Forums >General Running>Describing Your Worst Falls ....
Tiefsa
My worst happened running at night, which is always a risky proposition. I was running on the sidewalk and approached a newer subdivision. When I stepped off the sidewalk and onto the asphalt, I didn't realize that the level of the asphalt was about an inch lower than the start of the concrete curb. They had to put on another layer yet on this new road. When I reached the end of the asphalt, I clipped the front of my foot and fell straight down. My kneecap smashed right square into the concrete.
I had to limp back home and couldn't run for a week. Luckily I didn't break my kneecap or hurt my knee joint, but that one really really hurt!
Distinctively Juvenile
My worst was exactly two years ago, during deer hunting season. After two miles of mostly tamarack swamp, I came out on an abandoned logging road. The low spots had about 3/4" ice over an inch or two of water. It made for a nice cushiony running surface. Until the low spot was over a foot deep. My feet went through and hit bottom, while I fell forward and belly flopped on the ice with my shins breaking more ice.
I crawled to solid ground. The damage was not bad - no bone showing. After a while, I was able to walk and, eventually, run. I chose to return the long way, 6.5 miles by road because it was easier.
I can still see the marks on my shins.
And I found where the deer were hiding - about 3/4 mile from the nearest hunter.
I'm still a pretty young runner, so my falls are more of bounces, really. My worst was during a challenging workout (second workout of the year, 6 by mile at quick-ish pace) last winter. I was feeling pretty awful, so on the third one I headed up into the cul-de-sac at the end of the road to reassess the workout. As I tried to hold pace around the corner, I found the icy patch and promptly went down. I managed to scrape my hands, whack my wrist, and scuff up a pair of nylon pants. And that was the end of that run.
That said, I've also sledded into a brick wall. No stitches. And stepped on a metal grate, which needed five stitches.
Squidward Bike Rider
Face plant at mile 7 of the Harrisburg Half Marathon last year. I was on my way to a really good time, and fell over an uprooted tree...ended up with both knees bloodied.
Feeling the growl again
#1: Out for a crisp, ~0F morning run in the half lights. Just blocks into my run I went to make a 90 degree corner on the sidewalk at ~7min pace and did not see a spot of black ice. My inside (left) foot hit the spot, meaning when I started to go down I had no way to catch myself. I went down HARD, cracking my skull into the concrete. I was dazed pretty well, walking in circles for a couple minutes to get my senses back. I was finally able to check myself out and everything seemed OK, so I continued on. As it got light I noticed a lot of drivers were looking at me funny. When I got home I looked in the mirror and saw that the front of my vest was covered in flash-frozen blood. I had bit a good chunk out of my lip and in the numbing cold had not felt it.
#2: Running hard during a tempo workout at low-5 pace, I came to a section where they had removed a square of sidewalk to work on utilities. Thinking it would be frozen like all the other ground in the area was, I just planted a foot near the far side of it. There was a water leak, however, and it was not solid as it looked but soup underneath a thin crust. My foot sunk, and my toe hooked underneath the concrete on the far side. This made my foot a solid anchor, which the rest of my body pivoted around and face-planted me into the sidewalk at 12mph. I banged up my knee pretty well and had the wind knocked out of me. As I groggily walked it off, I knew it must have looked really bad because a driver who witnessed it went down, turned around off the busy road and came back to find me and make sure I was okay.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
I was running the Dirty German Endurancefest in Philladelphia. It was an Ultra Marathon Trail Run. I was about 17 miles in when I fell. As everyone knows, you keep your eyes on the trail during a trail run, however, upon a quick glance up, I saw two horses coming towards me on the trail. That was long enough to miss a trip hazard. Most of the time you scratch a knee or elbow. This time, I went from my feet to my face - a total face plant into a flat rock. I was bleeding profusely. The two horse riders stopped to help out. As luck would have it, a few runners behind me was a doctor and trauma room nurse. They proceeded to work with me until the paramedics arrived. Fortunately for me, the doctor straightened my nose saving some surgery when I returned home. The paramedics arrived and eventually got me out of the woods on a "gator" type vehicle until we could get to the road where an ambulance could finish the trip to the hospital. A CAT scan later it was determined I had multiple nasal and facial fractures. Numerous stitches later, I was ready to leave the hospital. The bad news was I had to fly home the next morning. Thank goodness for running buds. With the pain meds I am not sure how I would have negotiated the airports without her.
Goddess of the Cuisine
Oddly enough, I've only fallen once. I scraped up my fingertips and my palm a little, but nothing severe. I was lucky. Stupid raised sidewalk.
In transit, arriving on time.
Oh roo roooo!
Man, I feel for all of you, as there are some pretty horrific crashes described here! However, I have to say I'm glad to see I am not the only one who's done a face plant with moderate damage (and some of you have WAY outdone what I accomplished!). Thank you all for posting so I can finally start feeling less stupid about this, several years after the fact.....
I'm good for one or two epic falls per year.
Winter of 2010, slipped on ice while running downhill. Slid into snowbank. Screamed fuck. Passer-by college girl offered sympathy while trying not to laugh. Limped home.
Summer 2012, running trails with my son. He's too fast for me, so about half a mile in, he's already gapped me. I tripped over a root and fell for about 45 minutes, grunted loudly when i hit the ground. My son turned around and started laughing uncontrollably as soon as he saw me. Funniest thing to him was that my sunglasses, which had been resting on top of my head, were twenty feet in front of me on the trail. Bloody elbow and my son's fading laughter as he gapped me again.
Next time his Playstation breaks, I'm replacing it with a rake.
Yeah, well...sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
...listen to the thunder
It was a beautiful morning for a run. It going well until my shoelace on my right foot threw a perfect lasso around my left foot. I was running across a street at 7:55 pace when I went airborne. Caught myself first with my elbows, then my chest, and finally my face. Broke my right elbow which required a hinged plate with 8 screws. Had a displaced fracture of my left scapula, which didn't require surgery. Road rash all over, but I lived. One doc said no running probably for 6 months... he didn't know me too well. I was back in two months.
Run, Eat, Repeat.
This thread is useless without pictures.
http://www.runningahead.com/forums/post/063997a3c8784301ad742866f7e01a26#focus
2013
3000 miles
Sub 19:00 for 5K 05-03-13 Clee Prom 5K - 19:00:66 that was bloody close!
Sub-40:00 for 10K 17-03-13 Gainsborough 10K - 39:43
Sub 88:00 for HM
In 5 decades of running, I've never fallen during a run. Not yet.
I've never fallen during a run. Not yet.
Nor me - I was stood still at the time...!!