photo by Steve Penland

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

It Never Gets Old

Tuesday, November 15, 2011--the first night of the new season at my home oval.  I'm still a little tired from the Salt Lake Camp, but there is no way I'd miss opening night.

As I turn out of the driveway onto the familiar route--30 miles that I travel at least three days a week, ten months of the year--everything seems exciting...the cold air, the starlit sky, my long track skates in the back seat and my skating playlist on the iPod.  By the time I turn onto the freeway 10 miles later, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning--except my Christmas will last until March.  My heart pounds as though I've had three cups of coffee, and it's all I can do not to punch the accelerator and sing along to my iPod at the top of my lungs (I do give in to the latter urge, but resist the former).

Thirty minutes later, when I catch my first glimpse of the oval floodlights and the carefully-placed "windbreak" of evergreens that surround the ice, already wearing their festive Christmas lights, I can't stop grinning.  And it only gets better from there--seeing old friends, being the first one on the ice, discovering that despite the 40 degree temperature I can comfortably skate without socks and despite the 30 mile an hour wind I can still maintain decent lap times.  And then the best part--having two fellow masters skaters come into the warming house at the warmup break and say "Wow!  What's up with the new technique?  You're gliding now!"

November 15, 2011.  Heading home from the first Roseville workout of the year--heater and iPod blasting, legs cold and faintly aching, empty bottle of recovery drink rattling in the cupholder--there's nowhere I'd rather be.  Skating has brought me some of my highest highs and lowest lows; it has made me fit and it has injured me; it has brought me tears of frustration, pain, and joy.  A fellow masters skater said, at camp last week, "skating is what I do, but it isn't who I am."  I understand what he's saying...but I think it goes well beyond "what I do" for me.  It's an addiction, and one that I hope never fades.  I love skating, and I especially love the first night of the season.

It just never gets old.

2 comments:

  1. Glad to hear it! And I liked your Chasing Your Dreams series...thanks for letting me be part of it!

    ReplyDelete