It was my first time to fall and get injured while running. First time also to not finish a race. I was off to a great start, flying and going fast for a sub 2 hours 21k run. I was just settling into a good rhythm and keeping a nice speedy steady pace when I suddenly stepped into a pothole right before the 5k mark. It was just too dark to see the road since we started at an unholy hour. I braced my fall with my palms and knees resulting to wounds on both my knees. But what got me a bit worried was the sprain on my ankle. This left me ambling on my left leg to avoid putting pressure on the injured leg.
A rescue motorcycle picked me up from where I fell and took me to the waiting ambulance. I was feeling jealous of the runners speeding past us but just focused on being thankful that I only had minor injuries from the fall.
It was my first time to ride an ambulance. The medics treated my wounds, iced my sprain and told me to practice RICE- Rest Ice Compression Elevation.
The limited mobility is frustrating since I don’t like feeling weak and helpless, given my control freak tendencies. As I move around on just one leg, I am reminded that my mom has been in this state for her entire life. She was born with polio and has never run a day in her life nor walked without the aid of her crutches. She has stood on just one leg for the past 60 something years. And here I am complaining of this minor inconvenience. I am reminded once again that running, racing and engaging in sport is a privilege.
Being raised by a strong and admirable PWD mom was my reason for choosing Scope for Disability as my charity for the London Marathon. I shall tell you more about this fund raising drive in the next few days. I will be appealing to the generous hearts of family and friends to make this part of the world major marathon dream a reality 🙂
