Lately my life seems to be a cycle of falling and healing, with other stuff, including running, thrown in.
There was the horrifying PR period of 2010 when I fell 3 times in 10 days, breaking my hip bone, scapula, two ribs, and tearing my cuff rotator (ouch)… all two weeks before the NYC marathon. First I fell off a treadmill, then, 9 days later I fell twice in the trails in an ultra marathon.
Close to my PR, last October, I fell twice in a month, some notorious shots here, from one of the falls.
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- emm
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- I have no idea how to explain this
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- bye Oakleys that saved my eye or nose
Earlier last May, I fell in the trails in Van Cortland park.
help!
But there are way too many to showcase and I don’t have pictures of them all (sometimes I get embarrassed!). I’ve fallen in the briddle path, with or without snow. I’ve fallen in Van Cortland and in every trail ultra I’ve done. I’ve fallen in the pavement, in or out of Central Park. I’ve fallen mid-run in Fifth Avenue, and I’ve fallen just walking down to the movies. Maybe instead I should just list places I have NOT fallen on. Somehow I haven’t fallen on a road race YET. There is obviously something wrong with me.
—-Back to present day.
One run this week and on my way to my second loop of Harlem Hill (I wanted three), I fell again. Floor was not slippery, I didn’t trip, there was not a soul there distracting me, and there was a lot of daylight, which makes this all a bit more disconcerting. I am almost sure at this point that I am “blacking out” for milliseconds that make these constant falls happen. I am almost at a once-a-month average now.
This time, I had just 3 miles in me, and the park was very very lonely. For the first time, there was no one around to pick me up. It is always really hard to get up, and I usually have someone with me who takes care of that. On the other hand, I liked that there was no witness to my disgrace. I just sat and waited out for a couple of minutes until I regained my composure and strength. Then a ninja-runner came out of nowhere and asked me if I was okay. I really wanted to grab my right breast and cry that it hurt so bad, but instead, of course, I said I was ok. He said he’d wait until I got up. I got up, I didn’t want him to freeze standing there (though it was a balmy 27 degrees: summeryeah!) and walked it off. THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT FALLING IN THE WINTER, IS THE LAYERS! So, I thought, I am bruised but it’s just hat. But it REALLYREALLY hurt. My breast hurt right away, a lot, and my knees and my hips were on FIRE.
I figured it was just the adrenaline, tried to calm down, and run back home. When I get home I see it. I had scraped my knee skin through TWO layers, and my hip through THREE layers (tights, pants, and a long blue underarmour coldgear shirt-Juan’s- that covers my butt). When I saw that I almost burst into tears. Seriously??? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
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- black pants, between the blue shirt and the grey tights
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- blue shirt that was over my pants, got injured
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- my thigh, UNDER THREE LAYERS!
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- didn’t know I could mess up skin under two layers…
My knees and thigh are sore and swollen but they will be fine. My breast is just painful. It doesn’t seem to be a cracked rib but more of a pectoral tear.
Juan suggested I take up knitting. or Chess.
runningandthecity 
omg…!!!!!!!!!
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This is what comes of “running with abandon,” I suppose.
I feel something so right
By doing the wrong thing
I feel something so wrong
By doing the right thing
I could lie, couldn’t lie, could lie
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
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But I don’t want to fall anymore!! I swear I was paying attention. I’ve actually been superparanoid of falling since my last fall… Ugh
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Firstly, the law of averages says some runner out there is having a fall free life because you are taking them all. Therefore, every fall is a good deed.
Secondly, it is adorable that you run in Juan’s oversized shirts. 🙂
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Well, someone owes me big then 😉
I am breaking all his stuff… his shirts, his oakleys… but, we have a small apartment and it’s the easiest way to declutter, right?
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Silver lining?
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Always! 😉
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😦 I don’t like when you get hurt.
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😉 thanks. I hate myself when I do.
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“If Elizabeth falls in a forest and no one is around, will she still make a sound?” I would think so 😀
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that is when I make most of the sounds!!!
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Ouch! Was the fall before or after you posted Heather’s video? You got back up like she did (slower but you still got up).
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the fall was after…
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Eeeeek!
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I don’t know what to say. I have fallen a few times. Nothing that comes even close to your falls in terms of injuries though. Not sure what you might be able to do different. Is it always when you’re wearing the same shoes? Maybe they’re too grippy or bulky? I tend to trip more in my grippy trail shoes.
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always different shoes… Ive gone over and over in my head about every little details every time I fell. I think there’s something in my brain to blame.
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you poor thing!
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#@!!*^MFKR#@!!* $SHt@# is right! OUCH!!! 😦
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Oh no! So sorry this happened again. I’ve had a couple of bad falls with injuries. I hope it’s nothing serious and that you’re back running painlessly soon.
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Thank you. Hopefully soon.
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I’m really concerned about you falling once a month like this. Please go see a doctor. I’m a clumsy person myself, and even I don’t fall as much. Do take care and I hope you heal quickly.
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Not to alarm you, but falling a lot can be the only clue to something like MS. Another blogger had this as her only symptom. I would def. see a dr. about this to rule out something neurological.
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