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Thursday, April 20, 2006

Wheeeew. I just had a huge exercise session.

It might not have LOOKED huge. It might have looked like rollerblading around the block one time.

Don't let that fool you. I made the error of starting BEHIND the house, where the common driveway for our whole block is. (Our street is set up so that cars can park behind the houses, or pull into the garages in the houses that haven't remodeled and gotten rid of the garage.) The pavement behind the house is most definitely old, put down back in the day when they used to mix the cement with gravel. This paving has some of the largest gravel I've ever seen used in paving. I don't know if the intent was to provide extra traction for cars, or maybe the concrete has worn away a little bit over time and the gravel has been left to protrude markedly from the pavement surface.

Whatever the reason, the end result was that I was trying to skate over a surface that is so rough, the wheels would barely move. I went to take a skating stride and the moment I ended my forward push, my foot just... STOPPED. Dead. I was this-close to pitching forward and landing on my nose.

Mark had his bike and was trying to follow along behind me. He wound up practically walking while seated on the bicycle, because I was progressing at a snail's pace. It was an absolute fight against gravity and friction to make my way to the driveway that runs perpendicular to the street, the one that lets cars access the driveway that runs behind the houses from the middle of the block. It wasn't much more than a half block's worth of distance, but it felt like I'd skated a mile uphill through sand. Every muscle from my knees downward was killing me.

Note to self: remember those stretching exercises you're supposed to do prior to skating? DO THEM next time.

Eventually, and with only two spills, I managed to get off the gravelly pavement of the common driveways, and onto the sidewalk that's in front of the houses on my street. FINALLY. From then on it was clear sailing... Er, skating. So we headed up to the corner and back. By that time, my lower back had joined the chorus of complaining muscles. Did I mention I forgot to do any stretches before heading out to skate, and was regretting that omission heartily?

So I decided to call it an evening. I went in the house (by way of the FRONT door -- no way was I going to deal with that frightful pavement surface behind the houses again), and told Mark, "Let's do this tomorrow".

I'm all about getting back into a routine of exercise. It's high time I did that anyway. But next time, we start with stretches and we skip using the back door. I'm going out the front door next time. :o)

P.S. My two legs, my lower back, and my right arm are all reminding me enthusiastically to stretch next time prior to going out. I think I'll take their advice.

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