GET UP!

I did all sorts of new things last night at derby. Things outside my comfort zone. Things that didn't feel quite right and are going to need some work. (First of all I wore fishnet, but that was fun, comfortable, and easy and from now on I don't think I want to skate in anything else.) We worked more on skating in a pack, keeping an eye out for what's going on behind us, and even a little on blocking a jammer. Remember how I've never successfully competed in any team sport before? I am more of a go-on-a-run-and-zone-out type of girl. I knew all along that I would probably progress much faster with speed and skills than I would in incorporating these skills into play. I need to do some serious work on speeding up or slowing down to stay with the pack while also keeping an eye out for what's going on behind and around me and making sure I'm working with the team to do whatever it is we need to do at the moment. It's a lot of things to think about at once! But hey--at least there are no balls!

I tried again for my 25 in 5. Practice had been pretty taxing on my legs already, so when I started out, I was having a hard time staying down in a derby position. It's a lot easier to skate standing straight up, but that saps your speed during crossovers and makes it much more likely you will fall. And in the first five or so laps, that is exactly what I did.

I am glad I fell. One of the first times I tried for the 25 in 5, Kat, one of our veteran skaters, told me I should push myself a little further. Put my foot down a little harder on the crossovers, and see how far I could push on each one. I was so afraid to fall during a crossover that I was holding myself back. Last night, because I was doing a crappy job of staying down in derby position, my skate got ahead of my body during a crossover and I fell. It was a clean fall, my feet did not get tangled up, I didn't break anything... It didn't even hurt!

I just sat there for a second, thinking there was no way I could come up with a decent time after screwing up like that, but then my teammates yelled "GET UP!!!" So I did, and once I established a rhythm again I started pushing myself a little further during those crossovers. By about lap 22, my left thigh was quivering and begging me to stop. My time was 5:11.

Next time, 25 laps. Next time. I am closing in on you!