Running & Tripping & Levitation

Monday I went out on a 7.5 mile trail run around Rocky Pond in Leominster State Forest. It was sunny & in the 70's. It's a fairly hilly course on wide dirt paths with lots of roots & glacial till.

Around about the 4 mile mark as I was running down Brook Rd & my left foot found a root. I tripped. Although the whole experience of tripping & falling only takes a split second it can be broken down into four distinct parts.

Takeoff. Your foot or feet make contact with something unexpected & suddenly your momentum is shifted into a new & exciting direction. Your inner ear basically goes "WTF!

Flight. Whether or not you actually become airborne the body tries to adjust. Your hands come up to block your fall. You tuck your head in or roll your shoulder to absorb some of the coming shock.

Landing. Impact with the ground. And rocks. And dirt. And pine needles. The wind gets knocked out of you & the woods echo with your "Ooomph" or "Oh, fuck."

Damage assessment. As you lie on your back it may take a second or two for your body to tell your brain how much pain it's in. Bones broken? Bleeding profusely? Did anybody see that?

In my case I came away with a couple of skinned knees & an interesting divot taken out the heel of my left hand. My left knee took the worst of it before I rolled into the fall & is a little sore (especially going down stairs)but, I don't think it'll keep me off the road tonight.

I did briefly wonder if I had gotten seriously hurt how long I would've lay there before somebody discovered me. Oh well, everything in life comes with some risk. If I had tripped & fallen during one of my nightly runs I'd be lying in the middle of the road in the dark. Nothing I can do about it. So fuck it. It won't keep me off the trails or the roads.

I do need to keep a first aid kit in the truck however.

As an extra bonus to the run I almost stepped on a big-ass garter snake that was napping in the middle of the road in my final mile.
It's nice to know when called upon I can levitate sideways.
In midstride.
A curious sensation.