My aclasta infusion efficacy got a good workout yesterday, with not one but two rather spectacular falls testing the strength of my bones.
The first was slipping over on the marble base of the umbrella whilst getting out of the spa after a post work soak. My legs flew out from under me and I landed heavily on my palm – a standard FOOSH ‘fall on outstretched hand’ mode of injury, that classically results in fractures of the arm or wrist. I lay for a moment after it happened, trying to gather my wits, and wait for the first wave of pain to pass before ascertaining if any serious injury had resulted. Remarkably, it hadn’t, so I got back in the spa and continued to read my book.
It’s been a couple of weeks since my last run, and I really wasn’t in the mood, but how can I maintain my position of moral superiority over Simon if I give it up like he has? Besides, I’ve been asking around my friends who run, trying to figure out why I never get a ‘runner’s high’, and it seems likely to be because my runs aren’t long enough. So, after the spa, I got my running gear on and headed out. I’ve swapped the in-ear EarPods for headphones because they were making my ear canals itchy, but the headphones have the added benefit that everyone can see I don’t have any interest in chatting. The first ten minutes went fine, apart from the bizarre variety in pace of the songs on a mix that was meant to be all around the 180 bpm mark. Then I ran out on to the board walk through the wetlands around one of the lagoons. It had been raining so everything was quite slippery. I made sure only to step on the parts of the path with an antislip cover on, rather than straight on wet wood. I was feeling quite proud of how sensible I was when I reached the end and started running on the wet grass. Moments later, I was down on all fours once again, my foot having twisted under me. “Luckily”, the ground was muddy after all the rain which meant it was soft and reduced my risk of injury, but I did end up covered in mud. After another brief pause to gather myself, and a quick stocktake of any damage, I got up and started walking. I briefly considered calling for help from the family to get me home but there was minimal ongoing pain apart from the twisted ankle, and in the end I continued my run and got home in one piece. It’s a bit puffy today and I think it’s going to bruise but I think I’ve managed to get away quite lightly from both of my falls.
I’m guessing two falls in one day is probably some sort of red flag for age and frailty but I’m claiming extenuating circumstances, as I’m sure you’ll agree.