Skating

It still challenges me, and brings me pleasure.
I can't make it to Nationals in 2008, still,I'm
working on the goals I put together after the
excitement of Omaha this past July.
Keeping my head low and forward is one of them.
and it's essential.
Now that I'm going a little faster, if I don't
stay well over my feet,I'm screwed.
There seems to be a sweet spot for me.
When I hit it, skating is a rush.
I believe I can go faster.
How much?
Don't know.

Saturday I took a dive over a skater who went down
right in front of me. And though I moved in to the
left to miss his sprawled body, my right foot caught
his back hard, (not good for him),I hit the floor
with all my weight on my right knee and hyper extended
my left at an awkward angle.
For a second I watched as my left foot twisted out
towards the inside of the track and my knee to the
outside, and felt/heard it "pop".
Then I was my side on the floor in what felt like
the fetal position.
Now I've hit the floor hard enough in the last four
years to see blue lights dancing around my head and
I've been knocked silly more times than I can count.
But I always get up ASAP.
It's nothing special, it's my nature.
This time, I could not get up.
My knees hurt that bad.
Though not as bad as the time I got bucked off a young
horse I was training and landed on both knees in a pile
of rocks.
That time I had to choke back vomit.
Vomit that threatened to make an exit due to the extreme
pain I was in.
Up to that point in life I hadn't known you could hurt so
bad that you toss lunch.
(I hadn't gone through labor yet..)
Saturday caught me by surprise.
I was slower getting up than usual and worried.
The pop had been there, no doubt about it, and that part
of my knee hurt like a mother.
Yet after icing it for a bit, I got back on the floor,
skated decently and three days later, though it's sore, and
I wouldn't want to be kicked in it, it's totally usable.
OK.
Cool.

Evolution, on so many levels..