Run

In my 20s I used to play basketball regularly. Played hard. Full court. Ran whoever was guarding me to death. Got buckets. Tried on defense. In my early 30s I joined a startup, and my basketball days went from three days a week to one. Still played hard but didn't regain the three days a week lungs. Then I moved to China at 39 and never really found a game so I ran. I let go of my basketball player self-identification and a few years later knew I would not be able physically keep up anymore. I'd be elbow jumper guy when my whole game was outworking my matchup.

So I identified as a runner. The first summer in Beijing I wasn't working and I ran all over; ignorant of the smog. When I started working, I made running part of my lunch routine. I trained for half and full marathons and completed a handful of halves. There is a problem with being a runner in Beijing. Winter. It's damn cold. Every fall I would pump myself up that I would run through winter but by Thanksgiving I'd pack up my running in until March. Then came my 50s and I must say 50s suck physically. Cognitively sometimes too, truth be told. I started to run less. And slower. In 2019, my running became laborious and dwindled to two to three times a week. 2020, worse, maybe one day a week if that. I was coming to the realization that just like my basketball days, my running days were coming to an end. Next stop self-identification as fat guy on coach.

So I decided to recommit to running. Put together a running plan ramping up mileage to half and then full marathon. The first week comes and it is going fairly well. With runs of 3, 5, 3, and 5 mile runs in the books I was ready for the week's long run of 8 miles. I head out. It's Sunday morning. Phone in hand listening to podcasts. Two miles in I start to feel that low energy thing I feel sometimes when running. I am able to fight through it but it's a warning that these eight miles would not be easy. I run mostly on the sidewalk and at the 4.7 mile mark I edge over to the left side of the sidewalk; I don't remember why exactly. My left foot stubs against a raise in the sidewalk and I stumble. This happens to me from time to time. First, because I don't lift my feet very high when I run. Second, I'm clumsy. This stumble is different. I'm not regaining my balance and I'm falling face first. There's a moment where I know my fall is out of control and I'm going to hit. My left knee hits first, phone flies out of hand, elbows and hands hit. It hurts. I stand up.  Check my phone, somehow it didn't crack. My left knee is bleeding. I walk a bit thinking maybe I will continue the run in a bit. Then in a bit I realize I won't continue. I grab a shared bike and bike home. Slowly because I can only really peddle with my right leg.

That was two weeks ago and my knee has mostly recovered.

Not giving up.