I am Now Officially a Runner

This is a short entry today; I am working on the rest of the story of my second half marathon. But today I want to talk about the marks (sometimes literally) of becoming a runner. It’s not about how you run, when and where, but what happens as you run. For me I just hit running 1000 miles after one full year and a month I have ran 1000 miles and I have no injuries to speak of. I asked my running hero about black toes and toenails falling off. She asked “Do you have that problem?” I said “No, I just keep reading about this problem and it concerns me, and I want to know how to avoid it.”

“Well, truthfully it’s caused by people not picking up their feet and stubbing their toes as they run, you keep from doing that you will be alright” my hero tells me.

I sigh in relief I don’t stub my toes ever, I make sure of that, when I run I am very cautious. Which also causes me to think about falling and I have a plan, don’t fall.

Now I am a Tuesday’s child and any one that knows the nursery rhyme will recall that “Tuesday’s Child is Full of Grace”, yeah right, not me I fall or trip on flat surfaces. But after I started running I have been very diligent in watching my footing and any obstacle that may be in the way. I pray a lot too. I have even been questioned about my running and not having any injuries or falling. One person said you are not a runner until you have at least fallen once. Well guess what, I officially became a runner today, I took a spill on this morning’s run. I was off the side walk on the road avoiding the tree line that was an obstacle that could make me fall and when I went to go back on the side walk I hit the curb, as I was falling I was about to hit a fire hydrant in slow motion all the scenarios of what would happen next went through my mind: broken bones, gushing blood from a cut, knocked out and no help, having to call an ambulance… Nope forget that I have too much to do I can’t be injured. So I hopped on the one foot still attached to the ground and avoided the hydrant just in time to twist my body to land on my side in the grass. Whew disaster avoided, body check, can I move, Yes, can I breath, Yes, can I stand, Yes, can I still run, YES! Everything still works. Then it hits me, yesterday I hit just over 1000 miles running and today I take a spill, I am excited about the fall, I didn’t get hurt, but I am an official runner twice over in distance and taking a tumble and I have earned the right to call myself a runner. I just hope I don’t get black toenails. 

Even though I have blue painted ones now.

Remember, battle scars can be proudly displayed, but try to not get any in the first place, safety should be your first priority.