I don't think I've mentioned skating yet all year#

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 00:58:28 +0000

I don't think I've mentioned skating yet all year. Well, I've been skating. Lots. Um. I joined the Londonskaters Speed Team, so some of that skating could even be dignified with the name "training".

Here, in case you cared, are two graphs derived (by gpsman: I haven't resuscitated gpskate yet as I want to get a working threaded sbcl on my dekstop for it first) from my gps data on evenings last week:

This is a so-called "Long Slow Skate" from last Wednesday: ten laps of a loop concentrating on different aspects of technique on each lap. You only see 9 and a half here as the gps is slow to get a fix while moving, and it was too cold to stop.

This is the log from marshalling the Friday Night Skate two days later.

You will observe

• that something is putting these in the wrong timezone, as both started at 20:00, not 21:00. Doesn't seem to be a problem with the data at least as far as the gpx file goes: maybe gpsman thinks it's in France.

• the effect of skating on roads with tall buildings both sides - the signal drops out in places, and there are some odd spikes in others. The big triangular section at 20:45 on Friday was probably the half time break.

• that most of marshalling a street skate is a matter of repeatedly overtaking the skate, blocking a side road or junction, waiting for the skate to go past, and repeating. Stop go stop go stop go.