Skaters are discriminating athletes, eternally searching for the best possible pavement on which to be free and float. Central Park in New York City isn't so bad, but the asphalt there is a little coarse and getting evermore rutted by horse-drawn carriages. Highway 52 east out of Boulder,CO, is more like it, but the shoulders are strewn with debris and big rigs loath to share the road. San Francisco is a great skate town, don't get me wrong, but unadulterated road is about as easy to find as a parking spot. For the good stuff, keep going west, straight on out through the Golden Gate and out to sea. Way far out. We're talkin' Hawaii far, the big island, baby.

It's ironic that the smoothest, most continuous piece of pavement on the planet is found on the most unforgiving stretch of road on earth, the bike leg of Ironman Triathalon. How can such a heavenly stretch of skateable terrain exist in such a godforsaken place?

You'll just have to go see for yourself. The challenge is there. Against all better judgement, the undulating road beckons like a Medusa headed Siren, knotting your stomach in Gordian fashion. You know you shouldn't do it, yet do it you must. I know. I did it.

My moment of weakness came early one morning last February. Long before the lava fields began belching the heat of day, I had put 112 miles behind me on inlines. It took seven hours and nineteen minutes, a piddling effort compared to completing the actual Ironman, but it was a start. Someday I want to swim, skate, and run that race.

No race in inline skating equals the Herculean brutality and beauty of the Ironman, but the 85 mile Athens to Atlanta ultramarathon comes close. The pros hit the finish in under four and a half hours. Some are lucky and get there quickly to avoid the pain. Others go slowly and get there just the same, yet they suffer increasing discomfort for up to nine hours. And when you're hurtin', appreciating beautiful surroundings is hard.

Cramps are usually a problem, but nothing like screaming feet. Without happy feet you simply cannot rack up long hours on skates. That's why the best preparation for a skate race like Athens to Atlanta is not to put in lots of miles, but rather to spend lots of time ON your skates. It'll teach you how to do a marathon. During a typical weekend workshop, for example, my students and I spend over 16 hours in skates without skating more than twenty miles.

Tips for Spending Long Hours on Skates

1) Keep buckles and laces loose. Cinching your skates down constricts blood flow and will lead to serious discomfort , such as numb toes or cramping. In order to survive multiple hours on end on skates, your feet need to be just as comfortable as in your morning slippers. Lean back on your heels and remind yourself to relax your feet by wiggling your toes every once and a while.

2) Find the right place to push. Avoid hot spots and blisters by pushing straight down through the underside of your skate without letting your heel collapse inward. The most common mistakes which cause unwanted heel friction are stroking with too much inside edge (pronation) and pushing off the toes (causing heel to lift up in skate). Try focusing your push with your heels and finishing it with wheels at right angles to the pavement.

3) Wear two layers of socks. A thin sock underneath your usual one can sometimes be all it takes to do away with blisters forever. Any excess rubbing occurs between the sock layers, not your sock and your skin, and the result can be a new lease on long distance!

4) Practice the principle of least work by keeping your upper body still and doing your skating from the hips down. Cutting out excess motion means you'll have more left over for later when you really need it. Guarantee good alignment of the nose, knees, and toes each time after stroking by bringing your skate directly underneath your body and only then setting it down again.

5) Endure scarification rights now, laugh later. If you subject your feet to enough abuse, chances are they'll adapt to the stress by forming tough scar tissue, callouses, or protective knobs. After ten years, my feet are leathery hard and devoid of nerve endings. Lucky for me, blisters are but a vague memory.

Eddy Matzger skates in leather Roces racing skates souped up with TWINCAM bearings. His perpetual search for skateable terrain is also aided by PowerBar, Transpack, and Wigwam. For more information on long-distance racing, training, and preparation, visit www.skatecentral.com