So, I rollerblade. I try to do it every Saturday to change up my weekly running routine and work my lower abs. Usually I wear jeans for the rare occasion of falling down. This morning, however, I wore my track pants. After today, I am highly considering investing in wrist guards, a helmet and pads.
Since inline skates don't go very far in dirt, I only use them on paved surfaces-this limits my routes. This morning as I was travelling down my usual route, I thought about how I don't like to go really fast downhill because I feel out of control, and that's not safe. The last time I went barreling down a hill really fast, I ended up taking a chunk out of my pant-leg and knee (sure, it was elementary school, but that stuff sticks with you forever).
This morning I had a late start. I usually don't see anyone on my roller-blading jaunts, but today I did. As I ascended this large hill, a huge dog came bounding down to greet me. The golden-haired canine reminded me of a pet that friends of mine once owned. It actually shared the same name, too-Storm. Apparently the owner had not encountered anyone at this time of morning either, because Storm was not leashed. I stopped so the dog could sniff me, then we continued on our separate paths.
Time is hardly ever on my side, and my exercise durations are limited by what time hubby has to go to work (well someone has to watch the munchkins). As I turned around on the top of that hill (I couldn't take an alternate route because the other roads haven't been paved yet), I knew I was headed for disaster, but I was on a time crunch and couldn't wait for Storm and his owner to finish their descent.
Today's distance was a bit farther than prior intervals, so I haven't descended the hill from that height. As I took off flying down the decline, I tried to slow myself by lifting my feet, but the effort seemed futile. Well, Storm heard my wheels and turned around, bounding towards me. All I could think of was the damage that would be done if she stopped right in front of me. I started panicking, and all I could do was yell. Storm's walking companion yelled for him to stop, but it didn't seem like an immediate possibility. Faster and faster I flew, knowing this could only end in mishap-damaged dog and clobbered Chell.
At what seemed like the last possible second, Storm heeded the commands and stayed away from me. I yelled "Sorry, I'm going too fast" as I passed them, but he may have just chalked the incident up to my naturally light hair. As I continued home, I felt like my heart was about to explode. I couldn't slow my pace due to my limited time, and when I was almost home, I realized that I may as well be wearing trick blades-my skates have a brake on the back that I never, ever use. Why don't I use them? Well, it's probably the fear of using it up (it's a rubber stopper), but it sure would have come in handy today. Maybe next time....
Since inline skates don't go very far in dirt, I only use them on paved surfaces-this limits my routes. This morning as I was travelling down my usual route, I thought about how I don't like to go really fast downhill because I feel out of control, and that's not safe. The last time I went barreling down a hill really fast, I ended up taking a chunk out of my pant-leg and knee (sure, it was elementary school, but that stuff sticks with you forever).
This morning I had a late start. I usually don't see anyone on my roller-blading jaunts, but today I did. As I ascended this large hill, a huge dog came bounding down to greet me. The golden-haired canine reminded me of a pet that friends of mine once owned. It actually shared the same name, too-Storm. Apparently the owner had not encountered anyone at this time of morning either, because Storm was not leashed. I stopped so the dog could sniff me, then we continued on our separate paths.
Time is hardly ever on my side, and my exercise durations are limited by what time hubby has to go to work (well someone has to watch the munchkins). As I turned around on the top of that hill (I couldn't take an alternate route because the other roads haven't been paved yet), I knew I was headed for disaster, but I was on a time crunch and couldn't wait for Storm and his owner to finish their descent.
Today's distance was a bit farther than prior intervals, so I haven't descended the hill from that height. As I took off flying down the decline, I tried to slow myself by lifting my feet, but the effort seemed futile. Well, Storm heard my wheels and turned around, bounding towards me. All I could think of was the damage that would be done if she stopped right in front of me. I started panicking, and all I could do was yell. Storm's walking companion yelled for him to stop, but it didn't seem like an immediate possibility. Faster and faster I flew, knowing this could only end in mishap-damaged dog and clobbered Chell.
At what seemed like the last possible second, Storm heeded the commands and stayed away from me. I yelled "Sorry, I'm going too fast" as I passed them, but he may have just chalked the incident up to my naturally light hair. As I continued home, I felt like my heart was about to explode. I couldn't slow my pace due to my limited time, and when I was almost home, I realized that I may as well be wearing trick blades-my skates have a brake on the back that I never, ever use. Why don't I use them? Well, it's probably the fear of using it up (it's a rubber stopper), but it sure would have come in handy today. Maybe next time....
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