Mink oil and skate massage

My new skates lasted on my feet about 20 minutes of practice on Tuesday. They are just really, really stiff.

Tonight I spent about an hour rubbing mink oil into them (I don't want to think of how mink oil is extracted) and massaging the heck out of the leather. They're drying right now, but I'm hoping for the start of nice, soft skates in the morning.

I'm going to the gym to lift weights tomorrow and go to a speed skating class at Oaks tomorrow night. My guess is I again won't be able to keep up in class, but I'm hoping to work on my form and to get an extra skate in this week.