I wish I could tell you that my marathon training is back on track, that I’m now running easily and without incident. Sadly, that has not been the case.
On Saturday, I set out for my long run and, once again, got tripped up. Less than 3 miles from home, I was face to face with the pavement again. I was on a rock for a few minutes assessing the damage: the just-formed scab was now on the inside of my pants and blood was running down the front of leg for the 2nd time in one week. I decided that this was not to be come back day and, in tears, I called my friend, Wendy to pick me up.
Trying to analyze but not get hung up on my recent tendency towards tripping, I began asking questions of myself. My first consideration was whether or not the changes in my vision since my Lasik surgery in 2000 could be at the root of my falls. At an eye appointment later in the day, I posed the question. I knew the answer before I asked the question. Although the circumstances around each of these falls involved my looking at one thing and missing another, my vision is not so bad as to be the cause.
The more obvious etiology of my tendency towards hitting the pavement remains: I have a tendency towards dragging my right foot. While I can easily blame it on residual effects from a childhood illness, the fact is I’ve been dealing with this for most of my life. I know I do it. The bottom of my Vibram Bikilas clearly show it, as does my medical record at Kaiser. The question is, what am I going to do about it?
My main goal was to get back out there — using caution but not so much that it prevents me from enjoying the free feeling that running gives me.
