Hitting the Dirt

I was a bit in a rush on Friday. After spending my first hours of the day writing and rewriting as usual I wanted to do my training before meeting an artist for an interview.

My speed session was 5 repeats of 1km. The goal my coach has set me was 3:39. To do this session properly requires focus instead of a mind thinking about other things. I also did this session on a stretch where I have run many times before but never for speed.

The road has a few uneven parts with plenty of potholes. But it's the closest flat 1k stretch and that's why I chose it for that session.

Unfortunately my lack of focus coupled with some bad luck had me trip over an uneven part of the road. I lost my balance and hit the dirt pretty hard. With scrapes on the palms of my hands and on both my knees my speed session was over before I even had finished my first repeat.

Upset, I limped to the car and drove home. Aside from the issue of getting the dirt from the wounds, it seems I've been relatively lucky. And I even made it to the interview, albeit in shorts and with a bloody knee.

I decided to forgo my Saturday training as well. But yesterday I was able to complete my fourth 3-hour training run, and the easy 30-minute session in the afternoon. I'm happy this has happened with plenty of time to heal before the Vancouver Marathon, and reminded me that I need to pay attention - especially in speed sessions.