Joey Mantia Technical Camp: Rollerland 8/22/10

In a major coup for FirstLoser, we’ve secured the web-exclusive first-look inside the Joey Mantia Technical Camp that was secretly held this past weekend at Rollerland in Fort Collins, CO. We know it’s just luck…the guys at WikiLeaks are busy with more personal, pressing matters.

This first-hand account was written by Horseypants, and is presented to you in its unadulterated format. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know that this story would have made it out this week…although I’m working on my post as fast as I can.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m outwardly hoping there are some typos (in her section, pay no attention to mine here,) so I can promptly use them against her…

JOEY MANTIA CLINIC REVIEW – by Horseypants

I had zero expectations of Joey Mantia. I really had no idea what he does. Ok, well, it had come to my attention that he goes really fast. Some nights between making dinner and putting the kids to bed I also heard talk about how he has won lots of races.

What I did know before this clinic: my family was really excited that “Joey!” was coming to our rink. And I knew to charge all my camera batteries because I volunteered to take photos/video. But I think this makes me the perfect person to do this review.

There will be no confectionery glaze that First Loser would have drizzled excessively over his writing, turning it into an overly-sweetened bundt cake of a post that nobody could stand to read. This is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. From “Mom,” who you know does not stand for any crap.

The Good

They took to the floor like they were showing up for regular practice.

1. He arrives on time. This was my first indication that we are dealing with a professional, something that really warms the hearts of parents everywhere who have shelled out cash for kids’ activities only to find that a great “class” turns out to be led by a glorified babysitter. I admit my radar for this kind of thing was on high. As it turns out, totally NOT the case here…

LionHeart with Cheex

2. There were other world-class skaters with him–a definite bonus. Everyone else knew them. I was clueless. But they were really nice and also good teachers. Everyone got personal attention from Joey, but when the class split into groups, someone was there to help with each one. When a kid was a little slow on the uptake, someone was there to reel ’em in. Plus it was nice that one skater was a woman, so my daughter could see this as a sport for girls too.

FirstLoser with Sara Sayasane & Wouter Hebbrecht

3. It was an organized, logical and candid presentation. It made sense from beginning to end. I would say that Joey simply came prepared. He did all kinds of proper form stuff, and then got into starts and turns and “dry land” things that I am sure First Loser will be able to explain in another post. Most amazingly he got a bunch of kids who have been complaining all year about painful skate drills to do them with a smile upon hearing, “this is what I do.”

Joey Mantia gives SpeedDemon some pointers on her starts

4. Joey Mantia definitely has a charismatic knack for this clinic gig that goes beyond just being a famous skater. There was an element of “star power” at work, but that was only part of his appeal. I mean, he held the attention of 40 people, most of them youth skaters, for six hours! It was hard work but it looked like alot of fun too.

SpeedLord, Bont Bunny and SpeedDemon revisit nose, knees, toes Mantia style.

5. This was a magic moment for me: At the end, during a “Q & A” to wrap up, a seven-year-old boy (SpeedLord) asked kind of a funny question (though he was perfectly serious) about what to do when you are going into a turn and you can’t cross over your skates because you’re going too fast and it’s scary.

It was the kind of question I thought he was going to blow off, because it was so obvious that the kid just needed to practice his crossovers. But Joey thought a moment, barely smiled, and then I think surprised everyone there when he gave an honest and workable answer.

It was a very kind, respectful and classy move. Also it made me want to cry, it was just so sweet.

The 2010 Rink Rabbits World Team!

The Bad

My husband has finally met his match in terms of a workout. He is so sore. He can barely walk today. HEE HEE! Maybe this is not such a bad thing for me. I’m sorry but, it’s just disgusting how he never gets tired. And he’s always gloating about how many miles he’s skated and how fast, when my big accomplishment of the day is folding a Mount Everest-sized pile of laundry.

The kids, on the other hand, are totally fine. Bah-HA!

The Ugly

So, lunch…the guys at the rink did a great job shopping and cooking barbecue, but this late in the summer, burgers and dogs are just played out. Of course everyone ate and looked happy. Maybe it’s just the Martha in me, looking for a nutritious gourmet meal…at Rollerland. Probably a good thing for us all that I was put in charge of photo/video.

The Extra Special Thing

I tried to find another video to show you The Extra Special Thing. But I can’t…you had to be there. What I wanted to show you was how Joey Mantia makes skating look like ballet. Power and grace combined. It was really cool to watch. Even someone like me who knows nothing about skating could appreciate it. I’m really glad I was there.

I could have sworn his eyes were closed in this shot...

In terms of the clinic, for everyone to see Joey skate up close, and then have him break it down into totally do-able chunks, was awesome. It allowed the value of all the drills that the kids hate to become obvious. Now they know WHY it’s hard. Form does equal function. And the “Joey!” clinic equals a special day my family will remember.

FirstLoser post coming soon…

Inline hunters

Horseypants just emailed me links to one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen…Inline Hunters! “Finally a sport we can do together,” she said.

The bumber sticker on our Arabian...

I nearly fell out of my chair! Check this out…there’s finally a good sporting reason to own a pair of Rollerblade Coyotes!

Indoors…

or Outdoors…

Good Lord…I hope she didn’t let our son watch this $#!*. I can’t let him try this…at least till after Nationals.

6/11/10 Training: 12 miles in the morning, another 12 at lunch. The lunch routine included the Tabata Protocol going uphill. Seriously could not breath for a mile afterward.

Pull my finger (pinch me, we’re going to Nationals)

“A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding.”

Uh, oh – I’m quoting Steve Prefontaine. Quick! I need to shake off this serious air immediately…HA! I’ve got just the thing:

Did’ja ever fart in a pace line? How about off the start? Did it make you go any faster? Did you create a gap to envy? Why just last week I was…

Whew. I don’t think I need to go any further. That did the trick. Now, everyone gather round and let’s talk about the 2010 North Central Regional Speed Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas!

Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.

This post was going to be called “The Politics of Speed Skating,” cause there was “oh so much!” to talk about when it comes to gossip, misdeeds, missteps  and unsportsmanlike conduct. But the itty-bitty committee in my head got together and issued an advisement: S.T.F.U. was all it said. I conclude from the terse nature of the advisement that I should instead focus on the positive and “play nice.” After all, some of our skaters are on their way to Nationals, and it’s unfair to let the boorish conduct of adults and malcontents interfere with child-athletes’ day in the sun. So damn the diatribe – let’s talk about how well these kids are skating!

I can't hold back - THAT'S MY BOY!!!

First off – father’s pride! Speedy Weezy is fast on his way to the top of his game. The kid was on fire and he’s really thinking when he’s out there! We are so proud of him and I was really happy that Horseypants came along to see him shine. He’s really in his element when he’s on the line. He won all but one start, and his form was locked in and tight. We’ve got some work to do when it comes to knowing what to do when the whistle blows, but other than that the kid is a skating sight to see. I swell with pride watching the videos:

That was the Primary Boys 400M. You can see going into lap three what I’m talking about with the whistle. We need to practice what to do when you’re lapping someone – what you need to do, what the refs are going to be doing – but that aside, I’ve been watching this video over and over. Love watching that kid skate!

Speedy Weezy, B-Man & Lionheart - boys built for speed!

Some of our team came home with a little less skin, and a few came home a little heavier loaded down with silver & gold. All of our skaters did their best, and that’s what it’s all about. To each his & her own style and effort produced a work of art I’ll remember vividly. Each skater tells us their story when they’re out there – what their passion is, how hard they work at it, how much they want to be there, how great their dedication to improvement, how strong their desire to do their best. It’s palpable, especially with the kids. I can feel their excitement. I’m pinned to the wall by the raw nervous energy fueling the frenzy of speed and performances I’m taking in.

The art gets a lot more interesting when you pay close attention. Take the video above. This race was more revealing of the character of each skater than what might be readily apparent in the footage. Watch closely and maybe you’ll see it – the good, the bad & ugly. It’s all in there. I’ll just say this…I was very impressed by The Fast Kid and the way she held her lines and stood her ground in the face of adversity. She’s a real champ – the kind that will sand up for what’s right, protect her friendships and skate like a bat out of hell!

Lionheart put on another display of courage after taking a really nasty spill. The kid was in bad shape but recovered like the trooper he is. His poor parents had driven a long way and got there early Saturday afternoon. Honestly, they both looked like I felt on the last trip. They were on track to be able to start the 10 hour trek back to northern Colorado early on Sunday but the afternoon began to drag on because of a bunch of shenanigans happening with the relay selections that are best left unmentioned. Going into the lunch break we were about 40 minutes ahead of schedule, but that evaporated quickly. Subject of a future post: “What the hell is it about the relays?!”

Now…here’s where I could go on a long rant about things I know very little about. I won’t. I’ll just say this – it’s a damn shame that we’re not going to get to see one of this country’s top male elite skaters paired up in any relays in Lincoln in July. I don’t know what the hell happened but it just seems damn wrong to deny the guy his rightful place on the floor, where he wants to be. Guess he can tap out a few points in Farmville while others less deserving take home a medal. Nuff’ said. (That was a bit “insider” – sorry…)

B-Man & Katie Bug did great as well and both qualified to go to Nationals along with The Fast Kid & Speedy Weezy. B-Man got banged up pretty badly too, but took it with a smile, almost proud to have a battle scar to prove he was in the action. Everyone skated great, but due to an unfortunate series of events, it’s still unclear if The Shoulder Roller is going to Nationals or not. This was another situation where The Fast Kid proved that she’s got The Right Stuff. I hope it works out well for The Shoulder Roller, she’s a tough competitor and a caring skater, whose dedication over this last year to the team effort needs to be acknowledged.

And on the subject of acknowledgment, I need to fess up. I felt bad about not being more overtly supportive of B-Man & Lionheart when they were out there on the floor with Speedy Weezy. I get so wrapped up in rooting for my boy that I forget that I have other skaters there that I’m pulling for too. It often wasn’t until after Speedy had finished that I would shift my attention quickly to the other guys. Call it the zealotry of being a skating Dad, but I want those guys to know how proud I am of them and their achievements too!

All in all it was a great trip. The takeaways for me this time out:

1. Always allow Horseypants to arrange the travel itinerary. She revealed Wichita to be a diamond in the rough for us. Not only did she find us a better room than we had last time, but she did most of the downtown driving and made the trip a lot less stressful for me. I love that chick.
2. Old Downtown Wichita has a lot going for it. We explored it on Saturday after the (great) Team United open practice, hitting The Museum of World Treasures – a great kids’ museum that adults can learn a lot from too – and we explored the Arkansas River Front.
3. Do not eat at Spangles unless you have nothing to do for the next 48 hours. (Did you know the White Castle & Pizza Hut were born in Wichita?!)
4. Do eat at Promise Tai and Il Vicino and be sure to stop at Freedy’s Frozen Custad for desert (but while you’re at it, have the cannoli at Il Vicino too!)
5. Late May is twister season in KS. If you see the Vortex 2 team or any of the NOAA guys driving away from a storm that you’re driving into, stop, turn around, and follow them to wherever they’re going.

"I'm still having a hard time keeping NPR tuned in even with this damn antenna."

As luck would have it, we watched a show on TV on Saturday night called something like “When Nature Attacks!!!” or some such thing and it was all about tornadoes. It was clearly in preparation for the ride home Sunday, where we ended up driving right into a system that was producing the storms with frightening up-close-and-personal-reality. We saw two funnels forming simultaneously over Goodland, KS. From where we were on the road, they looked to be to the south west of us. Well as we rounded the bend into Colby it was apparent that they were actually dead ahead between where we were and Denver. Seeing the NOAA guys and those ‘frady pants’ from the Weather Channel running for cover, we decided to do the safe thing and stay in Colby for the night. Given that the clouds were circling overhead, we thought it best to be off the road and someplace with a cellar.

Pretty much what we were staring down with about 5 more hours to go. That stain in the rental car seat? The dog did it...

I guess the final big takeaway, which isn’t really a revelation for as much as great reinforcement: don’t take this speed skating thing too damn seriously. We’re happy Speedy Weezy made the cut and is going to Nationals, but honestly, with the nature of our region, he could have phoned it in and still gotten a medal and qualification. (Subject of another future blog post: “Regionals – Really, What’s The Point?”) Nationals is going to be pricey, but we’re going for him, for the experience he’ll gain, and for the rest of the skaters in our club. I hope he does well, but that ain’t all there is. Sure, we’ll train hard between now and then, but at the end of the day, if he walks away from this and decides he’d rather play soccer or baseball, we’re going to let him follow that path.

Our Top Gun. I'll be your wing man anytime Speedy!

If however, he decides he wants to be the guy who can out-skate Joey’s records, then move on to take Apolo’s, then we’ll be there for him. But we’re not going to kick his butt on down the track. If he decides skating is his art, he’ll choose the colors, the canvas and the discipline. I just want to be there to clean his brushes.

5/21/10 Training: On the road again, no skating today.

5/22/10 Training: Spent an hour and a half doing the Super-Secret Workout in the pool area at the hotel. Put in a tougher workout than I do back home. It was great, but very humid. Glad there was a pool right there. Hope I didn’t leave a slick in it after cooling off!

5/23/10 Training: Race & travel day, no skating.

5/24/10 Training: Too windy by the time we got home, no skating today.

5/25/10 Training: 10k for a morning skate on the Cado Motus Pro 110’s. Rink Rabbits in the afternoon. Gee it’s good to be back home.

5/26/10 Training: 13 miles on the trail in Loveland for lunch. Found out the hard way that they’re resurfacing a crossover with chip-fill. Thank God I was going fast enough to get through it without falling.

5/27/10 Training: 17 miles in the hood for sunrise. I’m really starting to feel good in these Cado Motus Pro 110’s.

5/28/10 Training: 18 miles in the hood before work. Stronger, Faster, Better. It’s all good. Got another 9 miles in late in the afternoon out at Boyd Lake. Found out the hard way that the trail was washed out. Damn…the boots are gonna stink for sure.

5/29/10 Training: 26.2 miles in the hood at speed. Was less than 30 seconds off my Colorado personal best time thanks to the bozo in the white Camry. Thanks pal! Still, all things considered, this early in the season, I’ll gladly take the time!

5/30/10 Training: 2 hours indoors working on nothing but speed drills. Upgraded my Rollerblade Racemachines with a new set of 84a 110 Hyper Sidewinders and by the end of practice really like I was getting the hang of 110’s indoors. (Needed these wheels on this floor, trust me.) I’m not going back to 100’s indoors at this point. These are my new indoor skates, period.

5/31/10 Training: 29 miles on the Greeley to Windsor trail for Memorial Day. Thanks to all those who’ve given all for our freedom. I thought about you a lot this morning.

iPod Surprise Shuffle of the Week: She Believes In Me, Kenny Rogers. WTF…

When it clicks

If you’ve ever worked with and watched newcomers take to inline speed skating, you’ve hopefully been a part of the magic moment when it all comes together for them. Especially children. I call it their “click skate.” It’s that special day when the skater “graduates” – when their form finds the refinement it needs to take their skating ability to the next level. It’s when they surprise themselves, when their speed gains and efficiency are noticed by everyone at the same time. And it usually begins when I’m not looking… 

In my case it’s been with three kids in particular, 2 of my own and one Mr. Finn (who I’m now calling Lionheart for purposes of this blog.) These are the pay-off days for me, when nothing could make me more proud, and more glad to have spent my time skating with these future champions.

"No Honey, those aren't wristguards, they're Daddy's flippers!" Speed Demon @ 6.

My daughter chose the “skate name” Speed Demon the day she took off, because, well,  she just loves going fast. She’s 9 and my oldest child. She’s one of the reasons I really began skating in the first place. She was four when we started together. We’d spent a few winter weekends at the ice rink, and when the weather finally cleared we thought it’d be a good idea to keep skating so we went to Goodwill and bought a couple of cheap pairs of Rollerblades to give inline a try. We’ve been skating ever since.

She always enjoyed skating and had been going with us to our indoor practices pretty regularly for the past year when she could, but she was never concerned with pushing herself to improve or go faster until earlier this year. She came back from watching her brother Speedy Weezy compete in a speed skating meet in Wichita with a determination to prove to herself, her family and her skate friends that she could do this just as well as those other kids.

It was pretty much in the two weeks back from the meet that she began practicing her crossover technique in earnest. She’s been a decent straightaway skater, but has been afraid of crossover execution and has at times been downright belligerent in her refusal to even try. Acting more as a personal consultant than a coach, I’ve only gently suggested she work on crossovers if she wanted to maintain and build speed. I don’t crack the whip, ’cause at this age, that’s not really necessary.

Giving her the freedom to get there on her own paid off. As soon as she started working on it she sought my help and help from The Fast Kid. It’s important to note that she looks up to The Fast Kid – a positive skating role model and a really good friend. The Fast Kid is kind to new skaters, and always goes out of her way to work with them one-on-one when she sees them struggling. This is a kid who loves the sport and it shows through in her on and off-rink conduct.

The Fast Kid helps her sister Katie-Bug find her form.

Anyway…Speed Demon took the crossover pointers and started applying them gradually over the span of two or three practices. Then it happened…Speed Demon’s click skate:

I was standing on the sidelines talking to some of the other parents when someone said, “Wow, [Speed Demon] has really gotten fast.” I was just about to say something like, “Yeah, she’s coming along at her own pace…” when she came screaming by us and then into the turn…crossing over the whole way and building speed coming out of the chute at the second cone. And she kept going, and going faster, finding her form. She was staying low, setting up the corners, leaning into the turn and crossing over all the way through to a power out and straightaway sprint. The look of surprise on her face said it all. Then the rink started erupting, because by now everyone had noticed what she was doing. “Go, [Speed Demon] Go!” clapping and smiles all around! It was later in that practice that she actually came out ahead in some of the practice races. She was beaming! We didn’t time her, but she was markedly faster than she’d ever been. We couldn’t wait to get home and tell mom!

HorseyPants was excited to see the big change in Speed Demon’s attitude, so she came to the next practice to see what was happening for herself. With Mom there to cheer her on, Speed Demon went even faster and with better form than she had at the previous session. That’s when we timed her. That’s when we saw her 100m rolling start time drop from a personal best of 18.1 to a new low of 14.6! It literally seemed like an overnight growth spurt! Now she’s really driven to get to practices and move back in the paceline. She’s declared that she wants to skate at Regional’s in May, and she’s working hard to do her best.

A Speed Demon in the making.

Of course, with her new-found form comes new-found difficulty with her skates. She’s starting to feel the pressure of the carbon fiber on her inside left ankle bone. She’s been pretty discouraged, to finally be getting it and now have another obstacle to overcome, but as the coach told her, this is because she’s finally doing it right. We’ve worked through and found a comfort solution for her that will relieve the pressure and keep her growing in her form and with the sport. She’s back in form and happier than can be! She even wants to trail skate with me this weekend!

Then there’s our friend Lionheart. This is a kid who had been skating all of maybe 5 or 6 weeks before his first meet, and got out there in front of that big crowd and finished all of his races knowing he was the last guy on the track. He took the experience and turned it inward, using it to make him a stronger and more powerful skater. He’s been micro-focused on building his form and it’s paying off big time.

You won't find a kid more focused than Lionheart.

In Lionheart’s case, we were in warm ups doing the ol’ 3 lap drop back drill. We got to his pull and he shot out further ahead of the line. I was just about to remind him that it wasn’t a race and that he needed to pull it back when he hit the third cone and I saw a different skater. The click skate in effect! He was down low, on his edges, leaning into the turn, crossing over and pulling away! At this point the rest of the line caught up and they maintained a great warmup pace for the rest of his pull. It wasn’t just a fluke, skating next to him for his next two laps, it was obvious that all of his hard work was paying off. You should have seen the look of pride, accomplishment and confidence on his face when I told him that I’d have to move him back in the line at the next practice!

This video shows Lionheart and Speed Demon up front in the line working on their crossovers before we left for Wichita. They’ve come so far, so fast. That choppiness and stutter stepping is G-O-N-E!

When it comes to inline skating, recognition of progress – personal success – in mastering a particular technique breeds the confidence necessary to take a skater to the next level. Next level skating requires you to know in your heart that you can do it – no matter what “it” is. The feeling that when you commit to that turn, that pass, that sprint, that you know what you’re doing and you just get it done. It’s takes courage to improve, no matter what level you’re at. And once you’ve proven to yourself that you can do it, the next level opens, and it’s onward and upward from there. That’s another one of the reason’s I love this sport so much…

4/4/10 Training: 16.5 miles in the neighborhood for Easter morning. Beat it out before the bad weather rolled in, which allowed me to enjoy the wind and the cold as the weather front approached. As I sat sipping a cup of coffee afterward I watched that same front blow through to reveal a perfectly beautiful morning…so it goes.

4/5/10 Training: 12 miles in the wind today. “Sprummer” in Colorado means the bugs are out off the Big Thompson. No need for a protein shake today, ate plenty of bugs to get my 20%!

4/6/10 Training: Rink Rabbit practice today. We’ve been doing a lot of racing on Tuesdays and the kids are loving every minute of it. You can tell they’re all making progress when they can’t lap each other anymore in singles pursuit (Chase the Rabbit!)

4/7/10 Training: That pesky thing called work got in the way of skating today. It’s all good, I happen to like my job.

4/8/10 Training: Worked straight through most of the day from the wheee hours and hit the trail at 4 o’clock. 22 miles on the trail on a perfect Sprummer afternoon. Lot’s of traffic, but still pulled a really good pace!

The Cold Side of the Blade

A long time ago in an ice rink far, far away…

A Padawan skater schooled in the ways of

polyurethane roll, is being lured toward the razor’s edge

of the steel single blade…

I feel as helpless as Obi-Wan Kenobi watching security holograms in the aftermath of the Jedi Temple massacre. Speedy Weezy, my son, was the one who would bring balance to my inline skating career, rising to become a greater inline skater than I could ever hope to be. But now, with the influence of a very cunning and patient coach (a Dark Lord of the Olympic Ice Oval) and non-stop U.S. Speedskating coverage, Speedy Weezy wants to understand the ways of the Cold Side of the Blade. 

Trust your feelings young one.

After a less than stellar first attempt at ice a few months ago, I was surprised when Speedy told me he wanted to give it a go on the frozen oval again. But I understood. We’d been really wrapped up in what Shani, Apolo and Chad were achieving in Vancouver, so knowing there’s no Gold-On-A-Rope at the end of the inline track, I figured it’d be good to allow this indulgence. Anyway, the ice program here in Fort Collins is very well supported by the city, the coach is world-class, and the facility is excellent, clean & safe. If he’s going to get into something, this is something he can potentially take somewhere. 

The ice Padawans.

Being that this was only his second time on ice speed skates, probably the 4th time ever actually skating on ice, I’ll admit that a father’s pride started to swell. The kid has a natural ability I just don’t have. 

Learning the edges.

The coach made it a point to tell me how well Speedy is handling his edges. I was really impressed when it came time for balancing on one skate and maneuvering around the cones. He did it with relative ease, considering it was his first time trying it. 

The Force is strong in this one.

I’ve got to admit, the kid was making it look so easy, I was re-considering ice. But I’ve got to stop myself because I really want him to find “his sport” without me being “the old man” who’s always gloaming along. I guess if it worked out that ice is his thing, that would be pretty cool. 

I’ll give him this too, he’s brave. Last time we tried this, he took a spill that would have ended my career really quickly. But this guy’s got guts. I admire him for getting out there and facing his fear of falling. He fell a couple of times during the practice, but he got right back up with that victorious “I’m alright!” reserved for sports heroes like him – the guys that get out there and give it their all, fall down 7 times, get up 8. 

At the end of the day, I’m just happy Speedy is going deeper into sports because he wants too. As his parents, we’re not pushing we’re only consulting. Whatever he wants to try that’s OK. But you know I’ll be standing on the sideline using Jedi mind tricks to make him believe inline is ultimately the side to be on.

In racing news…We’re off to Wichita today for the Wichita Speed Skating 2010 Classic. This is Speedy’s first meet, and we’re really excited to be going. It’ll be a 9 hour trip in a rented Prius, but with the recent accelerator enhancements Toyota has admitted to, we should get there pretty quickly. 

With any luck, we’ll be broadcasting live on FirstLoser TV! Provided there’s wireless connectivity at Roller City, we’ll be on the air. Announcements will be made via Twitter and Facebook if it works. No Ross & Chelsea color commentary, but a streaming feed to let you peer into the action. Keep your fingers crossed…

2/23/10 Training: Last practice before Wichita. This was the largest Rink Rabbit class we’ve had to date, and we were even short 4 regulars. I need to talk to the head coach, this thing is getting too big! The kids are in great shape – this is going to be a fun meet!

2/24/10 Training: Wasn’t able to get a workout in today. Call it a day off.

2/25/10 Training: 12 smooth miles on the trail in Loveland at lunch. I miss my buddy John, who’s gone off to Mt. Shasta. That aside, had a great skate, the weather was perfect.