Sitting In The Pack

MW, SaH, JB, JaS, and I went skating at the Hamilton Beaches Trail this morning during that brief break of sunshine. I felt really good on my skates today and it was a huge confidence boost for the upcoming Canada Day Marathon in Cambridge.

My entire session today was skated at race pace but strangely enough, I did not feel like I was going to die. We drafted a bike for a long time and I had a chance to skate behind a few fast skaters for the first time this season. When I first started skating behind JB, I was visibly struggling. However, coach AH's tips on skating lower to lengthen my strides, using a more pronounced weight transfer, and a snappier recovery to drive my knees forward helped me tremendously. Once I concentrate on those few pointers, I started drafting closer and eventually was actually resting while still going fast. I don't even recall doing much arm swing during our session today!

Skating behind MW was another interesting experience. Between his double push and his very distinctive skating style, it took me a bit of time to adapt. However, once I did, it was very easy to follow and I was drafting close enough that I had to duck so his water bottle wouldn't hit me in the face, heehee. I knew that we were going at a good pace yet again, I was just sitting in the pack and resting. The gap never grew large enough for me to panic...I had enough confidence that as long as I skate a little lower with a bit more power, I would be able to close the gap. This is the kind of confidence I rarely experience in a pack of this speed.

I still don't have the power to hold over 30km/h on my own. However, slowly but surely, I am getting more and more comfortable with this speed in a pack. I will need to warm up very well for Cambridge so I can aim for a faster pack.

Comments

[Cor]

I have a hard time believing you can't hold 30 on your own. You must have been much higher than that in Montreal. Even in a pack you must have been averaging 35?

[Candy]

Hmm, I guess I didn't explain myself very well. Sprinting to over 30 is obviously possible but I'm thinking of cruising speed. If someone else is doing the pulling, I can sit in the pack and enjoy the speed. However, when it's my turn to pull, it's a tad slower. That's what I meant.

BTW, an average speed of 30km/h will give you a 1:24 marathon. My time from Montreal was not quite there yet. :)