Rollerblading has been something I’ve been wanting to try for a while. Supposedly it allows great aerobic exercise while being soft on the knees. The price kept me away over the years, but last last Monday I decided to go for it. I bought a pair of “Bladerunner by Rollerblade Advantage Pro XT Men’s Adult Fitness” inline skates off Amazon.
At $80, they were some of the cheaper adult skates available. Some of the other ones I saw online were over twice the price. Along with the skates, I bought a $20 set of knee / elbow pads from Starpow.
The goods arrived on Tuesday night. My parents were surprisingly supportive of this random, spur-of-the-moment purchase. My dad provided me with a helmet from Xiaomi with rechargeable flashing lights and my mom allowed me to use her portable shopping cart with wheels.
My trial run of the blades was at Calabazas on Wednesday, October 27th. I arrived at the park at 2:35pm and skated until 3:20pm. Muscle memory and old reflexes soon kicked in and before long, I was coasting smoothly.
Calabazas Park is a decent place for skating, but not the best. Many of its roads were bumpy and filled with sticks + stones. Luckily for me, due to my timing I was able to use the empty basketball + tennis courts (aka a wide open space with super smooth pavement) as a skating rink. John Muir Elementary, which I tried on Saturday, is a much better option, but its major caveat is that it’s unavailable on weekdays.
I enjoyed coasting around on my new skates, but I couldn’t help but question whether or not it provided a real workout. On all my runs, I was sweating nowhere as much as a jog. It’s unfortunate, but to be safe, I’m going to classify rollerblading as a leisurely activity unrelated to my daily required exercise (aka 30min of heart-pumping cardio).
PS: as for skating on the street, that’s an option I’ll consider once I’m more experienced (and able to brake confidently)
