Pride goeth before the fall (and not for the first time)

I'm stumbling, stumbling, falling forward but not quite reaching the ground, stumbling, stumbling some more......

Wednesday mornings are for Lake Medina. My friends and I usually do one to three 3.5-mile loops that include the asphalt lower portion along with the crushed limestone trail adjacent to the lake. We begin in the dark, at 5:00 AM. 

I am talking too much, as usual. This time, it's about how Sharon Sibilski and I will be carpooling to Saturday's Akron Marathon. That's when the bump in the pavement gets me. I should say that there are a lot of bumps, ridges, and other uneven sections that tend to swallow up unwary runners. Especially in the dark. Especially runners who don't pick up their feet and don't pay attention to where they're running.

As I begin my tumble, I start to think that I may yet come out of this without becoming entirely horizontal. After a couple of more steps, I still cling to this hope. But I reach out to put my hands in front of me to break the fall, just in case. Good thing, because after oh, a mile or two of stumbling, I do finally lose my verticality for good. 

I manage to fall mostly on my hands, and just a little on my right leg. A few scrapes and a little pain, but no blood. I immediately let everyone know that I'm okay. They're all fairly kind and caring. Most importantly, they don't laugh too very hard. Except to comment that "You almost made it!"

It wasn't the first time. In fact, I had another fall that may well have been from the very same bump. Sadly, it probably won't be my last either.