Apostle Islands Inline Marathon

[K2Sk8er]

Stoked to be going to this one - I've heard it's awesome. I'm just trying to decide what wheels to bring (besides my storm surges - hope I don't need them!) - I love the Mayhems but I'm worried they may be too soft. I also skate on Road Wars and Street Fights.

Anyone else doing this race??

[Jim]

Is there any reason you can't bring them all and then try them out on the surface prior to the race? That would be your best bet rather than relying on the advice of other skaters because what works for one may not always work for all other skaters.

Or, since Apostle is said to be smooth asphalt, try them all out on smooth asphalt before you leave.

[larrydk]

The road surface is very good, smooth all the way around, personally, barring rain, I'd op for all the roll you could get considering there are really only two "turns" on the course.

[Jim White]

Good advice above. See you there!

[K2Sk8er]

Thanks Larry, I'm trying to decide between the mayhems and the street fights. I love them both! Will probably go w/ the mayhems.

[theDonnybrook]

Mayhems may roll better since they are banded wheels. Have you tested them both back to back to see which one rolls better K2Sk8er? I would be interested in the comparison. I imagine the Black Ops would do well at Apostle, though I won't get to find out...

[K2Sk8er]

I'm skating Apostle on the Mayhems; Storm Surges if it rains. I just really love the Mayhems. They feel so smooth and fast. (I just ordered a new set for Apostle.)

[theDonnybrook]

I like the 87a Black Ops I have for races now. They roll very well. I am interested to compare them to the Mayhems.

[bjvircks]

Has anyone got an accurate elevation plot of the course? My GPS record of elevation is not very consistent from lap to lap. So far I've pin-pointed a few high and low spots so I can mentally prepare. The worst of elevation change for me was the climb which starts shallow near the community pavillion, increases as you approach the starting line, then reaches its greatest pitch about 800 feet beyond the right turn. I show a climb of 145 ft over 1.2 miles. Being mentally ready for this will be very helpful to me.

[bjvircks]

So... two days away... anybody got any predictions as to weather? This year I'll dress a little warmer (layers) for the ferry ride!

(I've put bearings in my rain wheels....)

[Dieselgeek]

I'll be there! My first marathon actually, not sure what to expect...

[theDonnybrook]

Liveblog on InlinePlanet has Bill Numerick out front after the first lap.

[theDonnybrook]

Congrats to sxevegan for the win.

What wheels did those that race use? How did they work on the surface?

[ThePerambulator]

Originally Posted by theDonnybrook

Congrats to sxevegan for the win.

What wheels did those that race use? How did they work on the surface?

I used a set of G13s, F1 hardness. The pavement was about as good as you could ever hope for, for a race. The F0 hardness would have been better but they were still good. On that course you can pretty much use the hardest wheel known to man. Saw a lot of Road Wars (old ones and the Turbos).

[bnumerick]

I was on the purple Truth wheels (89a). I think I was the only skater there on them. I still haven't had a chance to use any of the other new banded wheels but I didn't really feel like I had any trouble with roll compared with anyone else. I was skating alone most of the time though.

[bjvircks]

Hey K2Sk8er... how was your race?

[Alyosha]

Originally Posted by bnumerick

I was on the purple Truth wheels (89a). I think I was the only skater there on them. I still haven't had a chance to use any of the other new banded wheels but I didn't really feel like I had any trouble with roll compared with anyone else. I was skating alone most of the time though.

Alone indeed.... That was a heck of a field to keep in front of by yourself, great job.

And I have to agree on the wheels (essentially). I've been on some of the prototype Black Ops wheels this spring (very similar to The Truth) and I love the way they feel. I race on the old model Road War X-Firm and every time I switch back to the Bonts I'm struck with how nice they feel. Sort of planted and stable and comfortable without being slow or sluggish.

[Dieselgeek]

Well I completed my first marathon under my goal time, and managed to finish first in my age group. I enjoyed the race, and am looking forward to many races to come. I do have a shin splint on my left leg, so need to nurse that before skating anytime soon. I finished in 1:44, and my goal is to get around the 1:30 mark. Not sure what I'll need to do, but open for ideas!

[bnumerick]

Originally Posted by Alyosha

Alone indeed.... That was a heck of a field to keep in front of by yourself, great job.

Sort of planted and stable and comfortable without being slow or sluggish.

Thank you. They're certainly a great group of skaters!

That's a great way to describe how the wheels feel.

[bnumerick]

Originally Posted by Dieselgeek

Well I completed my first marathon under my goal time, and managed to finish first in my age group. I enjoyed the race, and am looking forward to many races to come. I do have a shin splint on my left leg, so need to nurse that before skating anytime soon. I finished in 1:44, and my goal is to get around the 1:30 mark. Not sure what I'll need to do, but open for ideas!

One way to get rid of shin splints is to exercise the front part of the shin. You can do this by pointing your foot down and pulling back towards you from the ankle. I have a little "machine" that I've used in the past where I strap my foot to a board that pivots and adjustable resistance knobs to help with that. Also when I ran cross country they used to tell us to run backwards to get rid of shin splints.

As far improving your time. Probably some of the best advice I can give is that you don't need to spend hours and hours skating distances to be good at marathons. My first year back into racing I never skated a full marathon in training until the week before I raced. The fastest way to drop time is going to by doing interval training which you can do in a relatively short amount of time.