BORN TO RUN (NOT?!)

I always thought boobs were a liability to runners. More weight, and sportsbra chafage, who needs it? I discovered a new use- as human airbags for klutzy trail runners. Fell hard on my chest in Riverside State Park on Saturday. Also bent the last 3 fingers of my right hand backwards (still can’t fully make a fist). I just remember thinking as I went down, “No-o-o-o-o-o!“ and looking at the rocks about to meet my face and trying to decide in a split second, how can I turn at the last minute not to reopen the deep gash on my right thumb and left knee from last week’s fall which had still not fully crusted over? I’m sure if it weren’t for the airbag boobs I would have gotten a lot worse. I had planned to run 18 but the wind knocked out of me and bits of trail deep in my wounds, cut it short at 13. At least I didn’t land on a pile of horse crap!

Next day I feel a little beat up, but I have to make up the miles. I haven’t run any distance since TRR and I have a 50k/26.2 double this weekend, and a trail 50 miler the following week. About 50 feet into the bluff trail, my left foot (always the damn left foot) catches on a tiny rock and OOF! Bloodied my chin, scraped the bandaid off my thumb clear off, a foot of trail rash on both thighs. Used half my water to try and get the gristle out of my hand wound, should I turn around? Needed to get SOME miles in- did my short 5 and went home.

Wednesday, it is 41 degrees and dark so I don leggings and gloves but after 3 miles of pavement/ headlamp, decide the sun is up enough I’m going to go onto the trail. About 1.5 miles from home I make a turn that takes me to more rocks. Uh-oh… just go slowly, you’ve done this before. But for a brief second I start to think something else and …. OOOF!. This time it’s bad- I land on my face, tasted blood and gristle. Did a quick check- bloody nose but not too much lateral motion of my nose, bruised but not blackened eye, inner lining of my cheek peeled off, dirt ground into my lip, no teeth appear broken. Lucky for the warm clothing I’m bruised but not bloody in my body. This time my head feels fuzzy and my eyes fill with tears, I’m so tired, I’m such a loser. I feel like I’m back at Lost Lake, where I ran face first into a tree then DNF’d at mile 29 after nearly 10-1/2 hours of slogging through mud, only this is not a technical trail, it’s not dark out, if I can’t even do 6 miles how do I expect to do 50, let alone 100? I’m not good enough to run trails, I should stick to city marathons and go hiking.

At work I feel like I’ve been in a car accident, neck sore and stiff, still can’t close my right hand, grimace every time I get a firm handshake or drink anything, can’t open my mouth fully or breathe through my nose, aches in places I don’t remember injuring. How do those actors get beat up by monsters and get thrown into the air then miraculously get back up? More importantly, where will I run here in the winter when it is snowy/ icy and dark?