Archive for May 11th, 2009

Yesterday was gorgeous outside and I was having one of those incredible easy 10-milers where happiness oozes from your pores.  Around mile 5.5, I saw this guy I’ve been passing for over a year; huge black man, really tall and big around too, with a long beard that has a bright red dyed strip down the center of it.   He’s always out there in sweats and a skull cap, walking, and has never smiled or acknowledged me – a pretty imposing figure.

As I got closer, I could see his body had transformed over the winter, he was much smaller!  So I took a chance at rejection and said while passing, “You’ve lost a lot of weight, haven’t you?”  OMG, you’ve never seen someone beam so beautifully, “Yes, I sure did!”   I beamed right back, gave thumbs up and yelled “Great job!” as I ran on.  This little exchange made me feel so good (who doesn’t love a makeover and a sweet smile?) that I was on top of the world.

About a mile later, while on a swath of mud trail parallel to the bike path, lost in my runner’s joy, I tripped and fell flat on my face.   Priorities being what they are, my first instinct was not a full body check, but a scramble on my stomach to retrieve the Garmin that had flown off my wrist with the sole intent of pressing the Stop button because I am not counting this break into my run time.

The Garmin was still working fine – it was just the strap pin that came off, but my body was a little worse for wear with two bloody knees and various light puncture wounds.  I stood up, a bit shaken, and was able to run home at a fine clip, albeit with blood dripping into my new socks (damn).  Of course I had to pass throngs of people in this state because, along with the usual Sunday river strollers, there was a rowing event going on.

The wonderful news is, nothing’s seriously hurt.  My knee was killing me last night so I slept crappily and I have a weird bruise on the palm of one hand along with a misplaced stigmata hole on the other, but knock on wood, this is all surface stuff.  Also, I was able to reattach my Garmin strap by threading some monofilament through the holes, so I don’t have to go to a jewelry store for a replacement pin (jewelry stores weird me out, for some reason).

Today, I have 8 easy w/hill sprints planned but my knee is smarting a bit so I might tone it down.  One excellent thing though, they’re finishing up a major renovation around the Museum and a couple days ago, I discovered some steep ramps they built up to a gazebo.  The grades and lengths are absolutely perfect for hill sprints, so I don’t have to cross busy Kelly Drive to Lemon Hill any more.   Now, if they could just make a half-mile long hill for hill reps, I’d be really appreciative.