You are correct that almost any new boot will require a break-in period before they are truly comfortable. The length of this period can vary greatly from an hour to several weeks. But a skate that is sized well and fits properly shouldn't cause prolonged pain or discomfort like that which you are experiencing.
A normal, acceptable break-in can involve the discovery of small localized pressure points, mild blistering and some general discomfort. Feet need to adapt to the constraints of a new boot, and it's completely normal to experience these negative symptoms for a few weeks (assuming you're skating in them regularly). However, these should slowly subside over the course of 2 or 3 weeks. Beyond this length of time, any prolonged pain or symptoms of severe discomfort can only result from a boot that is:
QUESTION
I recently bought my first pair of 5-wheel skates and I am having a lot of pain and discomfort. I have been told that I should expect a break-in period where the boot is uncomfortable. But my question is how much break-in and pain is normal? I've been skating on these boots for a month now, and after 15 minutes I get spasms in my arches and my feet slowly go numb. I don't think I can take it any longer.
ANSWER
There's no reason why you should be suffering like this. Sometimes it's hard to admit that your new purchase is not going to work out. Put your boots up for sale, then do some extended research to make sure your next purchase is going to be the right one. Take a close look at your feet, call boot makers, and talk to each about the unique fit characteristics of their product. Make a wise, educated choice, or pay extra for customs. Above all, try to determine if your new boot is going to fit well before skating on them. Most companies will accept a return so long as you haven't mounted frames to them. Spend a week or so wearing them at home, in front of the TV, at your computer, etc, and feel confident that the fit is suitable before heading out onto the road.
I try to skate a half-marathon distance 3 to 4 times a week and a long skate on the weekend (30 to 50K). For those types of distances, what is an appropriate cadence that I should be striving to achieve?
There are no hard and fast rules for what determines a universally-suitable cadence (i.e., stride frequency or tempo). For a given individual, ideal cadence is influenced by such factors and conditions as forward velocity and relative intensity, wind, road grade, asphalt condition, fatigue, an whether or not the skater is accelerating, decelerating, or maintaining a constant speed. Beyond this, there is significant variation between individuals. Some skaters are big pushers who use a slow cadence. At the other extreme there are those with very rapid but short push.
Preferred cadence is something that must be selected intrinsically, i.e. the athlete must inherently know what tempo to set the legs at based on a subconscious evaluation of the above-mentioned factors. It's not something one should not have to think about, but is a skill that is developed after many years of skating. The body is actually quite smart. Experienced athletes don't have to think about cadence. They have developed a subconscious relationship between cadence, efficiency, and external factors, and they simply use a cadence that "feels right".
Okay, so cadence is something you should allow your body to select, right? The truth is that this is not entirely recommended for everyone all of the time. If you don't race and frequently train alone there is little harm in following this guideline. But for those who race or routinely skate with others there is a risk associated with this approach: you are at risk for becoming a "1 gear" skater. If we think of different increments in cadence as gears, it should be obvious that doing all of your training at the same cadence does not make a versatile skater. What happens to a skater who does all their training in one "gear" but then is forced to draft a skater who uses a different one? The answer is an early onset of muscular fatigue. The human body adapts to the specific physical stress it endures. If you're always skating at the same cadence (e.g. 50 strides per minute) you will become very efficient in this gear thanks to your body's ability to adapt. But when you try skating in another gear that your body is not accustomed to, you will have a hard time feeling as good. The different physical stresses to the muscles and cardiovascular system will cause you to fatigue much faster, even without increasing velocity.
What does this mean? Intelligent training should involve skating at different cadences! Skaters must be versatile and adaptable so that their bodies learn to be efficient when skating at both ends of the cadence spectrum. You've got to be able to sit low and push hard and slow, as well as sit higher and increase your tempo like Speedy Gonzales. Everyone will have their preferred cadence, and the majority of solo skating can be done within this zone of cadence comfort. But it's equally important to be efficient throughout the entire range of possibilities. A good rule of thumb is : Spend 50-60% of your training time at your preferred cadence, 20-25% of your time at a cadence higher than that which you prefer, and an equal amount of time slower than you prefer.
I'm an experienced inline speed skater and think about taking up ice speed skating. Some people say there are a lot of differences, others say it's the same. Your opinion?
The truth lies somewhere between. The raw mechanical components of classic inline technique and those which help propel you efficiently on the ice are virtually identical. There are, however, some visually subtle but important differences of which it's useful to be aware. Below is a short summary of the key differences in technique between cold and warm weather versions of speedskating.
When comparing similar skating distances, both of these angles are lower for ice skating, i.e. ice skaters sit lower. The reasons for this are beyond the scope of this discussion, but have to do with aerodynamics, speed control, and force production.
The lower knee/trunk angle means that the center of gravity of the ice skater is more rearward (2/3 of the way to the rear of the skate). This has implications for the development of pushing force as well as glide efficiency.
Because of the lower frictional forces on ice, the direction of push is more to the side than with inline.
On ice, the lower friction means that gliding time can and should be extended when compared to inline skating. Also, the ice skating push-off tends to be more accelerated and explosive. The end result is that the timing relationship between push, glide, and recovery varies between the two sport forms. Inliners who first experience ice have a habit of rushing the recovery and subsequent weight transfer. This terminates the glide prematurely and reduces overall efficiency. To correct this, inliners moving to the ice need to focus on the more static and prolonged nature of the glide. This involves a great deal of improvement in general balance and coordination.
For any given speed/distance, cadence (number of strides per min) is lower/slower on ice.
On ice, increases in forward velocity are achieved primarily through an increase in push displacement (sitting lower), and pushing harder. On inlines, stride frequency is used as a primary method for increasing speed. The implication here is that inline skaters hoping to excel on the ice need to interject more strength and power training into their workouts.
Ice blades are thinner, harder, and present a different profile to the skating surface than do inline wheels. With inline skating, the orientation of the wheels at various parts of the stride cycle is important, and does have an impact on speed and efficiency. But wheels can deform easily under load, and their elliptical profile means than any aspect of the wheel can bear weight with little overall impact on the application of technique. By contrast, the presentation and orientation of a blade on ice must be much more precise. Not only will poor edge dynamics detract from efficiency, but will have a major impact on the ability to execute proper technique. For this reason, ice speedskating requires more finesse and care in terms of blade position and placement on the ice.