I walked the route (1.5 miles) to check for sticks, stones and other debris on the country road. Then, I adorned all protective gear, except the elbow pads (I forgot them) and hit the road. The downhill, half-mile slope made me gain way TOO much speed, even though I carved. Then, the uphill skate tested my conditioning. Happily, I'm in better shape than I thought. 😁 I did this hill twice. Would have completed it more times, but a dog decided to join me and was nipping at my skates. 😳

Yesterday I got up early, had a light breakfast, took some supplements, did some stretching, fed the cats (most important), made a little lunch to take with me and got out to the courts earlier than usual. There was only one other guy in the whole 8 acre park (who was doing well shooting hoops - best I've seen there). I kept stretching as I warmed up... and started to feel it... I was skating better and feeling better. I went through drills - everything going well. I took breaks when I felt tired, had lunch and still the park was empty - nice and peaceful. I thought "Where is everyone? Am I missing something?". NO! THIS is where it's at. I was feeling strong, balanced and energized. I got back on the court and skated my a$$ off! Like I'd been wanting to since day one. I skated another hour, and as I left, then people started to file in. Perfect timing... I like it when it's not too "peopley" out. My only regret was not getting this session on video; it would have looked better than my others. But, it's not just about how you look though (yes it is) it's how you feel... (okay both). And later, I still felt good, great actually, not tired or achy, I didn't over do it. I hope you guys have these kind of days too. Upon reflection, I never played basketball, but me and that kid on the court had something in common... we practiced, and did it alone too. It took me like ten months, but I managed to have a really good skate day... finally.