Non-contact sport. At least that's what I was thinking as I was sprawled out on the sidewalk, with blood dripping from my hands and knees Monday morning. The photo shows a small sample of the injuries. It's probably a little graphic, so please accept my apology. It had been about the most casual run I've had in a while. After dropping off the kids at the Y, I took off to run an easy five mile out and back down the Prairie Path.
It was a nice morning, a little cloudy, with a perfect, cool fall temperature for running. I was less than a mile from the finish, when I suddenly tripped over a small rise in the sidewalk, and in a split second found myself eating concrete.
As soon as I felt myself going down, I stretched out my hands to try to break the fall. Gotta try to protect the face ya know. But that didn't work very well. I went airborne, and landed pretty hard. In the process, I cut up my hands, scraped my knees pretty good, and was unable to stop my chin from hitting the sidewalk with a thud.
I rolled over into the grass and lay there for probably more than a minute, just wondering how I could possibly fall like that with noone chasing, or tackling me. Then I started to think that this is what happens to runners as they get older. Then I tried to get up, and painfully realized the old age thing is probably true.
I managed to jog back to the Y to pick up the kids, but they stared at me at the front desk like I'd just been on the wrong end of an encounter with Mike Tyson. I hadn't realized I had blood dripping all over my chin as well. It was then that it occurred to me that I didn't even have a good story to explain my injuries. I hadn't chased a wild coyote through the woods, or taken a spill while negotiating rocks through a mountainous pass. No, I tripped on the sidewalk.
Fortunately, in a crunch, (though it feels funny to admit it) I can put on a little makeup at work to cover up the cuts on my face. But the open cuts on my hands are pretty hard to cover with band-aids, so I can't shake hands for a couple more days. Fortunately, you don't notice my hands so much on TV.
It was an ugly reality check after a pretty relaxed weekend at a camp ground in Indiana with my two oldest kids, for a father/daughter weekend. Coincidently, the group I was with included some talented runners who were also there with their daughters. But Running was the last thing on our minds as we bonded with the girls while enjoying horseback riding, archery, and a host of other activities.
I will recover from the injuries. It may take a bit longer to recover from the embarrassment. Stay safe out there, and watch out for the killer sidewalks!
See you on the roads.
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