Roller skating/blading? Anyone else?

moonangel12
moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Quick search didn’t have many results, and nothing recently.

Put on a pair for the first time in probably 15 years - my daughter wanted to go skating for her bday. So much fun! Not quite like riding a bike, but close :D still haven’t remembered how to stop! Ha!

Any other skaters on here? Looking for ideas on where to go because the indoor place we went to today was an hour and a half away 👎 hoping to scope out some local parks with new eyes (usually my focus is for running or biking so bumpy asphalt or sidewalks aren’t a focal point).

Interestingly, my hip has been giving me trouble for about 6 weeks, ever since I rode down the stairs on my rear end (ironically, I stepped on a roller skate my daughter left in the middle of a step). Running is not my friend right now, biking isn’t ideal either. My hips were sore while skating, but honestly even after the ride home (center spot on a truck bench seat - oi) my hip doesn’t hurt as bad as it has been so maybe it was good to get it moving?

Also, accuracy of calorie tracking? I just started my Garmin for non-GPS cardio to get a rough idea out of curiosity. Online estimates are way higher (nearly double) so I am guessing somewhere in the middle. Today should be a break even because her chosen lunch place packed a caloric punch).

Replies

  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,281 Member
    My 25 yo bought skates about six months ago and didn't have anyone to skate with. All it took was the two of us, a bottle of wine, and I woke up thinking, "Oh shoot. Did I buy roller skates at 53 years old??" Yes, I did. We have been going to elementary schools with an undercover area. They tend to be mostly gravel free, and for whatever reason, have fewer cracks and other dangers. I skated all the time (outdoors) as a kid. I was never able to do tricks, but I could skate so fast, make turns easily AND stop. I'm like a newborn giraffe now. Stopping usually involves a wall.

    I don't generally log it because although it's movement, I don't have a place where I feel like I can actually get any kind of workout from it. The only time I "log" it is for a work step challenge because I am taking steps. My daughter is moving away for grad school in the fall. She told me about a "granny group" of women in my city, 50+ that all meet up and skate on Friday evenings. I just might join then. Can you imagine how much fun THAT would be? She found out about it from a meetup group of skaters who had a DJ and a couple of food carts. Everybody was masked and it was like a big party. :)
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Sigh. 35 years ago I was a four-on-the-floor roller disco queen. One knee blowout (tricking outdoors on a steep incline), one bionic ankle (genetics- not skate related) and a wonky arthritic hip, and my skates are long gon. :-(
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    I used to play roller hockey (and ice too). So roller rinks for me was always a best choice. Outdoor ones are great, accessible and free. I also used to skate with my dogs, two of them loved my "fast shoes". We would have so much fun, i actually could keep up with them running. I had a spinal surgery a year and a half ago (cycling, do bike vs car) and haven't skated since the accident leading to the surgery. But still have all my equipment, and i will be back on skates!
  • Alinouveau2
    Alinouveau2 Posts: 6,435 Member
    I'm so tempted. I ice skate and the brand of skates I wear keep posting pics of these beautiful suede roller boots. Sooooo tempting.

    Find some unused tennis courts or a nicely paved parking lot. You'll burn a ton of calories cause when you skate you used so many muscles you don't realize
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    Here! I've not skated for a year now because there aren't any nice cycle paths here: too poor tarmac or small bricks mostly. The last town I lived in had brilliant cycle paths and I went out quite often.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    The main paved cycle path is all hills - not sure I am ready for all that! (Neither up nor down! Eeek!) I saw a guy a few months back tackling the hills with relative ease in some inlines that were longer than average and hiking poles, seemed to be a similar motion to cross country skiing but I have no idea.

    Confirmed that my body is much happier with skating than running, but I know part of that is poor timing and too much in too short of time - 2 hour skate (actively skating about 90 minutes of that, again, first time in YEARS) the day before a scheduled 10k was not a good idea, but I wanted to enjoy the family skate time and not be a fuddy duddy sitting on the sidelines if I could help it! I almost skipped the 10k, but hubby encouraged me to give it a try anyway. Once I got started I was determined to finish. I was shocked to find I wasn’t all that sore from skating, but my lower body is wrecked after the run and that makes me sad 😔 feet, ankles, knees, hips... blah. I know it’s a combo of the two, but it’s been a recurring issue with running the last couple months 😫

    Going to try out our church parking lot and see if it is smooth enough. Maybe I can find a lesser used basketball or tennis court in the area as well. Our neighborhood is OK, but numerous and frequent speed bumps make it impossible to just GO.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Alinouveau2 wrote: »
    I'm so tempted. I ice skate and the brand of skates I wear keep posting pics of these beautiful suede roller boots. Sooooo tempting.

    Find some unused tennis courts or a nicely paved parking lot. You'll burn a ton of calories cause when you skate you used so many muscles you don't realize
    Most definitely on the muscle use! It was fantastic! But I wasn’t kaput afterwards like I had expected to be (minus blisters, ouch, the rentals were way too wide for my foot).
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I love a long distance blade on a nice flat bike path. I guess people have mostly moved on, but it's still a great sport.
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
    I used to be a blader, but have moved back to quads courtesy of RollerDerby (CRRD! OWG! ORD! wootwoot). Try doing a search online for local 'rec' skater groups, or ask your local rollerderby, speed skaters, and street hockey team(s) where they practice outside - and go along and see if you want to join any of those too ;)
    If you've no luck there, ask at the local skate park (assuming there is one), the kids there will know anywhere smooth that'll fit the bill.

    Are you in Britain? If so check out South Coast Roll at Castle Combe - not sure when they'll run it next cos covid but it's a casual marathon/skate fest on the racetrack (used to be at Goodwood), nearly whole day of skating, you can skate as much/little as you like, you have to go all the way around the track each time but it's fantastic fun! Anything without a motor is pretty much allowed (no bikes though), any age welcome to join in. There are a few others in Britain but that's the only one i've been to.

    Should you be near Bicester... Kingsmere sports ground ftw, or Gavray drive and it's park.
  • Lhenderson923
    Lhenderson923 Posts: 102 Member
    Roller blading is such great exercise! I wish I could do it more often but it kills the arches of my feet (I have very flat feet). When I do go, I typically aim for the elementary or middle school in our town since the roads in and around there are nicely paved.
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
    Lhenderson, get some insoles for your skates, you can generally take out the insoles that are currently in there if you need the extra space. I had to do that with mine, and rip the lining of the tongues out as they were too constricting.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    I love a long distance blade on a nice flat bike path. I guess people have mostly moved on, but it's still a great sport.

    It got super popular here again with covid, as did skateboarding. But this is the country where ice skating is a national treasure, and if you don't have ice then you can still skate on tarmac
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    I love a long distance blade on a nice flat bike path. I guess people have mostly moved on, but it's still a great sport.

    It got super popular here again with covid, as did skateboarding. But this is the country where ice skating is a national treasure, and if you don't have ice then you can still skate on tarmac

    And, where is that? I need to visit!

    I used to rollerblade more, but over the past few years I have gotten into triathlon (the short ones), which focusses me on swim, ride, run. My one long distance session last summer was a ~20mile blade on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, which is a great place for it. It was great, so maybe I'll do it more this year!
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
    OOH i love a good tri! I do the shortest ones also. I've done Blenheim a few times, it's great aside from the price.

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