I'm Back!

I'm back in Santa Barbara after an unplanned trip to Washington to spend time with family.  As I blogged before, I brought my skate bag and outdoor wheels with me and did my thing in an empty parking lot more days than not. One one occasion, I had both parents join me to see what I was up to.  Here are some photos from that.

Yesterday was my first day back to my routine and I wasn't feeling very chipper.  The week had been emotionally exhausting for me and my head wasn't quite on straight.  I muddled through my workday and didn't feel like my usual self.  I haven't been sleeping and I think that added to it.  I was also really REALLY stressed about getting back on the track for my first practice in what feels like a really long time.  In reality I think it was just two weeks, but a lot can happen in two weeks.  I somehow imagined that I would come back and all the other girls would have mastered all the skills that I was flailing at on my own.

Skating practice on my own is nothing like doing it with the group.  I try to push myself, but when the muscles start burning, I usually decide "that's enough for now."  With the Betties, my muscles are burning and the whistle is still blowing, and I keep going. 

Anyhow, despite feeling disoriented, distant, and doubtful, I went to practice.  IT.  WAS.  AWESOME.

Now I can't say that I came back being an awesome skater, but I found some confidence.  I fell a few times while warming up and the falls were nice and fluffy--no pain.  That kind of fall is good, because it reminds me that falling isn't quite as scary as I remember.  I practiced my stops and discovered that I can do a T-stop!  The stops are really hard to practice on asphalt with outdoor wheels, so I felt like a loser when I was trying to do them in my favorite parking lot, but back on the track, I could do it!  I'm still working on the plow stops, but I think I understand the mechanics of it now and just have to get my body to do it.

I practiced skating with a pack, weaving in and out of teammates (something that I was sure I wasn't ready to do yet), and speed.  I surprised myself by having the balls to try things that seemed way beyond my skill level, and actually being able to do it!  Not well, of course, but doing it well will come later.  I think that's what I was missing while I was gone--the ability to push past my comfort zone.

I left the track feeling alive and giddy.  Sweaty too, but mostly giddy.

I'll leave you with an old photo of me, I must have been about ten years old here, skating on the street in front of our house.