The slow road back (Written 6/3, posting 6/11)
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Okay. So Friday a week ago, I got my skates back from Riedell which was really cool considering the fact that I had sent them 8 days previous and they must have only had them for only a day or so. :) Go, Riedell! Go, UPS too!


I went to practice last Saturday erroneously thinking that skating would be a piece of cake. I mean, I'd be all balanced now when my plates correctly mounted, right? Wrong! I was all over the place like I was skating on banana peels! My left skate which *used* to make me wanna go left was now pulling to the right. WTF?

Duh, LooseWheel! It's because you had adapted to the misaligned skate!!!!! You were having to overcompensate!!! So now you have to re-train your feet & legs to *not* pull to the right.

I skated and skated last Saturday while those that had passed level one and been cleared for contact were scrimaging. Besides the fact that I really wished that I was already cleared for contact, honestly, I was really happy that I was allowed to just skate around the outside of the track. I needed the practice to get my wheels back under me. I went to practice Wednesday, and it was weird. In some ways, my skating was better, but I was challenged (off balance) in completely other ways. With a lot of support from the girls in the front of the speed line (especially Frog), I kept at it, and, by the end of the practice, I was nearly skating normal. Nearly.

Which brings us to today............

Today, I went to buttcrack Saturday morning practice planning to practice my regular ole forward skating. Level 2 & bout assessments were taking place, and the first thing on the agenda was the 20 lap test. Why not, I thought.

Funny story: the first time that I did the 20 lap test, I didn't know that I was doing it. I had only been a rookie for about a week when the test was given during a Sunday practice. I had no idea that they were timing us rookies. Besides the fact that I couldn't have skated 20 laps in a row anyway, I actually stopped and got off the floor to down some water. My time was 12:57 on 2/12/06. The next time that I did the test was April 2, and I stayed on Scoob's butt and came in at 7:46.

Now, back to today: I clocked in at 6:55!!! Almost a whole minute off my time! I would have come in under 6:40 if I hadn't fallen on the 19th lap. No lie. I wiped out on the last turn. The assessors & other girls were yelling "Get up! Get up!", and I thought I was. Ha ha. It was pure hell to peel my ass off the floor and get going again. My legs felt like mush. However, I did it!! I did it. I got my fat white ass off the floor and skated the last lap. Honestly, I think its really cool that I did as well as I did so it really didn't upset me that I could have achieved the magickal 6:40. That will be my challenge next time.