Skating again...hesitantly

Okay, as you may have seen on my Facebook status, I have been trying to get myself back on skates. Why? Well, first, I need to do something more to get some of this weight off. Second, I really miss skating with my hubby. Third, I don’t think that I can teach skating effectively if I don’t have my skates on.

So, I took the skates out of the bag and tried them again, hoping that it was just a break-in issue. Unfortunately, the more I worked with them, the worse they hurt my feet. I figured that since I gained so much weight, my feet spread, and maybe I should just go have the boots stretched from a regular width to a wide width. So, I called the local boot and leather shop, and they assured me that it would be no problem, and it would only cost me $4.80. Wow! That’s a lot cheaper than buying new boots for my skates! So, right before we left for Nationals, I dropped off my skates to be stretched.

After we returned, I picked up my boots and headed to the rink with excitement that I haven’t felt in quite a while. I put the boots on and was quite disappointed - they didn’t feel any different than they had before. That was it! I was done! I’m giving it up. Who needs skating anyway?

Then, Curt mentioned a friend that had a size 6 for sale. He suggested that I contact her, but I protested saying that a 6 would be way too big, since my boots were only a 5. Well, I finally broke down and emailed her about the skates. (I had talked to her about buying them before, but I backed out, since I thought the boot stretching would work.)

On Saturday morning, I went to the rink to try the skates. It was strange wearing someone else’s skates, but overall, they fit better than mine did. I skated for a while - with Curt close by if not attached to my hip because I was quite nervous. To make a long story short, Curt and I talked, and we decided that I should buy them.

I wore them again yesterday for a while, and I’ll wear them again tonight. The only thing that needs done to them is cutting the boot down, but I’ll have that done while the rink is closed down next month. This may be another small step to help me get myself back into shape! Hey, maybe we’ll even skate competitively again in the future...the very distant future (so don’t get your hopes up). Right now it’s just one little step at a time...with skates on!