Big Day

Posted on February 26, 2007

Wow.   

Ok, this post really deserves some time, attention and writing, but I am probably going to rush through it as usual.  Yesterday my (2nd) nephew, Matthias Patrick Arndt was born.  My Brother Martin, and his wife Lianne gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last night, and things with them are great.  Everything went well, and there were no major complications.  My congratulations go out to them!  YAY~!  
Now that I think about it, this post is going to be really positive, because I feel really positive about things.     

I am also happy to announce that I have officially signed with a WIC team for 2007.  The Inline Center Bont Europe Team.  YAY! The team will be based out of Weifelden, very close to a superb COVERED Inline specific Banked track and training facility, host track of the World Championships in 2008. 

My Team-mates are:  
Inlinecenter Bont Europe
1. Giovani Conte [Italy]
2. Dario Danese [Italy]
3. Wayne Begg [New Zealand]
4. Christoph Luginbuhl [Switzerland]
5. Aaron Arndt [Canada]   

It looks like I will have my work cut out for me, supporting a team of some VERY strong and fast skaters, who have achieved some impressive results already.  I relish the role of a supporting member on such a strong team.  It is an honour.  I also very much look forward to training and racing in such a strong and competitive skating environment.  I hope to arrive in shape and ready to go for my first race May 5th in Basel.    

…Speaking of getting into shape here in Canada, on Saturday I had one of the toughest, most gruelling (psychologically and physiologically) training sessions of my career.  145km on the bike from Brampton to Neustadt, Ontario in -20 degrees with a head/cross wind from start to finish. 

Here are the stats from the ride:
Ride time: 5:27:00
Avg. HR: 153bpm
Max HR: 180bpm
HR Zone (135-170)
      Time in zone: 4:52:28
                 above: 12:07
                 below: 21:51
Kcal: 3968
Distance: 146.3km
Avg. Speed: 27.1km/hr
Max Speed: 54.8km/hr
Avg. Cadence: 87rpm
Max Cadence: 105rpm 
See Map   

…now that I look at those stats, they don’t seem all that impressive.  I think you’d have to experience the terrain (it’s EXTREMELY hilly), the wind, and the cold to appreciate how tough that ride was.  I do have to say thanks to a fantastic riding partner Petey Light, who finished the ride and ate all my candy bars, and sat in my draft for a REALLY, REALLY long time after the 50km mark (hehe), and to Peter Doucet for an entertaining chat in a tiny and crazy local ski-doo club/pub/restaurant up in Neustadt while Petey and I gorged to reclaim our ~4000 calories, and a much appreciated ride home into Brampton.    

Also, indoors is really going well.  I very much enjoy working with the group here in Toronto.  I really feel like we are building something great here.  While I have mixed feelings about the RSO series, I do them, and they seem to be providing some good things for the local/grassroots scene here in Toronto.  It really is a good thing for the young skaters.  My hat goes off to a very physical Jesse Pauley yesterday who raced a really tough and smart 1000m race.  The rest of the group is also skating well, of course… but I thought I would mention his effort [that the results don’t really show] because he was declassed for shoving me out of his way!  hehehe!  way to go dude.   

Anyway, it is 8am, and already I am running late.  I hope to attach a picture within this post if I can get the ones we took on the ride on Petey’s cell phone.     

Aaron Richard Arndt    

…oh, and I have a tattoo appointment scheduled for this coming Thursday!  The cat is ‘out of the bag’.  *wink*     
  

 

You’ve got to be kidding me…

Posted on February 22, 2007

I got up early this morning and was just getting ready to change my wheels over to some used outdoor wheels so I could skate the last leg into school from my car.  I was thinking, ‘yeah, this will be cool.  I’ll save on parking, and get a little skate in, and I wont have to fuss bringing my bike into every class.  This will work perfect.’  I even put the wheels together last night by my door so that I wouldn’t forget about this great idea.  Things were ready to go… until I looked out the window this morning.  That’s snow, and lots of it.  Now I’m having doubts that the driving part of my trek into school this morning will be possible.  I had planned to ride on Saturday, and log some real miles.  I can’t say I am any longer optimistic.  On the other hand, I guess i can play roller hockey afterall.  What a nice little kick in the crotch.

Frustrated,
Aaron.

Update FL

Posted on February 19, 2007

Hi all, the clinic stuff is over with, and I am heading home tomorrow morning.  I have just one more practice on the track, and last night after the clinic, I felt really good on the track.  It is weird. 

After teaching a full weekend clinic, after performing tonnes of drills, demos, and calibration exercises, I genuinely feel better on skates technically.  It is rather remarkable.  By the end of the clinic Sunday, we hopped on the banked track to end with some fun relays, and I stayed on for a bit to do some fast laps.  I felt totally different on the track than I had most evenings during practices. I felt confident and able, smooth and fast.  I hope tonight goes well, it would be nice to end on a high note here.

So, after a week full of a whopping 16 hours of instruction, a pretty serious sunburn, more skating outdoors than likely anyone else in Canada (right now), I can say that I am ready to come home.  I do have an exam that I have to write almost as soon as I get off the plane tomorrow.  I’ll finish this trip with some studying, some more skating, and maybe a walk on the beach.  See everyone in TO Wednesday night!

Big thanks go out to my friends down here for all their help, and company on early morning skates.   The trip wouldn’t have been the same without you guys.  Also, thanks to all the cyclists down here in South FL.  You guys all give good drafts, and are pretty cool about shirtless skaters following you all around town.   …but how dare you complain about the “cold front”.

All the best,
ARA

 

PS: I have known this for a while, but both Brian Piccolo Park, and Birch State Park both belong on my list of favorite places to skate.  They’ll get there, but I am too wrapped up in studying and sunlight to write about it now.  Maybe I will back up in the cold snowy north.

Florida.

Posted on February 15, 2007

Ok, so I am back in South Florida training.

I am skating twice a day, once on the road, and track in the evenings.

Apparently there is lots of snow up in T.O.  I couldn’t care less.

Jealous much? 

-Aaron.

 

(wahahahahahaha!!!)  miss you guys.

Favourite Places to Skate

Posted on February 1, 2007

Hello everyone.  I just wrote a new article, which will be the first in a series of articles describing my favourite places to skate in the world.  The article can be found HERE. And will be a new section in my “articles” area.

http://aaronarndt.ca/articles/demoforest

Ok, so this article is one that I have actually been meaning to write for years. Through skating and coaching I have had the opportunity to travel this planet, and have had the chance to skate in some truly spectacular settings.  I have been developing a list of my favourite places to skate for many years, and now I am going to list them.  I am going to write this article intermittently and add slowly to the list.  I’ll start with my absolute favourite, and work my way down over the next while.  If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend these spots. 

I have a number of ideas for more sites, but i thought i would start with my absolute favourite.  So check in to see the others over the next while. For now, enjoy!

-ARA 

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