The Ecstasy and then the Agony of DeButt

The other day, I remembered something: I Fucking Love Skating!

For this reason today I get up in the morning to skate outside.

Don't laugh: I make it ALL THE WAY AROUND MY BLOCK! This is about 3/4 of a mile, right around 12-13 laps I believe.

For outdoor skating, this is a ginormous victory for me. Outdoor skating is scary and hard. Outdoors has cracks and rocks that can land you on your face. Outdoors has up hills and downhills and dips. Outdoors has an unpleasant thu-thu-thu-thu feeling as you roll. My outdoor wheels, soft to absorb said cracks and rocks, require extra effort and pushing to keep rolling. My previous outdoor skating endeavors lasted about five minutes each. Today is about a 400% improvement.

When I set out, I tell myself that I will head out as if I'm going around the block. I will get at least around the corner. I will go until I cannot. I will not worry about going too far and not being able to get back. At any time, if I fall or get too tired or sore, I can take my skates off and walk back.

I get around the corner, and am still going. There is a downhill stretch ahead of me. Now, downhill on skates isn't like downhill on a bike. You have to keep your knees bent in an isometric exercise. You have to steer around obstacles. If you're me, you have to panic about the possibility of going too fast and not being able to stop.  It aches, and it often makes my toes numb.

I decide to go ahead and take the downhill until it levels out - about halfway down the block. Then I can stop if I need to.

I get to the level portion, shins and thighs burning. I think I can take the next downhill that will take me to the end of the block. Then I can stop.

I reach the bottom. You know what? I can go ahead and skate the short side of the block. When I turn the corner there will be an uphill. I can stop there.

I reach the hill. I'm aching and wobbly, but I can at least start up the hill. I can stop if it's too hard.

Uphill is hard. It hurts my butt, not just the injury but the muscles as well. I am managing it, though. It's not as scary as I thought it would be. I can make it past the pond. Then I can stop.

I'm past the pond. I can keep going. I'll go past the playground.

Once I'm past the playground, I stumble and decide to land and take a minute. I rest on my knees and survey the path ahead. It might be time to stop. It's uphill the entire way back to my house. I'm falling from weak legs. I'm tense all over from worrying about tripping on a pebble. You know what, though? I can go one more house.

I make it the rest of the way up the street one mailbox at a time. At each house I think, I'll stop after the next one. Okay.  I can stop after the NEXT one.  Finally I reach my neighbor's house. I think it is time to stop. I'm really struggling.

How can I stop so close to the end? Hubby will give me a hard time, and rightfully so. I can make it. I can do it. I skate the final few feet to my house and down my driveway.

That. Was. Awesome. Woooohoooo!  I need to do this EVERY MORNING.

Later in the day I lay curled up on my side on the sofa, crying.  The pain from my injured tailbone is excruciating.  It's so much worse than it has been so far.  I don't know if I damaged my tailbone more, or if the increased activity stimulated the nerves.  I won't be skating tomorrow morning.