Winter sports update
I'm home from work today. I just started working a flexible schedule - I get alternate Mondays off in exchange for working an extra hour on the other days. (But since yesterday was a holiday anyhow, I got today off this time around.)
I'm attempting to be constructive today. I did accomplish one thing so far. You may remember a while back I said I was planning to do some more ice skating this winter? Well, today (yes, sigh, two months later), I finally went back to the rink. And it was pretty great.
I had more stamina this time around. I skated laps by myself for 20 minutes and then I had to stop. So I went off to the bench and had some water (I was clever enough to remember to bring water with me this time) and thought about ending my session, but I didn't actually need to quit yet. I rested for five minutes, and then went back on the ice for another 10 minutes. (Then I was starting to see spots. Outdoor exercise just doesn't agree with me. Or maybe it's the cold weather. Or the going around in circles.)
I didn't fall. I did have to hang on to the railing two or three times to keep my balance when I tried something fancy (or hit a rough spot in the ice), but I never actually fell. I suppose it's because I bought kneepads after I fell and whacked my knee last time. Kneepads as fall-prevention are just as good as kneepads as fall-protection, I guess.
I had the ice all to myself. I had thought about going yesterday, but the rink is in a shopping mall and I figured that even if the rink wasn't crowded, the mall would probably be crowded enough that I'd never find a parking space. Today, though? Nobody but me, skating laps, checking out the scratches in the ice and knowing that I was the one who'd made those patterns. (That could have been useful information, if I knew how to analyze what I'd done.)
On the other hand, I still can't do anything fancy. I tried crossovers and hockey stops just to see if I could, and I really couldn't. However, I could propel myself forward and I can even - when I'm thinking about it - lift either foot off the ice while moving forward. So if I can just find time to keep practicing, I'll be all set.
I'm attempting to be constructive today. I did accomplish one thing so far. You may remember a while back I said I was planning to do some more ice skating this winter? Well, today (yes, sigh, two months later), I finally went back to the rink. And it was pretty great.
I had more stamina this time around. I skated laps by myself for 20 minutes and then I had to stop. So I went off to the bench and had some water (I was clever enough to remember to bring water with me this time) and thought about ending my session, but I didn't actually need to quit yet. I rested for five minutes, and then went back on the ice for another 10 minutes. (Then I was starting to see spots. Outdoor exercise just doesn't agree with me. Or maybe it's the cold weather. Or the going around in circles.)
I didn't fall. I did have to hang on to the railing two or three times to keep my balance when I tried something fancy (or hit a rough spot in the ice), but I never actually fell. I suppose it's because I bought kneepads after I fell and whacked my knee last time. Kneepads as fall-prevention are just as good as kneepads as fall-protection, I guess.
I had the ice all to myself. I had thought about going yesterday, but the rink is in a shopping mall and I figured that even if the rink wasn't crowded, the mall would probably be crowded enough that I'd never find a parking space. Today, though? Nobody but me, skating laps, checking out the scratches in the ice and knowing that I was the one who'd made those patterns. (That could have been useful information, if I knew how to analyze what I'd done.)
On the other hand, I still can't do anything fancy. I tried crossovers and hockey stops just to see if I could, and I really couldn't. However, I could propel myself forward and I can even - when I'm thinking about it - lift either foot off the ice while moving forward. So if I can just find time to keep practicing, I'll be all set.