To put it very shortly... no progress and... no goals.
After I've decided to return the second new pair of boots, defective too (and just a parenthesis, I don't have my money back yet), I've spent the most of last month adjusting and settling into my old boots. I've also had to rebuild, again, my muscles and stamina, as I haven't skated at all in January after I returned the first pair of new boots, and then I worked to break in the second pair of new boots.
I'm still not quite happy with my old skates. I've had their tongues rebuilt as they were really thinned out and the laces were cutting badly into my ankles. I'm happy with that. Then I've adjusted the alignment of the blade by playing around with adding wedges under the frame of the blade. I think I've got some improvement there, but it's either that I've messed up something else, or the boot is so deformed that it cannot be "helped" anymore. I've decided to stop adjusting the blade and try to adjust myself to this alignment. There is still one thing I need to adjust: the height of the insole heel. My old insole, superfeet, got damaged by a boot fitter while adjusting the new boots. They were very thin in front and had a built in heel rise after the arch. I bought the Riedell insole that came with all kind of adjustable feature, only the exact part I needed, a wedge that can be added rise the heel... was missing. So I'm now on an insole that's thinker in the front and lower in the back compared with what I used to have. This is affecting my spin, I'm always on my toe pick while spinning. I cannot think of anything I can add there, under the heel, and not feel it. I'm exhausted of trying to find solutions. I also dread to think about buying new boots again.
These annoyances, the fact that I don't totally trust my boots and the worry about my muscles hurting again, made me lose motivation. I think, more precisely, I don't find my goals motivating anymore. My goals were progress and enjoyment. I really really love to skate, but when I pushed for progress, sometimes I've got frustrated and I've lost the enjoyment. Now, it is something else. I feel I CANNOT push for progress (because of the boots) and, on the other hand, I definitely don't enjoy just stroking around in public skating style.
I've asked my skating friends is they have any suggestions. One of them said to take a break. I considered it, and when the skating day (I have prepaid ice) came, I actually felt that I wanted to go. But as I get to the rink I don't have the energy to even think what I want to do on ice. So I thought I'll allow myself just to be there. Some old skating friends came skating after long breaks and I found myself happy to catch up while just stroking around. And then I did some of my skating exercises without putting any thought into them, any corrections, or even evaluating them.
Another friend suggested I take some group lessons. The group lesson schedule really doesn't fit in my schedule. But it happened that I found out about a syncro clinic coming out soon. I plan to go. I appreciate synchronized skating but I was never interested in it for myself as I feel it is a big time commitment (and time taken from skating for progress) plus, honestly, I'm afraid by skating so close to other people. Covid may be a way to ease into that, as now the teams have to social distance... Then they have try out for the team. My skills are the minimum required, so I may not make it to the team even if I would decide to try. I'm happy for the opportunity to try something new and hopefully energizing. I'm also happy that I'll get to meet new adult skaters.
I think I'll somehow have to "work" again at the Pre-Juvenile moves test, I have to get that out of the way. I was ready to test it 2 years ago... The fact I haven't tested it makes me feel that I haven't progress at all during the last 2 years, and that probably it's not true, but that's how I feel. The problem is that I'm so bored of it I don't find the desire to improve it anymore. The skills are there, but I have to perk up and find the desire to "present them".
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