Taking A Trip...Or Two

I tripped on my run home from work on Monday. Right in front of the office as everyone was leaving. I'd hoped no one saw but, of course, someone did. It just better not be on youtube, that's all I have to say!

Did I mention that I fell last Thursday on the run TO work? That time it was a stumble and I had a chance to land & roll in the grass. No damage at all except to my ego. Just one scratch from one of those stupid prickly balls that were in the grass. Luckily no one saw and my breakfast and lunch didn't get squished.

But this one...this one was a bad one. One minute I was running and the next I was flat on my face on the sidewalk. Hard. That quick. I have no idea what happened. I immediately stopped my Garmin (priorities!) and jumped up to assess the damage. The coworker who saw me said she was going to pull over to see if I was okay but I was up in a flash. I think part of that is from cycling. When I crash my bike, I am up in a flash to make sure I get out of the street and the path of cars. Preservation is highly motivating to get your butt off the ground.

There wasn't that much damage this time either. I have bruises and road rash on both knees and on my arms but not bad enough to keep me from running. The thing that hurt the most was my arm. Yeah, the bad arm. The arm that I was so happy was finally healed during the race. I'd even planned on finally adding weights back into my routine so I could start working on getting killer arms again. Try, at least. ;) I knew as soon as I landed that I'd hurt it and I felt like crying. But mostly, the fall shook me up and then pissed me off. And what do you know, the rest of it was fabulous. I felt strong and very, very close to my old self. It could have been the anger fueling it.

I AM accident prone. I know this and I usually am hyper aware of tripping. I have been tired and a little sub-par lately because of the stomach bug I had so maybe that's it. I certainly hope this isn't a trend for me! I mean, I kind of expect it on the trail. I don't mind falling in the dirt or mud (like at the Jackson Jackass 50K) but the sidewalk falls are the pits.

I DO NOT need to lose any more time running so I better stay upright! That's the goal anyway. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow so I'll be running to work. Wish me luck. I may need it. If not I may have to use one of the suggestions some smarta$$es, I mean, helpful people suggested:

*Letting someone know I'm going out so they can send an ambulance to follow me.
*Wear padding like the Pillsbury Dough Boy or one of those dog training suits.
*Wrap myself in bubble wrap.
*Wear knee/elbow pads & a helmet.

Ha! I'm not that bad. Am I? Other people fall all the time, right? No, I guess not. Do you fall?