As a new learner, one of the first things I learned was how much it can hurt when you run into your own ankle with the pedals. I actually banged my ankle up good enough that I couldn't even manage to try again for about a month. Now I ride with motorcycle boots. One might say overkill, but since I ride motorcycles as well, I already had some. Made a huge difference. I still feel it when banging into myself, but it doesn't hurt like that first time did.