a rink and skate for 4 or 5 hours!

I planned to do 28 miles Friday on White Rock Creek Trail, but my left outside ankle bone was screaming at me every time I lifted or set down my skate.   I’m not sure if this is true of all heat moldable skates, but my Bont Jets need to be re-molded every two or three months.  The ankle pockets I had so diligently poked out with a screwdriver handle were nowhere to be seen.  White Rock Creek Trail is 7 miles each way and I’d have stopped after seven miles if I could have.  I painfully skated back to make 14, but every step hurt me.

Sunday morning I popped my boots in the oven and re-heat-molded them, fixing both the ankle pockets and the curled up tongue problem where it was cutting into my right foot.  So today I got my regular 28 miles in on Katy Trail.  I chased a bicycle 1/2 of a lap (3 miles) and started to chase him back but he “stopped for water” and never caught up to me.  Other than that it was uneventful.  It was 61 degrees F. when I started, but with a cool southern breeze it was hard to tell.  I got on the trail a bit after four and the breeze dropped down around sunset, so it wasn’t too much problem.

Ten more days in 2009 and still 50 short of 1000 miles.   Will there two more nice skating days?  Will I make it?  The suspense grows!

950 miles / 1529 km YTD
166.6 lbs  / 75.5 kg

Joey Mantia has been posting his diet (after the fact) on his blog.  I wonder if that’d help?  I don’t skate a 10th of what he does, and likewise I’d be a smallish blimp if I ate what he eats.

Today (lets see if I can remember this):

• about 5 leftover passover matzos
• “blended salad” (1 apple, 1 banana, 1/2 beet, 2 carrots, 3 stalks celery, spinach)
• 1 cup coffee (black)
• 4 handfuls mixed nuts
• 3 slices buttered bread
• 1 bite-sized Dove chocolate with caramel

I think that’s it.

I should have skated today.  It was sunny and warm this afternoon but turned cooler this evening.  I needed to mess with my skates some was my excuse, but it wasn’t a good one.

28 miles on Katy Trail this evening.  Was hoping to get out earlier but it was almost 5 p.m. when I hit the pavement.  Hardly any cyclists so I didn’t get to chase anyone.  There was a guy in a Texas Flyers skin suit I was trying to catch up with but he skated less than a lap (I think) so no fun.  It was 52 F (11 C) when I started, 45 (7 C) when I finished.  I’d have done another lap – I could use the miles – but my hands were cold and my bladder was threatening to burst.

I moved the tongue of my right skate (that had been killing my foot) as far as I could to the left and it didn’t hurt today.  My left outside ankle bone still got really bruised.  I’m planning to move my left frame a little further inside – maybe 3 or 4 mm in the rear and 1 or 2 in the front – to see if that reduces the rubbing.

Wednesday and Thursday are both predicted to be nice weather so  I’ll probably skate White Rock Creek Trail one of those days.  It is at least conceivable that I’ll make 1000 miles for the year!

908 miles / 1461 km YTD

The National Weather Service predicts sunny and a high of 68 Fahrenheit on Sunday.  Ima be a skatin fool, probably at Katy Trail, probably starting 2:30 or 3:00.

I skated White Rock Creek trail yesterday and a little bit of White Rock Lake.  I am such a cold weather wimp!  It was around 50 degrees but somehow my hands felt numb after a few minutes.  I called it quits at dark since White Rock is more treacherous than Katy Trail.  It’s not looking good for 1000 miles in 2009.

In other news, I’m back on my blended salads – hoping to keep my weight up and my immune system strong though the cooler months of the year.  I don’t have my scales with me so I’m not posting a weight, but it’s been hovering around 165 lbs.

880 miles / 1416 km YTD

Tuesday I started out and ended the day skating.  I was returning from a gig and stopped to do an extra 14 (very slow) miles, again on Katy Trail.  I’d have gone further but I was really tired and the skates were chewing up my left ankle.  I’m going to have to wait a few days to let my feet heal up.  I’ll try to do 35 or 42 on the Katy at sunrise on Saturday.  (42 would put me at 906 for the year.  That sounds soooo good!)

864 miles / 1390 km YTD
166.0 lbs  / 75.4 kg