Three Strikes and Not Out

First mountain bike crash

Final crash result

Ok, it is clear to me that when you fall and pick yourself up you become a better, stronger person and that the falling is always necessary to really move forward. Here's my issue. Why do I need to fall 3 times within 10 days to really come to terms with this knowledge? Probably because the first and second time didn't get through to me I'm guessing. The third time really drove it home. My first two crashes happened in Mammoth where my savior (Momma Ashley) was there to tend to my wounds and really help pick me up when the ground was ever so enticing. To be more specific with how these crashes happened, the first was a root that popped itself up out of the ground so that my toe would conveniently meet it and make friends followed by the rest of my body making friends with the surrounding dirt that supported the life of the root in the first place. Second crash occurred same day hours later only this time I was on a bike and my front tire did NOT want to make friends with a rock blocking its path. I flew over the handle bars and the bike followed suit by crashing down on my back to seal the deal. This crash really put mountain biking into perspective for me and surprisingly I really enjoyed the experience of getting a little bloody and dirty! The fact that I still have some pretty good bruises hanging out with me isn't so great, but hey they're just friendly reminders of what a bada$$ I was haha. Now for the third crash. This was only my second run after the marathon last Saturday and I had a real familiar 8 mile route planned for the evening. Matt even jumped on my new mountain bike (because I'm obviously a mountain biker now too) to test out the ride and follow me. The run was going almost to good. My quads were still feeling the downhill from the marathon, but the legs felt strong and smooth. My arms pumped harder than usual and my legs fell into the rhythm. My heart rate stayed low and my breathing was unbelievably controlled. I couldn't stop smiling, and I definitely didn't even want to stop running. I was in a fantastic state of euphoria! As I'm running down this gradual hill I spotted some dirt off to the side of the harsh pavement and without hesitating, jumped right onto it to give my feet some soft surface as I was running in the vibrams. About 2 steps onto the new surface my toe caught a little metal post that I feel was only there to trip up some innocent passerby in the first place. I went down like a sack of potatoes. My first initial thought was "i wonder how many people just saw that," followed by the ultimate feelings of frustration. Matt heard the loud thunk as I went down and he circled back to rush over to me. What a guy! I stood there covered in dirt, new blood, splinters and a ripped open vibram. I was so frustrated as I recalled the previous two crashes quickly in my mind that I just started laughing. It was an involuntary laugh, as if it was my body's only way of coping with what just happened AGAIN. I could feel the blood running down my elbow and the rawness of where my old scab from the bike crash had been ripped open. My frustrations with the whole situation just manifested themselves into running home like a bat out of hell. When I got home I called Ashley to vent, and just hearing her voice made it all ok again. I eventually got cleaned up and headed to bed. The adrenaline from falling wore off and within a matter of hours I was ready to come to the conclusion that I probably broke my foot, seeing that I was woken up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain unable to do anything but cry and soak my foot in an ice cold bath. I had to crawl my way to and from where I was trying to get because as soon as I put weight on the foot I once again went down like a sack of potatoes. I could barely walk Friday and thought it would be likely that I wouldn't be able to run for the next few weeks. Miraculously, as the day went on the pain started to lessen and the swelling was even beginning to look better. As of this morning my foot is a bit sore, but it's as if nothing had ever happened to it. Crazy how the body works tirelessly to heal itself so effectively!
Now the point of this blog post in the first place. Each time I fell I experienced something completely different and unique. The first fall made me get over my fear of falling while running. The mountain bike crash made me realize that, that was probably the worst bike crash I will have for awhile and in the end I felt more confident in my ability to deal with pain on a more serious level and still have fun in the end. The final crash did several things for me. It made me realize that just when everything seems to be going the way you want, life will always find a way to stick an obstacle in your way and see how you deal with it and overcome it. Also, when the thought came to mind that I had broken my foot, I realized how much I taken being healthy and injury free for granted. NEVER EVER do this. Every moment you have that you are alive and breathing and able bodied, cherish it and love it, because it only takes something small to change that completely. I was in the passenger seat while Matt drove and as we went along I saw many runners out giving themselves to the run and I envied each and every one of them for the effortlessness in their steps. Your body is capable of unbelievable feats of greatness and strength and it is meant to be used and worked for the overall betterment of the person inhabiting it. Use it, appreciate it, love it and treat it with care, nourish it,  because you never know when you may not have the option to do so anymore. More importantly find your passion and go for it. Never let the fear of not being great keep you pursuing your dreams. Traveling the road of passion is so much better than traveling the road of mediocracy and normalcy.