It's Monday, which means it is a workout night at the AFC.  I'm thinking that I need to shake things up, because I do the elliptical machine a lot.  Yeah, 7.5 mph at level 10 isn't anything to laugh at, but it does get repetitive and it is time to make a change.

 I did the rowing machine last Monday, which was difficult.  Maybe 2000 meters was a little too much of that, but I'm going to be using that as my fit test from here on out, once a month.  My next one is on December 3rd.

It's difficult to change things up, because, ultimately, I need to get out on the rink before I can tell where I am.  I can theorize until the sky turns red and pigs fly backwards with green wings, but it doesn't help me.

But in other news, which isn't great, both my Ducks and Sabres aren't so hot this year.  I knew this year was going to be hard for the Sabres with losing Drury and Briere and not replacing the leadership they bring, but what happened to the Ducks?  Niedermayer is a big loss, and Penner's loss didn't help much, but they went and got who?  Bertuzzi?   Ok, Selanne was a hit too, but the team was loaded enough with young talent they should be able to overcome those two players loss better than the Sabres could.  But at least the Ducks are clawing back toward the top, while the Sabres flounder.

I'll write a recap after my workout to let anyone see it and give any tips.

It's funny, I never thought at 25 I would be looking to come back to anything, but I realize that hockey is an important part of my life.  Sure, I have been out of competitve hockey since 2000, and have had a minor knee surgery, but I find I'm happiest when I got my skates on and am practicing, or playing street hockey, or something.  So I made the decision to try and come back, and to do that, I had to start getting back in playing shape.  Which means conditioning.

I have been working out at the AFC in Tonawanda for a while now, and seem to be in decent shape to get back and see where I am while actually playing.  I'm thinking I need some hockey playing friends who I can get out on the floor with and see where I stand before trying to get on a team.  But my workouts usually consist of 30-45 minutes of intense cardio work.  As in, 180 heart rate sustained through most of it.  Sure, my weight may not be the best for playing hockey, but at least I know I can still move decently, and have been working hard to try to make sure I have the stamina and heart to play.  I know I have the heart, as the desire to play never left me.

I'm also thinking of trying to cross over into ice hockey, but it is hard, even with a roller background.  Backward skating and stopping on ice are kind of tricky, but it will be worth it to learn how to play, to give myself more options.

But, back to my original topic.  I am finding straight cardio is an awesome thing.  I notice more energy in my everyday life, and I am thankful for that.  But like I said before, I don't know how it translates into playing hockey.

I'm a little curious, and anyone who has had to work to get back into hockey shape, let me know what it takes to fully get back.