One of the highlights being that I sat and lazed around watching all 5 seasons of the wire. Apart from increasing my familiarity with Baltimore Ebonics I have done very little in the way of improving my derby skills and performance, ya’ll feel me? sheeeeeeeeeeeet.

I’m slowly getting back on skates now. I’m doing half training sessions for the next week. In the week after next I will hopefully be able to survive a full session without becoming unstable and tired. The glandular fever will still be with me for a while, but I’m trying to manage as best I can without sitting on the couch turning into more of a blob.

The first training session I went back to felt really good. It was mainly a blocking and tactics session leading up to the SSRD v VRDL game. It really made me realise how much I had missed training, seeing all the familiar faces and being part of something. As a welcome back present I was also granted a whingery in the form of the juicy bruise you see to the left. Big ups to my uncoordinated self for falling onto my opposite foot’s skate in a blocking drill. Ah *flex* it’s good to be back !

In truth there were a couple of weeks there where I doubted whether coming back to derby, as a player, was a good thing for me or not.

Sitting around feeling like crap, feeling what fitness I had slipping away I started to focus on the negatives. Does derby take up too much time? Am I fit enough anymore? Am I too big and slow? Even a manager of mine started suggesting that maybe I would be better off getting out of derby on a high to help with “work life balance”. Was he right?

Hell No! I appreciate the concern, I honestly do, but derby started out as about the only exercise I enjoy. In terms of work life balance, derby is a major part of my life and that’s how I like it. The words “work to live, not live to work” floated through my mind.

Basically I have spent the last 2 years of my life building to get to the level I am at right now. building friendships and amazing experiences. I’m not just about to give that all up just in case I hurt myself. I mean I hope I don’t hurt myself but I’ve never been naive enough to believe “It won’t/can’t happen to me”. To me the risk is worth it, maybe one day I will feel differently, but at least I will only ever have myself to blame. No Regrets.

The Derby road is not all fun and games. There is physical pain, emotional pain, frustration and major commitment required. At the end of the day, for me at least, The negatives are all offset by the game, the laughs, the camaraderie and the endless support. This is why I’m not ready to give it all up just yet.

<3 blitz

p.s happy anniversary blog ! even if it’s 4 days late :D