I went blading yesterday, even though I was really way too tired to go out. The week had pretty much done me in. ...and what the work week and the jumbled mess of family stuff didn't knock out of me, the seasonal allergies did. So by the time the evening came around, I was about done with things in general. But, since I'm this overweight guy in his early fifties who works in a sedentary job and doesn't get out like he used to...

So I went for it. ...and ya' know why? 'Cause I can do it at whatever pace I choose. ...and that's why I blade (and practice yoga) instead of the gym thing. There's no way I can hit a gym with any regularity.

I switched over to blades from four wheel skates six or seven years back as a test. I liked setting my own exercise times, but I wasn't able to get the distance I wanted in with the older skates. I tried a bargain pair of blades to test my balance and basic 'fall factor' and discovered I could survive reasonably well. As I learned more and discovered which wheels and which bearings worked best for me, my ability to set my cardiac rate improved. ...and as I changed shells out, I gradually found one or two brands that had the best geometry for my style.

So Saturday when I was pretty much done in, I was still able to get out. ...and while I didn't expect to have one of those Zen skates I like so much, I was able to get rolling at my 'slow but steady' pace and just enjoy the scenery. Usually when I'm tired, I have to remember to skate on nothing but style and let my body handle the speed. Style for me means making sure I keep my body mechanics as clean as I can make them so I don't injure myself. Most days that's automatic; tired days, it's not.

But the usual occurred as I rolled though the neighborhoods I frequent: as I concentrated on the feel of the blades against the street and keeping the workload balanced between each side of my body, I found myself changing my pace. As my body worked into the groove of things, it automatically increased the workload to a comfortable level. ...and what started out to be a run on the short route turned into a normal distance run, although at what I figured would be a much slower pace.

Heh. When I came back around the last corner and checked my time, I was only about two minutes slower than my usual. ...and my heart rate had moved up into my target range for all but about those two minutes.

...and I'd been smiling the last few blocks.

I did manage to archive; that should help the dial-up crowd a bit. ...especially as I may photo blog this week if things stay as hectic as they've been.

Back in a bit...