Inline
Skating Newsletter Article Inline
Skating Newsletter Article Ross Okawa, who owns copies of both Get Rolling and Advanced Inline Skating, wrote to tell me he is still eager for more. "I wish for a book, or chapters of a book, for persons who wish to use inline skating as a principal means of total-body conditioning. I especially value roller skiing for the arm and upper-body work it provides." That comment began an interesting exchange of emails.
Ross wrote to me from his home in the Seattle, Washington area. "The last few years," he wrote, "it's been difficult to make time to exercise. The guestion for me is, increasingly, how to 'stay with it,' how to stay active. I do not enjoy exercising indoors, and I spend no time in the gym or health club. But this means that I need outdoor activities that can provide total-body conditioning."
"Roller skiing as a recreational sport has but the smallest presence in the United States (perhaps this is true in all countries). In our country, most of the persons who roller ski, do it so they might race well when they finally get on snow. This is an excellent reason, but it is not my reason, because I do not race. I'm a recreational roller skier."
Pavement-optional Toys
"For years I ran on the roads and trail, inline skated, road- and mountain-biked, skateboarded, skied alpine and Nordic, and roller skied; now I mostly roller ski and run trails," Ross says. That means a whole new world of outdoors training equipment:
- Classic All Terrain Skis: "I began skiing CAT Skis (Classic All Terrain Skis). I learned on the level grass and asphalt surfaces of local playfields and a community college parking lot. Finally, I took them to Lower Woodland Park, and skied on true x-c (cross country) terrain: brown, grass-covered hills; hard-packed dirt trails; and aging asphalt-paved roads. It was a gorgeous afternoon, skiing a pair of dryland x-c skis unlike any other!"
Jenex Aero Roller Skis: "For my classic roller ski workouts I use Jenex Aero 150 SCs with speed reducers, Rottefella R3 bindings, Rossignol combi boots, and Swix Carbon poles with Jenex roller ski ferrules. I will be adding the new Jenex V2 brake to my left ski mainly to make it safer to descend downhill sections when the trails I ski are crowded with other users." [Update July 2008: "The brake is superbly designed and manufactured. It's easy to use. And it's made roller skiing much safer because I'm able to avoid putting myself in situations where there is great risk of injury. For example, if I'm skiing downhill toward a group of runners or walkers who are about to be overtaken and passed by a group of cyclists, I can instantly brake and perhaps even pull completely off the trail."]
- Spin Skates: "A local sporting goods store closed out their small remaining stock of Spin skates made by Dalbello. The ones I purchased have frames that mount either three 101mm rubber wheels or three 101mm 78A urethane wheels. The urethane wheels have a profile like a scaled-up Hyper Pro 150 or 250 inline roller-hockey wheel. I'm looking forward to discovering how I might use these skates for both alpine and Nordic ski cross-training. [Update July 2008: Ross now says, "I like the Spin Skates because they challenge and improve my balancing and edging skills, even though they have not proved to be superior to the smaller diameter wheels of inline skates for closely simulating skiing on snow."]
A Recreational Roller Ski Workout
Ross has a variety of training regimens to attain his goals: total-body conditioning, maintaining and improving his technical skills, and maintaining his capacity for high-intensity, interval work. He also tailors the workout to his specific routes. Following is just one sample of how he uses the terrain as part of the workout.
"For my 'standard' classic roller ski workout, I begin by skiing the first section of moderate, continuous uphill by using arms only. When the trail begins to level off, I switch to left arm only for perhaps 5 or 6 poling motions, and then right arm only for 5 or 6 poling motions, and then repeat. When I reach the sections of the trail that are flat or very slightly downhill, I switch to diagonal striding, using arms and legs together. But, I do not plant my poles, nor do I use my poles as balancing aids. I simply hold them with tips pointing backward as my arms swing forward and backward.
"On the next section of the trail, a continuous downhill, I work on my tuck and my turns, especially step-turns in a tuck as I roll through the serpentine sections. This downhill section takes me to the end of the trail.
"On the return, I ski the first uphill section diagonal striding without pole plants. Then, through the serpentine sections, I switch to a form of asymmetric one-sided diagonal striding. First I do 5 or 6 kicks with the right leg only, while coordinated with just right arm poling, then switch to 5 or 6 kicks with the left leg only, coordinated with left arm poling only.
On the steepest section of the climb back up, I finally do the full-blown diagonal stride with arms, legs, and my whole body all working together. Upon reaching what is now a gradual uphill section, I'll return to one-sided diagonal striding, which is probably the most difficult part of my workout. The poling forces required to keep the skis moving are high, and the challenge to kinesthetic and balancing skills is great because the glide phase of the stride is longer than it would normally be. Often I'll repeat this section of trail a number of times, doing mostly fast kick double-poling, as well as one-sided diagonal striding.
"The section of trail closest to the trailhead climbs steadily for about 1.5 miles. I'll ski this section repeatedly at the end of my workout, using a variety of techniques to perform uphill intervals.
A Heretic?
Ross is well aware that what is right for him may not even be imaginable to others. “Liz, I appreciate your interest in how persons can ‘stay with it,’ and your support for the out-of-the-ordinary and the idiosyncratic,” he wrote after sending the workout above.“As for whether I deserve to be burned at the stake for being a heretic, I guess that is for others to judge as they will (and gather their firewood as they will)."
As far as I'm concerned, anybody who has the motivation, technical expertise and creativity to customize such a program to achieve full-body outdoors workouts is more to be admired and emulated than burned at the stake.
For more information about Roller Skis, training tips, manufacturers and good locations, see All About Roller skiing at Kathy Fry's Skatelog.com. (Expect a few broken links--both skating and the WWW are constantly changing!)
Comments or questions? Ask Liz