Training Log Archive: Kat

Skating around the stadium and one green loop. Arms dead tired, but my form is a lot better now.

The last few days have been really awesome - staying with "goats" (Kseniya, Sergei, Greg Balter, Vadim, Valera) in a lodge, going skiing together, playing cards or watching Rome. Perfect. :)

There was so much snow on the highway last night that Boris and I stopped over in Lee, MA to spend the night. Hopefully, the roads will be cleared enough in the morning to make the rest of the drive more pleasant.

Did a time trial around the green Flatlander loop (not the extension) - took 7:55 and I think it's just under 2km long. Didn't feel that fast, but the snow was a lot more packed down today, so the downhills felt nice. Then I did a bunch of skiing back and forth on the stadium, practicing technique. Maybe I did another green loop, but I don't remember.

Classic with Boris in the morning around Cascade lodge - no tracks on the hills, so pretty tough. Beautiful day out, though!

Skating with Kseniya in the afternoon - we did the yellow loop, which has some big hills in it. I was exhausted, especially my arms.

Skiing! Boris and I drove up to Lake Placid last night, then finally got to try out our new skis this morning! I did classic first, but I didn't have the right kick wax on so was slipping a lot. Then I put on my new skate skis, which felt good for the first hundred meters, but there was so much new snow that I quickly got tired and it was actually quite tough and slow-going. Snow was piling on top of my skis as I was gliding, and I almost tripped several times when I went into a particularly deep patch of fluffy white stuff. I would have rewaxed my classic skis and switched again, except that my brother had borrowed those. By the time he returned, Boris had convinced me to go out skating again and work on my form. He was really helpful, showing me the different pole techniques and then videotaping me. The snow was slightly more compressed too, so I could ski pretty quickly on slight downhills. :)

I passed my last qualifying exam, so now I am free of grades and tests of any importance. I am also free of teaching next semester, so my academic responsibilities include taking 1-2 courses and doing research. And I am well on my way to getting my second masters at the end of spring, at which point I'll have a bachelors from Oxford, a masters from Uppsala, and another masters from Yale. A small collection, but I'm pleased that it includes three universities in three different countries. :)

C • Wahooo!!!!! 3

Would have gone on the pole today, except I sprained my finger wrestling with Boris last night (it was bent forcefully underneath my back when Boris tried to topple me) and it hurt all day today. It seemed to get better in the evening, and I was able to do a few tricks then, but still feels weird to bend it and is a little puffy...

Hiking the stairs in Payne Whitney gym, several times. I felt out of breath after just a few floors, and my heart rate must have been pretty high every time I reached the "8th" floor (20 flights). But given that I haven't done any cardiovascular exercise this is neither surprising nor disappointing. It just means that if I start doing stuff like this regularly next year, the improvement rate will be very high. :)

Some core, some legs. Saw Becky for the first time in ages, yay!

Practiced a little bit of pole contortion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=632Ka-APMCg

Here's a scorpio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtc0xNdaKyg
(I tried to switch to a gemini at the end, but failed.)
Here's another scorpio (faster spinning):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6izcTV201KY

This one is for Boris - an improv tonight so I can show off my new underwear. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvr3oFH0oF8

Got the handspring! I could only do it a few times, because it's really tiring on my left wrist, but I'm super happy. Now I just have to do it faster, point my toes, and stop being afraid of being upside down (my head in particular). Also, I need to put my lower hand lower, so it is easier to straighten.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAe2-nWWGmg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Xy1N-n29I

Also, here is some strength training I did afterward:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZqWRJQ22Aw

C • strength training 1

C • upside down 1

Finally got the gemini today! It's not so good in the first video, but that's the absolute first time I let go with the second hand, so I figured I should keep it. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKwMv5OIxys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPrvVp3bQCg

C • Wow 2

Wanted to do something active.

Yesterday in MA, you guys wanted to do spins and lifts, but other than Ross and Joe, you didn't really get a chance to practice the transition moves! And Alex is completely right - it's all about getting up sexy. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffQRHC15FVQ

Felt kind of tired tonight, didn't feel like working on any new moves. Here is a short clip of a backward invert that I did last night, though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53zxksMXcnY