Day 43: Blood on the Ice

Date: 2/12/09

Consecutive Days Run: 43

Runner: Brandon Wood

Shoes: Newton AW Trainers

Location: New York, NY

Type of Run: Quickie

Time of Day: 6:28 PM EST

Distance Run: 2.01 miles

Time Run: 00:16:39

Average Pace: 8:17 per mile

Weather Conditions: Cold (34 degrees Fahrenheit), Windy, Sunny

Disposition: Good

Link to Run Detail: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24538745

About the Run: If you are reading this thinking I have some super secret coverage of the Vancouver Olympics, I am sorry to disappoint. Rather, this is my own tail of clumsiness and the generous outpouring of not-giving-a-crap by the wonderful people from the New York City Sanitation Department.

I headed out this evening, planning on getting in a nice easy run and then coming in to settle down and watch the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I expected to see plenty of snow and ice on sidewalks as we live in a neighborhood that is not quite as busy as Times Square and thus, probably falls a bit lower on the list of priorities.

I didn’t run into anything significant until about the .5 mile mark. As luck would have it, this is also the point in my usual route where I hit the first of a few hills. I shortened my stride and made sure to stay safely on my forefoot, as always, and ran across everything from loose snow to snow that had become compact and turned to sheets of ice…without a problem.

As I came down the hill on Staff St. (see details link above) and went to turn right on Dyckman St. my right foot went out from under me. I fell hard on my right knee and onto my shoulder, rolling into the street. As I pulled myself together and began to stand, I noticed an SUV from the Department of Sanitation parked about thirty yards away from me, with two men inside. I cannot say whether or not they saw me fall or if they even saw me picking myself up, regardless, nothing was said. I then turned to see, only about fifteen yards away from me, a large bulldozer that was being used to move snow, lights on and pointed directly at me, idling, with someone at the wheel. Again, not one word of, “Are you ok?”.

I looked down at my leg to see that the right knee of some of my favorite tights, my Sugoi Firewall 220‘s, had been torn wide open. My knee underneath didn’t look much better. I could already see it becoming slick with blood. I stood for a couple of minutes, realizing that I was FAR more upset about my tights than about my knee, and then I headed home with my tights torn, my ego bruised and a confirmed sense of loathing toward any and all New York City agencies, especially those with powerful and abusive unions.