fitness adventure—roller skating.

Eleven was a very long time ago.

Last night I went roller skating for my fitness adventure. I remember as a kid going to the YWCA on Market street, occasionally, on a Friday night to skate. The rollers clipped onto the bottom of your shoes.

I might have gone after that. It wasn't really an activity I took Girl Scouts on, but if I did, I sat on the sidelines.

Yesterday afternoon I had a bunch of boring meetings for back to school. I planned on meeting Angels family at 6:15 at the Skateaway on William Penn Hwy. It's minutes from campus. Of course my meeting went till 6:15. It was okay, we still arrived within minutes of each other.

Angel waited in the lot for me, sending the child and husband in to get skates on. The child roller bladed at camp this summer, so it took her mere minutes to get back into the groove. At one point she had daddy timing her laps. (She got down to 64 seconds.)

Angel and I managed to get our skates on and stand up. Time for a party! Then we practiced a little on the carpet. But the carpet is nothing like the floor. Nothing. The first round took me maybe a half hour and I was sweating like a pig. I didn't hug the wall. I clenched it. Child, helped mom and I around that first time.

I was on the last wall, child had gone to help mom, and this lovely girl about 25 said, here let me help you. She was trying to give me instructions and boom, down I went, almost taking her with me.

Then a very large man (quarterback size) came over to help—Terrance, I think. The two of them got me up and Terrance took over. I learned a lot walking with him on the fourth wall. Child was a little disappointed she was replaced.

He leaves me on the carpet. I am flop sweating. I want to sit down, but that would mean getting on the linoleum. No thank you. I practice on the carpet for at least 15 minutes. I get the courage to go out again.

I did better. I still used the wall, but not as much. The skating pro came over and gave me more tips. Lean back, instead of front, and put the weight on the front wheels. Not the rear. I bet I made it around that time in 10 minutes.

Then I went for number three. I made it!

I felt like I had run a marathon. I was done. The calorie counter this morning says an hour and a half of roller skating at my weight burns 1200 calories in 90 minutes. Now I'm assuming that you are skating the whole time. Still, much more of a workout than I thought.

Turns out, roller skating is a tricky way moms get kids to exercise.