Time to get the stopwatch out . . .

My lesson was brought forward to today for this week, so only squeezed in one practice at Lee Valley on Sunday. Unfortunately, I am hurting ALL over today, from a rather strenuous yoga session last night, so that just added to the fun!

The rink was freezing today, so the first half was all about speed today (the bit I worry about, when it comes to anything backwards!).

Started off with vanilla forward stroking, forward and backward Russian stroking, with my coach telling me to move it all the while. Then some 2 and 1 foot slaloming, and then some sequence of two forward slaloms and turn to back, followed by two backward slaloms and then turn to forward (which I find a little tricky at the moment). Then it was time to bring out the stopwatch she had asked me to bring.

First thing was the "60 second drill". Start on the end red line, skate fast up to the first blue line, touch it and back. Touch the first line, and then skate up to the next red line and back, then the next blue line and back and the final red line right at the other end of the rink and back. A bit like the beep test that you have to pass to get into the police! The aim is to do it in sixty seconds. Nowhere near, it took me a minute and a half, but apparently that's not too bad for a first attempt :)

Then it was onto timing my figure of 8 BXO's against hers (she was doing them at the speed she wants me to do them, not her full out speed!) - it took D 20 seconds, and it took me 41 seconds, cue embarrased grin. Finally, the whole of the FXO and BXO fig 8 exercise for Level 1 - D was 41 seconds, I was 1 minute 21. So the aim is to increase the speed little by little over the coming weeks.

Did a couple of mohawk exercises - one that is like a barrel roll, with an extra FO edge in between, going down the length of the rink. The other is LFI mohawk, step wide and weight over right leg, transfer weight back for a LBXO and step to foward, another LFI mohawk and push back into landing position. Makes sense to me anyway!

FInally we did various potential program bits. I had admitted that I had tried a spread eagle at Lee Valley on Sunday, so tried this out, both on inside and outside edges. Difficult, but not as bad as I expected to be. Also did some Ina Bauers. I got D to give me an exercise to strengthen my turnout - not that I need more turnout, but I need the strength to hold it. Twizzles next - still can't do a double, but hoping it will just suddenly fall into place like the singles did. Finally we did some forward spins - I had tried these with the correct entrance on Sunday and failed dismally, but I actually managed a couple of something vaguely representing a spin today! It helped when I was shown to go round the spot I was aiming to spin on, on the entering outside edge before pulling in, rather than trying to push straight towards it.

No dances in my lesson today, but I had a runthrough of the Dutch Waltz and the Canasta Tango afterwards during the rest of patch, although it was a little busy and I kept having to duck out of it. Hopefully this week, I will try and have a go at the Riverside Rhumba and the Golden Skaters Waltz, that I have been diligently learning on the bus on my way to work!