Ever do something you are embarrassed about and to hide that embarrassment you tell others about it and laugh? Well I am about to share one of those stories with you. I am over the embarrassment and will hopefully be over the injuries soon as well.

I took quite a big tumble the other day while running. I actually might call it more of a face plant because although my natural instincts did click in and I put my hands out to catch myself, they did not keep my chin, upper lip and teeth from hitting the ground.

Did I at least trip for a cool reason you might wonder, such as trying to save a little old lady from being robbed. Nope, I just tripped on the tiniest crack around the ACU campus track. As I ran past it again the today I see no reason for my falling, yet I did.

It all happened so fast. I remember my foot catching but I did not even have time to think through the fact that I was falling. One moment I was vertical, running along, the next I was flat on the ground praying that I had not broken anything. I was lucky that I did not.

I did not emerge injuryless though. I do have a scrape on my chin (and people stare at it but are afraid to say "what happened to your face"), a chipped tooth, a scraped up hand, a black, blue and green right knee, a black blue and green left hip, and sore shoulders from the impact. But no broken bones. I am thankful.

I laid face down on the track, slightly in shock of what had just occurred. I then rolled over onto my back into the grass to avoid getting trampled on by others. I guess no one on the track saw it happen or at least I like to think so because no one checked to make sure I was ok. I KNOW people from their cars saw me because I was right next to a stop light and a line of cars so if any of you are reading this, shame on you for not asking if I was ok. Shame.

I told myself there was no reason to cry and all I needed to do was get up and walk home and I would be fine. I did get up after a while of calming down (it is scary to fall like that) and checking my wounds but I could not keep the tears in. I walked home crying like a little girl who just fell down except I am a 25 year old girl and that is almost worse!

I survived though and even went for a run today without too much pain. I feel so silly that I fell while running but as I tell my story to others I find out I am not alone. I never thought of running as a dangerous sport but I guess you never know. As I ran today I was VERY aware of my feet and whether they were scraping the ground or not. I never thought of myself as a feet shuffler but now I will be paranoid and overcompensate, at least for a while.

So please laugh at me or at least smile knowing that you have done it too and help me get over my embarrassment. :)