Bad day? Go to the park, wear yourself down, listen to the sound of your skates and realize it's not that bad.
rollerblading
I’ve been rollerblading for about 10 years now I think, maybe longer.
I love going out all day, especially when I’m home because I live
mainly on backcountry roads where I don’t have to fight with traffic.
I don’t do any fun tricks or crazy jumps I merely go for long joyrides.
There is something so peaceful about rollerblading I can’t really
explain it. Sometimes I like to go out without my headphones
on just so I can listen to the world around me, as I said I live in the
country so
I hear birds all day and coyotes around sundown. When I’m in college
I go to Eldridge Park, it’s a little hideaway in Elmira, NY. There
is a 1-mile paved pathway that I go around in circles on because
the roads in the city are not rollerblade friendly…which I had to
learn the hard way. Eldridge
Park is a friendly place where I don’t
have to worry about going by myself and it’s been amazing over the
past 3 years to see how far the development of the park has come. At the
end of
May 2006 the park will be reopening the carousel with many
of the original horses, a project that many members of the community have
been anxiously
waiting for, I’m not even a community member and I can’t wait
to see the finished project.
If you are considering picking up this activity I recommend that you talk to people about what your intentions are; do you want to rollerblade long distances, play street hockey, or aggressively skate? A good pair of skates can totally change the way you ride because of the amount of ankle support, the design shape and cushion. It can be an expensive hobby if you choose to put the miles on the skates and really take care of your equipment, such as buying new wheels and bearings.
Like I said I don’t aggressively skate, I do it for basic fitness and need a skate designed for that purpose. I’m addicted to K2 rollerblades; I think they are the most comfortable blades on the market because they are actually designed with a woman’s foot in mind. When I first started out I was using a cheap pair of blades that I think my parents bought me from K-Mart or something. When I finally invested in my first real pair of rollerblades I found that it was quite possibly the most enjoyable experience I have ever had. The K2 rollerblades are quiet and smooth so you get to enjoy the ride without listening to the sound of grinding wheels. This last year I took a pretty hard fall that bent the piece that holds my wheels into place so I had to buy new skates. I decided on the new K2 VO2 Max X-Training skates (pictured above), which are a cross between basic fitness and marathon skates because I go at least 10 miles a day when it’s not raining out. Someday I have to look into doing rollerblading marathons because I think it would be fun to just go out and skate with other people who love it as much as I do.
information on rollerblading
The K2 website offers a look at their newest products along with great connections to information on how to rollerblade, maintenance, and where rollerblading events will be taking place.
SkateFAQS is another great website for information on any topic concerning rollerblading.