I am officially skating an inline marathon! I'm signed up for the Northshore Inline Marathon in Duluth, MN on September 14, 2019. Click here for actual proof of enrollment! 

Last August, I was sign up to skate a half marathon. To call what I had a “training plan” is way overstating my level of planning and commitment. Here’s about how it went:

• End of April: Signed up for an inline marathon, which I planned to complete on roller skates. Asserted that I could TOTALLY do a half marathon without any training if I had to and it would be fine. Announced my intention to complete a marathon to friends and family via social media.
• April-July: Went to the gym 8 times per month (mostly because my company only pays for my gym membership if I visit 8 times per month.) Skated at a roller rink once per week most weeks and skated 3 miles on a local trail occasionally. Did a 3 mile walk with a friend once most weeks.
• 14 days to the event: Skated 2 miles on a rough asphalt trail and realized that my outdoor roller skates had a fair amount of resistance. Resistance=more work to get not very far=I may not be able to finish 13.1 miles. Initial panic ensued.
• 13 days to the event: Decided I needed inline skates. Researched and purchased new skates.
• 12 days to the event: Attempted to skate a 3-mile lake lap in my new inline skates. Skated a grand total of 9 minutes before I realized that there was JUST NO WAY this was going to work.
• 11 days to the event: Decided to skate in my roller skates as initially planned. Attempt unsuccessfully to do months of training in a few days.
• 4 days to the event: Picked up my number. Drove the event route. Tried to convince myself I could to finish with way too little preparation. Didn’t quite believe my own pep talk.
• 3 days before the event: Went on a last-minute business trip, and came home with a head cold.
• 1 day before the event: After making extensive pro and con lists, I decided to drop out.

So when did the wheels come off this whole thing? I can point back to the very beginning where I told myself “I could TOTALLY do a half marathon without any training” and promptly did pretty close to NO actual training. My non-existent training plan, and lack of good old fashioned “I’ll white knuckle my way through it” willpower contributed to my failure. Also--I seemed to think that announcing my intention to do the half marathon was enough to get me to actually, well, do it. 

I call "do-over." 

This past fall, I signed up for the Northshore Inline Marathon. Even before I enrolled, I started planning for my success. Here’s my basic plan.

​Goals: Build a base level of fitness.

• Build the exercise habit and get in the habit of pushing myself to improve.
• Increase number of steps I took on a daily basis using stretch goals.
• Increase flexibility and strength by incorporating yoga, weight lifting, and foam rolling.
• Get my body used to my inline skates. 

​Goals: Increase my endurance.

• Transition from walking to running and challenging myself to go faster and longer.
• Incorporate inline skating and biking as cross-training.
• Increase flexibility and strength by incorporating yoga, weight lifting, and foam rolling.

Goals: Skate longer distances outside on uneven terrain. 

• Strategically, build up mileage I’m able to skate on outdoor trails.
• Skate indoors and run if weather prohibits outdoor skating.
• Improve skating technique to increase skating efficiency.

​I'll elaborate on specific tasks and milestones in my inline marathon training plan in future blog articles. 

When training for an event, what kind of strategy have you used to be successful? Include your thoughts in the comments.

​I recently had a friend ask me what I liked more: inline skates or roller skates. Inline skates (which many refer to as Rollerblades, even though that is one inline skate company) tend to have 3-4 thinner wheels right down the middle of the skate. Conversely, quad skates have 4, wide wheels, and bring images of the “brownie” skates people may remember renting at the roller rink. For me, it’s a more complex question based on the type of skating I’m doing. 

I currently own three, yes, three, pairs of skates, each of which I love for what they bring to the table:

• Roller derby skates
• Outdoor roller skates
• Inline skates

My decision on which skates to use when depends on the following key factors:

• Surface: Indoors or outdoors? Polished concrete or asphalt? Walking trail or paved for bicycles? Consistent surface or paved one minute, then crossing a street the next?
• Maneuverability: Going straight or bobbing and weaving? Skating along or stopping and starting frequently? Skating forward at a consistent pace or always changing directions?
• Distance: Am I doing a few laps or skating for miles? Am I sprinting to get somewhere quick or skating a distance that could take hours? Am I skating one mile or a marathon’s worth of miles?

I bought my roller derby skates specifically for that purpose. Quad skates are required, and, like most people recommend for derby, they have a shorter boot, fit well, and have harder wheels. Since we’re indoors on a polished concrete floor, the harder wheels make it easier to move fast, switch directions, and stop in a number of different ways. I bought Sure-Grip Rebel Avengers and later swapped out my wheels for Sure-Grip Zombie Wheels. 

When at a roller rink, my roller derby skates are the hands-down choice. When indoors on a flat, consistent surface, I practice derby related skills, like plow stops, t-stops, crossovers, and transitions. In roller derby, we do a lot of “edge work,” which means using the insides and outsides of your wheels to start, stop, or turn. At the rink, these same skills enable me to dodge unpredictable children and stop at a moment’s notice.

My outside roller skates are basically my starter roller derby skates (Reidell Dart Ombre) with softer, outdoor wheels (Moxi Outdoor Roller Skate Wheels). They enable me to practice derby skills outside while also giving me a little extra cushion for skating on harder, sometimes less well maintained, surfaces. Whether it’s a skate park or a tennis court, these give me the feel of my derby skates with more cushion to make a rougher, yet fairly consistent surface, manageable.

I have also used these skates when I am skating at an outside event where starting and stopping happens a lot. At an event like Minneapolis Open Streets, where they encourage people to walk, bike or skate, made my outdoor roller skates the right choice. Since this involved starting and stopping frequently, and then skating a short distance to the next location, these were the winners. I also wore these around my office on Halloween since there were multiple terrain changes, and I wasn't trying to go fast. 
​
When it comes to trail skating, I have used my outdoor roller skates in the past. Now that I’ve acquired my inline skates for this purpose, I may occasionally use my outdoor roller skates for cross training purposes, but not for most of my distance skating. 

While training to do an inline half marathon, I discovered that skating on my outdoor quad skates for a mile or more was less than ideal. Skating on 3-4 narrower wheels, rather than four, fat softer wheels, enables me to go more quickly with far less resistance from the surface. For skating further, and faster,  inline skates are the way to go. Mine are K2 Alexis Pro Inline Skates. Since trail skating and skating longer distances involves going in one direction, going a long way, navigating a few terrain changes, inline skates are a better choice. At this point, I am used to moving on roller skates, so I’m currently not as agile on inline skates. As I continue to train more, and occasionally skate on inline skates at the roller rink, I’m sure my agility will continue to improve. 

Are you a fan of inline skates, roller skates, or both? Share your insights in the comments. 

Let's talk about skating outside!

​For these roller skating options, there’s no equipment rental. Instead, you need to have your own skates, and your own safety gear (knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, helmet, mouth guard) as well. In some cases, safety gear is required, but in all cases safety gear is just plain a good idea. 

Personally, I fall down a fair amount because I’m trying a new skill, doing something involving contact or dodging small children—and that’s inside on a floor designed for roller skating. Outside, it’s a whole different experience. Now you have things like heat, cold, rain, wind, puddles, uneven terrain, rocks and potentially traffic.

​When skating indoors, even just at a roller rink, I always wear some kind of knee pads. Always. Outside, I recommend wearing closer to full gear. You may feel like a dork for a bit, but injuries suck, and sitting on the side of a trail bleeding is not cool at all. Regardless of heat, I also suggest wearing leggings of some sort. Falling on even a thin layer of material is much more pleasant than having your bare skin scrape across pavement (as my daughter learned the hard way).

That’s right. Indoor skating and outdoor skating require different wheels. Who knew? Well, now you do. In short, roller skating wheels vary in how hard they are and for outdoor skating, you need softer wheels to absorb the shock of uneven terrain. Wheels are labeled with a durometer (or hardness) number. The higher the number, the harder the wheels. Wheels considered outside wheels typically have a durometer of 78a. Hybrid wheels (appropriate for both inside and outside) are typically 84a. 88a and above (the scale goes to 101a) are for skating indoors.

Given that super quick description, get thee some outdoor wheels. As a frame of reference, I picked up wheels that are a 78a, for myself. I also have dedicated outdoor skates, which were my starter roller derby skates. I I know myself well enough to know that I was not going to take the time to change my wheels each time I wanted to switch from skating outside to inside.

For my daughter, who currently has 1 pair of roller skates until I figure out if her feet are done growing, I got a set of hybrid, or indoor/outdoor, wheels with a durometer of 84a. Again, I’m not changing her wheels every time we skate, and the extra grippiness of having softer wheels indoors for her is not the worst thing as she learns new skills.

Now that we’ve had the safety gear and outdoor wheels talks, here are ideas on where to actually get to the outdoor skating:

• Multi-Use Trails: Here in the land of 10,000 lakes, and I swear as many parks, there is no shortage of trails that can be used for walking, biking and skating. A few fellow skaters have mentioned skating around Lake Nokomis, the Dam (Near Coon Rapids, MN) and Lake Calhoun. In general, looks for trails that have fewer hills, more even terrain, and in a distance that works for you.
• Skate Parks: Granted, these are tailored for skateboarders, but they work for roller skating, too. Some would argue that to increase your skills as a skater, trying out skateboard ramps is a way to up your game. Under "Learn More," Check out Chicks in Bowls for fabulous, badass women who do amazing feats on ramps. 
• Dedicated Skating Areas: The Oval in Roseville, MN is a great example of a dedicated skating area. It is open from late spring through fall. They have it all. A skateboard park with ramps, a track where you can do laps and a rink area (which is used for hockey in the winter) where you can skate smaller, more roller derby friendly size laps. 
• Places with Skating Friendly Surfaces: Some places have surfaces that are skate appropriate. For example, Wolfe Park Pavilion in Saint Louis Park, MN has a large area that is great for skating. Granted, there isn't a posted schedule and it is used for multiple events, but it's also a great skating location when it is available.