So, as I’ve said before, Stephen and I are planning a ski trip in January. We’re really excited about it! I’ve never been skiing before, and it’s been a long time since Stephen has. My wonderful husband said it would be good for us to go roller-blading to get us a little in shape for skiing and for me to learn some of the motions of skiing. Supposedly, they are somewhat similar. However, my thoughts are that if you kill me before January, that certainly would put a damper on the ski trip!! I’ve only been rollerblading a couple of times before, and that was probably 5 years ago…and, I wasn’t that good then.
Well, we decided to go buy me some blades along with the knee pads and wrist guards. Good to go, right?? Well, our first outing was in our driveway…that didn’t last long for me. I decided to walk on the grass…much easier than blading!! Our next outing was a little more exciting. We went to a nearby park that has a nice, newly paved walking/biking trail. Well, I get all my gear on…looking very dorky indeed! All was going fairly well, as I inched along. I’m not so smooth on the blades. Well, there are some hilly areas to this path we’re on. I told Stephen I DID NOT want to go down this one hill because I still don’t know how to effectively brake! He says, "Ah, it’ll be fun! You’ll be fine!" I told him he’d better not let me fall! Well, I’m holding on to him as we start down this hill…speed picking up…speed getting out of control!…me yelling and grabbing on to Stephen much tighter…things getting very out of control………SMACK…SLIDE…SCRAPE….We not so gracefully fell on our butts and scraped up elbows, knuckles, etc. (Stephen will tell you he only fell down because I pulled him down!) Of course, we both starting dying laughing…I think more to ease the fears of the people that were coming up behind us pushing their kids in strollers! They asked us if we were ok, and when they realized we were, the lady said that she never has been brave enough to get on rollerblades, to which I replied that she was probably very smart! I did get back up and continued to rollerblade after I got back on FLAT ground! I walked up the hill IN THE GRASS beside the trail.
So, there are a few things I learned from this outing. First, I need ELBOW PADS as well as the dorky pads that I already have. Secondly, I should’ve read the owner’s manual that stressed staying on FLAT GROUND for a while until you get comfortable on the blades. Thirdly, SURELY snow is softer than pavement! Finally, don’t ever listen to your husband when he says….IT’LL BE FUN!! Right……
Well, I have recovered from my sore backside and my scraped up elbow. Stephen refused to say any of his injuries bothered him. He also says that I NEED to fall down several times so that I can "get back up on the horse" so to speak! I’m not sure how much I trust him at this point. Any pointers from expert rollerbladers out there?? Do I need to continue to take my life in danger with rollerblading to be good at skiing?? Any and all input would be appreciated.
–jen