I’ve Fallen…And I Got Up And Kept Running

I suffered a fall today while out running. Nothing serious, just a scraped knee and elbow. No excuses; I tripped over one of those plastic road reflectors and just did not catch myself in time. I scared a few people on the road, since they saw blood and assumed I was a zombie (the blood was minimal; it just looked bad due to its mix with excessive sweat). My very nice corner grocery store owner allowed me to clean out the wounds in his store with soap, water, and paper towels. Goes to show there are still kind, decent people in the world. And I admit to being a pretty good customer there.

On arriving home, the knee looked about as bad as I thought it was. The elbow, on the other hand (bad, bad pun) was missing at least a layer of skin. Then again, the average elbow doesn’t have much covering going for it. I showered, got both wounds peroxided, medicated, and covered and took two NSAIDs with breakfast.

Fortunately, I am a VPOP (Very Prepared Older Person) and a well-stocked first aid kit is a good thing to have. I live in hurricane territory, so it’s a must-have, and since I do a lot of yard and garage work, there’s no choice but to expand the kit to an entire closet shelf. Soft and rigid ice packs, bandages of every size from appendage wrappers and butterflies to tiny blister rounds, creams for itching, burning, abrasions, and bites, alcohol and peroxide, gauze flat and round, cloth, paper and adhesive tapes, muscle balm, tweezers, scissors, OTC pain medications, and I even held onto my crutches and surgical shoe from foot surgery 20 years ago.

I want it known that for better or worse, I did get up and keep running after I fell. Heck, I was still two miles from home. It’s not like anyone was going to stop and help the bleeding zombie runner. No one did. One person walking her dog did helpfully point out that my elbow was bloody, after I’d cleaned it up at the grocery store. Yeah, thanks princess. I’ll make a note of it. I guess the look I gave her, combines with the blood, probably wasn’t the friendliest. She picked up her barking doorbell pooch and walked the other way. I’m sure there will be a report about an old, sweaty, bloody zombie wearing running gear and carrying the Sunday paper on the local “Talk of the Town” website shortly.

So I am taking it easy today, but will, as always, live to fight and age hilariously another day.