![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
time trials
Oct. 13th, 2012 09:33 pmMy second long track speed skating time trials of the season went much smoother for me than the first, as you'd hope.
You know, my first thought, driving in the pre-dawn darkness in the rain, is that someday I'm going to start the Early Afternoon Sports League, where we will hold our competitions in the early afternoon after the sun has fricking risen.
I had a minor bobble in my first few steps starting the 500, which happens. One of the Real Athletes I know says that he wants to practice starts so much that he can do every practice start perfectly and thus save up the screw-ups for the actual races. Me, you should see some of my practice starts! Anyway, first 100 meters in 12.87 seconds, the flying 400 meter lap 36.18 (that's 39.8 km/hr, which feels mighty fast on ice, yet of course if I did this paired with one of the Serious Athletes he'd disappear into the distance. The young kid I was paired with was faster than me, too.) Total time 49.05. I did a 48.74 at the end of last year, so not too bad considering my start.
My 1000 was a new personal best, 1:44.33, 0.07 better than last season's 1:44.40. That's why we have all this timing technology, to measure those hundredths. First 200 in 23.44, first full lap 38.77 and second 42.12 (yeah, tired...). This was another example of how the smoothest, best laps you do are not the ones where the timer is running. Still, new personal, that always feels great.
The other thing I was thinking, while wandering around between races dressed pretty much like everyone else—brightly colored skin suit half off, the top half dangling from my waist, shirt and jacket on, yellow and gray shoes, hat—is that for those of us who have an impaired sense of fashion and who maybe dress funny, this is the perfect sport. You just literally cannot stand out as dressed funny among this group. We make runners look normal. You never see a runner with sleeves and a top with hood dangling from his waist. (The skin suit is cut for the skating position and isn't so comfortable standing around, plus you have to peel the thing down to pee—men too, the zipper doesn't go down that far.)
( gratuitous photos )
You know, my first thought, driving in the pre-dawn darkness in the rain, is that someday I'm going to start the Early Afternoon Sports League, where we will hold our competitions in the early afternoon after the sun has fricking risen.
I had a minor bobble in my first few steps starting the 500, which happens. One of the Real Athletes I know says that he wants to practice starts so much that he can do every practice start perfectly and thus save up the screw-ups for the actual races. Me, you should see some of my practice starts! Anyway, first 100 meters in 12.87 seconds, the flying 400 meter lap 36.18 (that's 39.8 km/hr, which feels mighty fast on ice, yet of course if I did this paired with one of the Serious Athletes he'd disappear into the distance. The young kid I was paired with was faster than me, too.) Total time 49.05. I did a 48.74 at the end of last year, so not too bad considering my start.
My 1000 was a new personal best, 1:44.33, 0.07 better than last season's 1:44.40. That's why we have all this timing technology, to measure those hundredths. First 200 in 23.44, first full lap 38.77 and second 42.12 (yeah, tired...). This was another example of how the smoothest, best laps you do are not the ones where the timer is running. Still, new personal, that always feels great.
The other thing I was thinking, while wandering around between races dressed pretty much like everyone else—brightly colored skin suit half off, the top half dangling from my waist, shirt and jacket on, yellow and gray shoes, hat—is that for those of us who have an impaired sense of fashion and who maybe dress funny, this is the perfect sport. You just literally cannot stand out as dressed funny among this group. We make runners look normal. You never see a runner with sleeves and a top with hood dangling from his waist. (The skin suit is cut for the skating position and isn't so comfortable standing around, plus you have to peel the thing down to pee—men too, the zipper doesn't go down that far.)
( gratuitous photos )
