I am a 35 year old male, and have been involved in some form of sports for most of my life. For a very long time I have been fascinated with the sport of speed skating. Can you give some advice on how to get started and what good books might be out there that can give me solid advice on training?

 

I am unsure whether you are talking about ice or inline speedskating, but I suppose my advice would be somewhat the same. If you are interested in inline speed, call your national sport organization (USA Roller Sports in the United States, Roller Sports Canada in the great white North). They can refer you to a club nearby, and point you in the right direction.

 

Next, decide on your level of commitment and how much you want to invest in equipment. Try to focus on your long-term goals so that you don't have to upgrade in a month or two. If you are really serious, I suggest you get yourself a good pair of boots right away. Talk to manufacturers, find a reputable shop with knowledgeable staff and get your gear. Learn as much as you can about training, find a few local events, and off you go. May I suggest "Speed on Skates", by Barry Publow (me), or if you want general training information there are many good books which discuss basic elements of endurance sport. Check out Human Kinetics.

 

When is the anaerobic alactic system relied upon in a skating race?

 

The anaerobic alactic system is the most powerful but short-lived of the body's three (3) energy systems. Like the anaerobic lactic system, the chemical reactions take place without the need for oxygen. However, because this energy pathway uses phosphate-bound molecules instead of glycogen for fuel, lactic acid is NOT produced. This channel, also known as the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) – CP (creatine phosphate) system, runs out of fuel and cuts out after roughly 6-8 seconds of all-out effort.

 

The ATP-CP system is unquestionably important for the first 6-8 seconds of a standing start sprint. It may also come into play during an intense breakaway or the final sprint down the home stretch. But since it has a very limited capacity, its contribution towards success in prolonged events is questionable. The system needs plenty of oxygen and low intensity exercise or rest to recharge fully. This means that other than the start, this energy channel does not contribute much towards overall energy production. The anaerobic lactic system (the one which breaks down glycogen without oxygen to produce lactic acid) is the energy pathway which is far more important to the speedskater (except for perhaps short sprints such as the 300m).

 

I started skate-racing recently and am 35 years old. I would like to know about the age required for skate racing competitions.

 

There is no official age limit in this sport. Most competitions divide competitors up based on age or ability. Outdoor events are typically mass start where everyone starts together and results are done by age / division. In some larger races there will be a separate competition for novice, advanced, pro, etc.

 

I'm 39, weigh 225 pounds and stand 5' 11" (178 cm). Can you tell me how many calories I could expect to burn in a 45 minute skate? I keep about a 6 minute per mile pace

 

To roughly calculate caloric expenditure you need 3 pieces of info:

 

A met or metabolic equivalent, is a way of expressing the rate of energy expenditure from a given physical activity. 1 met is defined as the energy expenditure for sitting quietly, which for the average adult is approximately 1 kilocalorie per kilogram of body weight per hour burned. In other words, 1 met is equal to 1 calorie burned per kilogram of body weight per hour. So if you weigh 60 kilograms, your energy expenditure for sitting quietly is around 60 calories, meaning you burn 60 calories per hour just from sitting quietly.

 

To determine the number of calories you are expending from an activity, multiply your body weight (in kilograms) by the met value and the duration of the activity (in hours-take the number of minutes you exercise and divide by 60).

 

Example: 225 pounds = 102 kilograms (1 kg = 2.2 lbs); 6 minutes per mile = 10 mph, which is roughly equivalent to a met level of 6 (met charts can be found on the web). If you skate 45 minutes you will have expended the following calories:

6 (mets) x 102 (Kg) x 45/60 (time) = 459 calories

Keep in mind that this is a fairly crude measure. There are a host of other factors, such as age, body composition, fitness level and other individual variables, that can impact the calculation.

 

© 2001 Barry Publow, Canada