April 30, 2005
Roller Skating - First report
8 miles(or about that much), in a pair of shoes with 4 wheels each. Downhill, uphill, turns and oh oh, the Achilles heel, braking. Fun it was and also tiring. The two body parts that get hit the most, the ankles and the lower back. More in detail below, so stay tuned....
It all began at 1830H yesterday, at central campus on the diag. With Rahul Bagadia as my coach and guide, we put on our skates and practiced a little braking waiting for the other people to turn up. A few introductions and some warming up and we were all set to go. I was able to skate well, it was well, you guessed it, the braking. To complicate everything, the regular route guide did not come and so we ended up going on a route with a couple of steep slopes. I negotiated a few with help from the other people, but there was one where you had to skate on a busy road and brake and get off. There was no other way. Here we go...., I preferred some speed over falling on the road and with people grabbing at me to slow me down, made it .....somehow.
Next problem, rough roads. Ice is soooooo smooth, roads? No no! Crossing over a wooden bridge, it got pretty interesting. And then I got quite comfortable. Nearing Gallop park, where everyone was waiting for me and Rahul, with everyone watching us, down I went. A big WHAM! The funny part is that I was quite comfortable at the point and it just happened. Maybe I got lazy. This was not the only one though. There are others too, but this was my *best* fall.
From there it was uphill all the way, or so it seemed. When running you can stop at any time and walk the rest. With skating, you stop, you start rolling backward...oops....and to roll uphill from stop takes some thigh power.
Overall, a great experience, good exercise, lots of nice people, and a hurting foot and lower back. Till next friday, have a nice weekend.
It all began at 1830H yesterday, at central campus on the diag. With Rahul Bagadia as my coach and guide, we put on our skates and practiced a little braking waiting for the other people to turn up. A few introductions and some warming up and we were all set to go. I was able to skate well, it was well, you guessed it, the braking. To complicate everything, the regular route guide did not come and so we ended up going on a route with a couple of steep slopes. I negotiated a few with help from the other people, but there was one where you had to skate on a busy road and brake and get off. There was no other way. Here we go...., I preferred some speed over falling on the road and with people grabbing at me to slow me down, made it .....somehow.
Next problem, rough roads. Ice is soooooo smooth, roads? No no! Crossing over a wooden bridge, it got pretty interesting. And then I got quite comfortable. Nearing Gallop park, where everyone was waiting for me and Rahul, with everyone watching us, down I went. A big WHAM! The funny part is that I was quite comfortable at the point and it just happened. Maybe I got lazy. This was not the only one though. There are others too, but this was my *best* fall.
From there it was uphill all the way, or so it seemed. When running you can stop at any time and walk the rest. With skating, you stop, you start rolling backward...oops....and to roll uphill from stop takes some thigh power.
Overall, a great experience, good exercise, lots of nice people, and a hurting foot and lower back. Till next friday, have a nice weekend.
