Dream Chaser On Wheels

My New Foe

Ask any marathon runners and you are bound to find a plethora of race day fuelling advice. What to drink? What to eat? When to take it? How to carry it? Down to a science? It IS a science! On the other hand, planning for food and drink for a skating marathon is not as intuitive. If you ask the top finishers who crossed the line just a little over an hour, they will probably tell you the body cannot process food so quickly for such a short race and even water is optional. The pesky water bottle only adds extra weight. But if you talk to the skaters who huffed and puffed to a sub-3 hour finish, they can assure you on course nutrition is a necessity. For most of us, the answer lies somewhere in between.

My transition to speed skates had not been the smoothest but at least I grew comfortable enough to take them to Ottawa Inline Festival on Labour Day weekend. Although I still felt clumsy with my big wheels, I figured out a reliable way to stop that did not involve my bum hitting the ground. On my way to Ottawa, I laid out my big plan to Mike in detail. First, I would finish my first marathon that weekend. Two weeks later, I would travel to Duluth, Minnesota with the confidence of a marathon veteran. Finally, I would cap my first inline skating season with a new personal best at Northshore Inline Marathon. Everyone told me it was the biggest race and the fastest course in North America. I believed in my plan with all my heart. I still chuckle at my naïveté to this day.

Ottawa Inline Festival was a race of many firsts for me. My first marathon, all 42.2km of it. My first race on speed skates. My first course involving multiple 180 degree turnarounds. My first afternoon start time. What I did not expect, was receiving my first three letter acronym in the race result.

Start Of A Rocky Relationship

The arrival of a new pair of skates never gets old. Whether it is your first pair of speed skates or the latest addition to your closet of stinky old boots, the excitement remains palpable. As much as it hurts us to admit, inline speed skating is a fringe sport. Equipment can only be ordered through a handful of vendors and a new pair of skates only shows up at the doorstep after a seemingly never ending wait.

The anticipation is not limited to your own either. Chances are, the moment you placed your order, you have already announced to all your skating friends of the impending new arrival. You dream about how it would feel to skate on your new boots. You hope that they can do what your old skates cannot. You pray that they will not hurt your feet. For the fashion-conscious, you start colour-coordinating your helmet and skating outfits to your new boots. Of course, you talk about it with your friends at every opportunity until they beg the skates to arrive sooner so you will stop obsessing.

We love our toys.

Big Girl Skates

Despite my reluctance to move away from the comfort of brake-equipped recreational skates, I knew the day would come to get my own pair of speed skates. Every time I went to TISC practice, it seemed another skater from the learn to race group arrived with shiny new speed skates. It was merely four months since I was first introduced to inline speed skating. Who knew if it would simply be a passing infatuation on my part?

In 2006, the inline industry was on the cusp of a big change in the market place. It would only be a year or two before one of the leading equipment company, Bont, opened their manufacturing facility in China and thus making entry level speed skates a lot more affordable. In those days when the opinion remained split about 90mm versus 100mm wheels for beginners, a pair of decent skates with wheels, bearings, and frames could easily cost over $500 USD. This would be a huge commitment to the sport especially when you compare the under $100 price tag of many recreational skates. Although finance was not a huge concern, it would certainly go a long way toward my next European vacation.

Reliving Those Playground Years

Learning the local calendar of skating events by heart is a rite of passage for many new skaters.  One day I was clueless that people actually race on inline skates. Next day, I was able to rattle off all the major races in North America in chronological order. One race that stands out from the rest is 24h Roller Montreal. In most races, inline speed skating is an individual sport. The dynamics of a race may be dictated by skaters of the same team cooperating or working against other teams. Ultimately, the result is determined by the finishing order of individuals. 24h Roller Montreal is unique because it offers an opportunity to race as a team. The format follows that of the famed 24h Rollers Le Mans. Teams of up to 10 skaters relay as many laps as they can over the Gilles-Villeneuve Formula-1 racetrack for 24 hours. The team that finishes with the most number of laps wins. While only one skater from each team is on the race course at any given time, other members of the team get to hang out and watch the race. It is one giant outdoor skaters’ party. Every skater I met only had great things to say about it.

It's Not The Skates

There comes a point in every skater’s journey that no matter how hard you try to explain, your non-skating friends can no longer understand your frustration. I arrived at that point regrettably early. In our learn to race group, those who were athletically inclined distinguished themselves quickly like cream rising to the top. After merely two months of training at TISC, Sarah already graduated to train with the real speed skaters. With his excellent fitness, my training partner Jacky absorbed every bit of technique teachings and turned them to speed. None of us could believe he only laced up a pair of skates for the first time that summer. Sarah’s friend Rachel had a natural timing to her strides while most of us struggled with two-footing for months or years to come. With peers came comparison. In those early days of skating, my good friend Alan heard his share of my laments.

Alan and I go way back and he taught me how to snowboard. He transformed me from a complete klutz to confidently navigating most trails on ski hills. It was no surprise that he went on to become a snowboard instructor after successfully coaching one with so little balance, spatial awareness, and coordination. For someone who understood my limitations in physical activities, I had many frustrating conversations with him about my skating endeavours that went nowhere. Here is an example of a typical exchange between us circa 2006: