No-Skate Sunday

I spent Saturday evening stretching out my legs.  I had some doubt about them being skate-ready by Sunday though.

Sunday morning it was clear that my legs needed more time.  My legs were not cramping or knotting up when I bent my knees, but felt about like they did on Saturday just before I started getting cramping.  Sunday’s skate was going to be shorter in distance, but more difficult in terms of going up an down a lot of hills.  I decided I was not going to skate.

I warned people that might be my decision when they said, “See you tomorrow,” as I fled via Uber.  They said I should come by and see everybody in the morning anyway so that was my plan for the morning.

I told Nikki I would bring her a couple of bearing as well.  She was sitting outside where we geared up yesterday.  The other skater from our hotel was there in addition to Gary (the guy being assisted down the hill in the picture I posted yesterday).  He is apparently staying at a hotel across the street.

I gave Nikki the bearings but she was having some issues getting them in the wheel.  I looked at the wheel, thinking maybe they had some crazy different dimensions that didn’t fit a standard bearing?  That seemed incredibly unlikely, but skates also do not normally fall apart the way hers did yesterday.

I also could not fit the bearings in the wheel, but the wheel also looked odd.  The bearing was not even close to fitting, and her wheel had an odd metal ring on both sides.  When they said her bearings fell apart yesterday, they were not kidding.  The outer rings of her old bearings were still stuck in the wheel.  I have never seen bearings fall apart that way.  Not that I am any expert with bearings, but I have changed mine many many times.  After digging out the shell of the old bearings, the new ones fit as expected.

Gary and I walked to the meeting point and we managed to get lost on the way.  I probably should have paid attention the day before when I followed that other guy to the meeting point.  Somehow we still managed to beat the two from the hotel who were going to skate to the meeting point.

Not everybody showed up for day two.  One at least, maybe two, I do not remember.  Maybe that was the plan all along, or maybe they were in bed rolling around in pain.

I stayed around as Asha gave some lessons on climbing hills and then they rolled off without me.  It was disappointing that I could not do it, but after yesterday I have a good idea of what my physical limits are and I am sure within an hour or so I would not have been able to skate again.

Asha was really nice and offered to spend some time skating with me on Tuesday.  Absolutely appreciated.  Monday is her day off, and Tuesday she already has a private lesson with the guy from my hotel so the plan is to spend some learning time with her after that lesson is done.