He Was Inspired and Exhilarated by the Great Skate of Georgia

Looking for something different and fun, I found a way to see Georgia while participating in the world-famous Athens-to-Atlanta skating event earlier this month. That something would be the hardest thing I would ever set out to accomplish. To in-line skate from Athens, Ga., to Atlanta, I would need to roll over 86 miles of rural and city roads, maintaining an average of 17 mph to finish in five hours. Mentally, I knew that I could finish with the help and camaraderie of more than 800 U.S. and international skaters. But physically, things would be different. How could a married, 36-year-old father of two from Burbank with a full-time job train for such a race? Here’s how I did it.

First, a skating clinic taught this novice proper techniques, drills and, most important, how to stop. But I also learned that most of the training could be done at home. For example, wearing skates while doing chores and playing with the kids built up my ankle strength. Using a slide board helped me work on form. And there were pylometrics (bounding jumps) for power. Finishing with a long, slow stretch helped prevent soreness.

Using a heart-rate monitor helped me stay within my training zone. I learned more about my body using the monitor while skating up and down hills than at any health class. All this hard work added a wonderful feeling of healthy, powerful living to my daily life. After I got to that point, I did not want to turn back and lose it. I wanted to continue, even harder.

The portability of skates provided ample opportunity to make my workouts mobile--in a parking lot at lunch, or up hills, chasing bikes in the evenings. For me, skating provides a natural, highly aerobic, light-impact workout that is too much fun to describe in one sentence. As I met many people on skates, the long tiring workouts would sometimes turn into fun exchanges of ideas and advice, providing the needed distraction.

As far as nutrition, I learned to keep a normal, low-calorie diet, but to stick with several foods as constants. For instance, I ate oatmeal with raisins and whole wheat toast, fruits and sandwiches, and carbohydrate-loading foods like vegetables and pasta. I upped my water and juice intake, and stopped drinking large amounts of milk, which worked even better.

I was now ready to go. The race was held Oct. 11, and 900 skaters attended. Heavy rain provided the worst weather in the history of the 18-year event. But six hours and 86 miles later, I finished 28th of 82 skaters in my division (males 30 to 39), 63rd overall of 245 skaters. The rest did not finish, or finished only half the distance.

I found the race to be so exciting and fun, I quickly forgot about pain or cramping. The training worked out perfectly for the race, giving me the confidence I needed to get past the hardest part, which was the start, where I nervously laced up the skates, pinned my numbers to my uniform and started into the rainy darkness of Athens. Skaters provided bountiful stories of confidence along the way, helping us realize that with a team effort we would finish.

It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but pain was the last thing on my mind: This year, my father passed away from cancer. He was on my mind, and how much pain he was in with the cancer. I hoped I could feel what he felt, so I could understand it better. I dedicated this race to him.

How Did You Do It?

Do you have a story about how you lost weight and kept the pounds off? Or a story about how you learned to mountain climb or in-line skate, trained for a half-marathon or discovered a unique way of keeping fit, dealing with a nagging ailment or persevering with a fitness regimen despite some obstacles?

If so, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us your story in a 500-word essay listing what worked in terms of diet, exercise and encouragement, as well as any emotional and physical changes.

For weight-loss stories, send us full-body color photos of yourself, before and after. For other types of stories, send a color photo of yourself doing the activity you’re writing about.

Send essay and photos to How I Did It, Health, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. Include daytime and evening phone numbers. Submissions cannot be returned. And, please, no phone calls.

In addition to publication, winners will receive a Los Angeles Times Health section gym bag, a Sparkletts hot-cold travel mug, T-shirt and coupons for free water products, courtesy of McKesson Water Products Co.