Taking a Fall on the Track

Well, this marks the end of track season for 2023.

The track was a little frosty in one spot 1.5 weeks ago when I did intervals. This past week, I hit the track the day after it was 51°, and the nighttime low only dropped down to 40°. So I was ready for it to be perfectly clear.

But it was not.

There was a thick layer of ice on the south side of the track, presumably a spot that stays in the shadows of a big building with the low angle of the sun over the winter. 95% of the track was great, but it absolutely sucked for a few strides every lap.

I was planning to do a pyramid interval workout: efforts of 1 lap, 2 laps, 3, 4, 3, 2, and 1 with 2:00 rest between. I warned myself to really watch it on the icy spots in the later laps, because I’d be extra tired and that’s when I could fall down.

Oooooh, the foreshadowing!!

So yes, I took a good tumble near the end of my workout. I was starting the last lap of my last 800, so I was running my 15th lap of the 16 that I was going to do on the track. I was letting my momentum carry me a little bit before cutting back to the left (to the inside). I thought had gotten through the worst of it, so I apparently tried to "cut in" a little too harshly. My legs went out from under me, I hit the track, and I did 1 complete barrel roll. I got right back up and finished the interval.

During that final "rest" before my last 400, I walked into the light to check on my hands and knees. My palms were the sorest, but I hadn't broken any skin. And my knees were a little scuffed up, but not bad. I was sore, but not "injured."

A few hours later, my knees looked like this:

Right knee had more broken skin...


... but my left knee was more sore to kneel on.


My Garmin map.


OH LOOK! WHAT'S THAT LITTLE DIP?!? That's where I rolled on the track.

Here were my splits, and I figure I should take off 4 seconds in that final 800 to make up for falling:

[Everything is 400 meter splits except for the 1600 where I took 800 meter splits]

1:19.5
1:20.8, 1:20.5 = 2:41.3
1:21.8, 1:24.1, 1:21.7 = 4:07.6
2:46.0, 2:43.2 = 5:29.2
1:22.7, 1:23.9, 1:19.6 = 4:06.2
1:20.8, 1:23.3 = 2:44.1 (BUT FELL! 2:40.1 more realistically with last lap of 1:19.3)
1:16.0

Heart rate looks as it should for this workout.


Later in the day, I saw (and FELT) that I bruised
my thumb! This was really annoying for about 36 hours!

I ran fine yesterday, so there are no bigger lingering issues from this tumble. Time for some treadmill efforts or longer efforts along the river. I'm done on the track for a while!