Spaz-tic

So when I define myself as a spaz, I think of myself as the taking-corners-too-sharply-so-my-shoulder-hits-the-wall type of spaz or the not-knowing-where-my-arms-end-so-my-wrist-smacks-against-parking-meters type of spaz. Not really the fall-down-when-walk spaz, except for the occasional tripping in heels as I cross the road sort of thing. So three years ago when I lived in Cambridge (MA, not UK) for the summer, when I fell down while running, I felt like a really big spaz.

Let me explain. I got up almost every morning to run since I was trying to be diligent about being healthy. That and I was trying to offset the junk food that was available at the company I was interning at. Since I was worried about wearing contacts for too many hours a day, I decided to run without my contacts in, since I could see enough to avoid running into people and being run over by cars. This was fine for the first month or so. Keep in mind that this is on a dirt path, which is generally great for your knees and reducing impact. And then one morning, I was running along and suddenly I found myself on my hands and knees on the ground. I don't know how I fell or what I tripped on, but I somehow fell. I scraped up both knees pretty badly and scraped up my palms a little bit. Being a trooper (and being very stubborn) I continued on the rest of the 2 miles left in my run instead of heading straight home. I cleaned it up and headed to work. Later that day, my husband (my boyfriend at the time) made so much fun of me, saying that only little kids fall down while running/walking. I walked around with these huge bandaids on my knees for weeks, which by the way looked awesome with skirts.

Anyway, I thought I was a huge spaz for falling down, until a manager at work, who is a serious runner and personal trainer, said she falls down while running once every few years. That made me feel a little better.

So on Wednesday morning, about three years after my last fall, I went for my usual run. I was doing just fine, and then suddenly I tripped on an uneven section of sidewalk. At least, unlike in Cambridge, I knew I was falling and could try to react. I tried to roll into the fall, ninja-style, which sort of helped. I had only one major scrape on my knee, and my workout top sacrificed itself for the safety of my palm. Again, being stubborn, I finished my workout before going home and showing my husband my scraped up knee.

So now that I have this huge bandaid on my knee, I have to figure out how to wear dresses for my husband's work party, which is tonight, and my company's holiday party next week.

And I can throw caution to the wind during my runs... at least for the next 3 years.