November 7th: Make Endurance Yours...

Endurance.  It almost held me back from being drafted and playing on a team.  Endurance is where you have to skate 20 laps in a specified amount of time.  The times have changed from years past.

My first timed endurance attempt. 6:32.  Not good.  It was suppose to be 5:00 and under in 2012.  I had a lot of work to do.  We didn't get to practice a whole lot. I remember this one horrible, horrible practice.  The whole time we did ladder sprints.  They were terrible and horrible ladder sprints.  1 lap, do 10 situps, 2 laps, do 10 situps, 3 laps, do 10 situps, etc... up to 20 laps. And we went back down.  I didn't even make it to the 20 laps.  It was horrible.  Did I tell you, it was horrible?  I felt like I had completely wasted my time going to practice.  It wasn't helping me.  It was making me frustrated and upset.

Come my second endurance attempt: 5:32.  A minute off.  But still not enough.

Third Attempt: 5:12

Fourth Attempt: 5:07

Fifth Attempt: 5:04

Sixth Attempt: 5:02

Seventh Attempt: 5:01  WTF?!?  Why was I torturing myself....

Eight Attempt: 5:00!  Finally!!  On the second to last testing day!!

I, honestly, don't know how I did it.  The last three attempts were all in the same night.  My legs were jelly. 

I was drafted to the Sheilas.  A complete and total surprise to me.  I had no idea they were even looking at me.

I love this picture.

The next year, guess what?!  The endurance guidelines changed.  Not for the easier either, it was MADE to be much tougher.  Now, you had to accomplish 20 laps in 4:30 to be eligible for the house team.  I got 4:29 on the first try.  That's all I did.

Then, it changed again. Now, it was 20 laps in 4:15 to stay on the house team.  I got 4:12.  Making progress, yo.

In 2015, they stayed the same.  Whew!  I got 4:00 after having a week and a half off.  So worth it though.

This year when testing, I got 3:53.  My best time ever.

This weekend, I will be competing the MADE National Championship.

I am beyond excited.