Uncool Runnings. One Misplaced Foot Was All It Took
You have permission to laugh at me this week. It was rather funny. In the true spirit of this Substack I've even tried to find some action points to take from this incident!
I rolled on the ground in front of this guy.
It kind of happened in slow motion really.
You see, I was deep in an audio book about 2 km into my run. It was a lovely afternoon here. One of those winter afternoons where it wasn’t too cold but as the sun started to go down a real nip was beginning to pierce through my running gear.
In the moments before my dignified roll I was pretty zoned out, deep in an audio book and running on auto pilot.
Maybe that was my downfall. Literally. We spend much of our lives on auto pilot and here I was running along the edge of the canal not really in control of my body.
As it happened it felt like slow motion. Suddenly the world was kind of spinning. The first thing I noticed was my arm hitting the deck. Then a pain in my knee.
Falling over when you’re a grown up hurts. My kids are always rolling over. A few tears and some special cream and they’re up and away again.
For a grown up there’s further to fall but we seem to bounce less. It’s more of a hard thump.
I know many people tend to strain muscles as they try to stop themselves. The fact that I was zoned out, deep in thought meant I didn’t really gain consciousness until I hit the ground so I was spared that but my knee really hurt.
I rolled indignantly onto my back. The momentum took me there but it was more of a “I can’t believe this just happened roll”.
Now I was staring at the sky.
And then a voice.
“Oh blimey, you alright mate”
Am I alright? I didn’t know to be honest.
I got to my feet and started to do some checks. I felt like an aeroplane just before long flight. Check the wing flaps still work etc.
I need a damage report. Roger that.
My arm felt kind of tingly, my knee hurt, I was covered in mud and my hand was bleeding. The ego had taken the biggest hit though.
To be honest, I was pretty lucky.
The poor guy was watching all this. It felt like about 5 mins before I managed to nod and say “yeah fine mate” in a kind of nonchalant “meant to do a roll on a tow path in front of you” sort of voice. You know the one.
He mumbled something about not hearing me coming, checked again that I was ok and walked off.
I continued to do my pre-flight checks. I was pretty stiff and contemplated walking back the way I came to go home.
Come on man. Run it off. That’s what true sportsmen do.
So I gingerly walked in the direction I was originally going.
You see, I’d slipped while overtaking “the bloke”, my right foot had hit some slimy mud and my body weight had then gone down onto my left side. (Before my elegant roll onto my back)
Walking at first I began to ascend into a light jog. The feeling was ok. Just. I could run this off.
Then I saw him. “The bloke” had walked on along the tow path and I was now catching on him again. I’d have to over take him. Maybe I could do it without rolling in front of him this time?
Anyway, I made it home. I actually managed another 6 km after my altercation with “the bloke” but now I’m sitting here at home it’s still a little painful!
With all incidents like this there are always some leanings to take. So, let’s see what you think of these.
Not being fully present can be really dangerous and result in embarrassment but it also leads to you missing things.
Action: Leave the headphones at home more often.
Pick yourself up and confront your fears
For the rest of the run I was really hesitant with where I put my feet. I can see how people’s confidence can get knocked in situations like this, especially as we get older.
Action: Get back on the horse.
Get some perspective
Over the past 8 years of running I’ve covered nearly 7000 km. This is the distance from London to New York and back again. In all that time this was my first “fall”.
Action: Rationally think through and put any incident in perspective.
People are genuinely concerned.
I had to pass the guy again which was a little embarrassing. He was just concerned. I gave him the thumbs up.
Action: Don’t be embarrassed. People really care.
Keep the Glass Half Full
If I’d fallen the other way I would have ended up in the water. So there you go.
Action: Don’t fall in the water.
Two Recommendations - what to consume this week
1. The Single Most Important Parenting Strategy
A video about healing which feels very appropriate given this weeks post.
So much here we can take into ALL our relationships.
2. What feels like play to you, but looks like work to others?
Naval Ravikant dishes out snippets of wisdom by the bucketful. There’s so much talk these days of finding your niche and feeling what the “market” wants but you need to look inward.
By choosing something that feels like play you will find something that you will devote your life to. That dedication will set you apart more than simply choosing something you think others will enjoy.
Top 3 articles of the week
Finding great articles on Substack can be difficult. Fear not, I have been digging deep into the discovery areas of the platform so you don’t have to.
Here are my top three posts to read this week:
Internet Fatigue, Hyper Reality and Narrative Collapse by
ofSometimes Things Will Feel Worse Before They Feel Better by
ofWhat If Helicopter Parents Are Just the Extreme End of a Positive Development? by
ofSubstack Recommendations
A big part of this newsletter is the community we are building. Never Stop Learning recommends these Substacks that I suggest you check out.
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Thank you for reading and see you next week!
You have confirmed my fears that keeping fit is quite dangerous! 😀
So long as you're ok! Did you do that weird looking around yourself to see who had seen you thing, or is that just my default falling reaction? I fall a lot when it's muddy (I live on a farm in the countryside) - on the upside, I'm good at falling now, and am more inclined to land pretty well (famous last words).
I'm glad to have found Never Stop Learning. I'm new to Substack, and am trying to find my way around.