Running Tuesday: 1 mi. ITR… crash
Running Tuesday Wednesday: 2 x 1 mi. ITR + 20 min. spin + strength training
I know it’s Waffle Wednesday [hope you celebrated!], but I was too busy getting stitched up in Urgent Care yesterday to get around to write my intended Running Tuesday post. It was a special Running Tuesday post too – more marathon reviewing and details – but that’ll have to wait ‘til later as I have something more pertinent to share…
Caution: icky images.
Black & blue from shoulders to shins.
I still can’t believe it happened… I laugh a little inside every time I replay the image of the incident in my mind; though, it was certainly was not funny [to me] at the time. Believe it or not, I ate sh*t on a treadmill. Pardon my language, but there’s no better way explain it. Yes, the first workout after running my blissful half-marathon up, down, and around the hilly streets of San Francisco, I biff on a treadmill – how does that happen!? Oh, the irony.
Story
Hillary hops onto a treadmill, as she has every other day this semester, to see the computer “error-ing”. She notices that the treadmill to her right is empty, so she hops right off the malfunctioning machine, takes a step [or two?] onto the adjacent treadmill and SMACK! In the blink of an eye, she was face-down on the floor in the middle of the gym [at “rush hour”]. She bolts straight up and straddles the running machine as if she didn’t just flail down a conveyer belt. Spectators ask her if she’s alright. “Fine… yes, fine”, she replies in utter shock. The kind gym-goer a couple machines to her right informs her that her chin is bleeding. Yes, it was. In fact, her second half-marathon tee was now saturated in blood. Thank goodness she had a ‘sweat towel’ handy.
Before getting any more attention, she carefully climbs off the deactivated machine completely embarrassed and walks to the locker room – holding a blood-stained cloth to her face – which couldn’t have possibly been any farther away.
After checking out the damage, she calls her roommate from her phone who was able to quickly rescue her from the hidden corner of the locker room. A couple transitions later and Hillary and her roommate were on their way to Urgent Care.
“Stitches for sure”, the smart-alec of a doc exclaims.
Moan.
1 shot, a needle, and a bit of blue thread… and she was put back together again.
questions
1. Was it my mistake that I didn’t notice the treadmill was running!?
2. Why on Earth was it running without a runner!? There is NO reason for this. There is paid staff patrolling all areas of the recreation center that are constantly turning off unwatched televisions and keeping an eye on the equipment.
3. No, I was not distracted by my iPod [forgot it!], cell phone [never with me at the gym], or eye candy.
I don’t know who’s to blame here. All I can say is GRRR… and beware of irresponsible gym-goers.
The positives
1. I have one heck of a hilarious story to tell the rest of my life.
2. The damage could have been much worse. Thank goodness I still have my two front teeth… and the 3/4 inch-long split is slightly under my chin.
3. I get to look like a badass with a bandage on my face, and I don’t have to worry about a Halloween costume ;)
Very thankful to still able to run on my two feet with a smile. Tomorrow’s Thursday!
Toodles,
Hillary
* * *
SHARE
Have you ever had a running accident?
Have you ever had stitches?
Any embarrassing running stories?
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Aww, Hillary! I can’t believe that happened. That’s crazy and dangerous that the treadmill was on running without someone on it. Good thing you didn’t break anything though. Sorry about the stitches.
I’ve never had a running accident, but one time I was out with my friends at a bar dancing in flip flops when this random girl next to me wearing SHARP heels sliced open the side of my foot with them. I was bleeding profusely and had to get 7 stitches that night after getting dragged to the hospital by my friends. OY. Hope you heal soon!
OMG Hillary!! I am so sorry this happened. This is truly my biggest fear while running on treadmills. I just know its bound to happen one day. Ugh, feel better hun!!
Of course: I was training for my marathon back in 1980 and running with my faithful running partner, Cholla. We were running on a beautiful San Francisco day, right underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Cholla (the unleashed dog) decided to take a left turn and took out both of my legs in the process. Body plant.
Sure, we run for our health, but at 30, I was running to look good and to fit into my Calvin Kleins. Falling in the middle of all the other good-looking runners was not cool.
Oh my gosh, how scary! I have had stitches before and they didn’t hurt, it was more of a scare than anything.
I completely despise anyone who leaves their machine going. I have seen quite a few people fall because of that. Not only is it irresponsible, it is downright stupid. Completely NOT your fault!
Heal up soon!
Oh man, I am glad you are OK! That’s definitely a good story though. Luckily it was just a few stitches. Hope you heal up nicely! xoxo
That sucks! Hopefully you won’t really see it once it heals. I always feel like something may happen when I’m doing my HITT workouts. Maybe I should wear that stop string, maybe not.
I’ve had way too many stitches! Three different times on my face: once under my jaw (can’t even tell), on my lip (can kinda see), and kinda to the side below my eye (faint enough). I’ve also scraped my chin pretty bad falling off my bike in middle school, ran over a rock and it threw me off. That was right before Halloween too, have the pics with the scraped up chin! Bright side, the stiches will be really cool!
Ugh – sorry to hear about that! I’ve come to realize that half of the people in the gym never know how to use equipment correctly (hence leaving on the machine), so I think pointing fingers at them is perfectly acceptable! Hope the wound heals quickly!
And in case it makes you feel better, I’ve ate it on many workouts (which I do with my coworkers and a trainer). The trainer has had to pick gravel out of my knees more times than I’d like to count! And just a a few weeks ago, I hit my head so hard on a bar that he thought I had a concussion. Just another day in the gym for me :)
Oh my goodness – I am SO sorry this happened to you! But so thankful it wasn’t worse and I love your attitude about it. But dang, I bet that hurt! :( I fell at a roller disco costume party 3-4 years ago wearing roller-skates and busted my chin AND chipped my tooth. So I feel your pain. xoxoxo
oooh, sorry! that is lame that someone left it running?
I was running FAST on a treadmill once, and my foot hit the edge – I stumbled several times, my shoes EEK EEK EEKing so loud, before I flew off and hit the wall behind me. Bruises and scrapes, but I was okay and got back on… :)
A few years ago I had eye surgery a couple days before Halloween – instant costume, since my surgeon taped up my face like I was Massive Head-wound Harry!
feel better!
Ouch. That looks painful. You have the right attitude, though!
you poor thing!!! that is CRAP. i’d be furious if that happened to me. way to stay light-hearted, sweet pea! :) oh! and the other blogger (i guess there was only one other one that i can remember right now) was Tay (heyitstay.wordpress.com) who did the run i commented on yesterday! <3 i think there were more, but i can't remember.
hope you heal up soon, dear!
wow. that’s a crazy story, but literally when i clicked on your blog i saw a spitting image of what i looked like with my chin sewn up in pretty blue after i busted my ass on my bike. cheer up… and it always makes for a good story :D
aw hope you feel better. the treadmill definitely shouldn’t have been running with no one on it! what the heck! that is my worst fear!
Oh no! I hope you are alright! Once during a track race, while running the 200 meters (you know, in front of the 100s of people watching), my shoe FELL OFF! I don’t know how because I am a FREAK about making sure my shoes are tied good, but yeah…that’s my embarrassing running story.
*whoops, that was supposed to say “the last 200 meters”
Oh my goodness, Hill!!!! Really hope you are ok :( I give you mad props for how you handled it. You are one tough cookie!!
Ouch, I hope you feel better! I actually fell on a treadmill too, but I didn’t need stitches. The machine was on and even though I started walking, it seemed to go really fast. Next thing I knew, I fell :(
Ahhhh!!! So sorry that happened to you! I’ve witnessed a similar incident, but the girl didn’t fall all the way down. I don’t understand when treadmills are running unattended. Bizarre. Glad you’re okay though.
Yikes!! Glad to hear you’re okay!
Hillary-
This happened to me about two years ago. I still workout at the same gym and most people no longer remember….
I do at least 2-3X runs a week on a treadmill and I had such a similar story… I was walking towards the treadmills, it was January, so most were full… and then I saw a guy get off and I walked towards it… I jumped on it without noticing the jerk never shut it off. I went flying and landed on my a@$# and hit my hand on the groung and had to go to the hospital. I was crying, it was so embarrassing and my brother still makes fun of me… but its life and you will look back and laugh about it. And I’m sure from now on you will always look to make sure its off!!!
Great job on your amazing half marathon btw!!
Oh my gosh!! This is a crazy, horrible story!! I can’t believe someone left the treadmill running! I mean, come on — how hard is it to press stop? I’m SO sorry about your fall, but I’m glad you weren’t hurt worse. Hope you are healing ok!
What a nightmare; hope you’re recovering… I’ve never had a running accident, BUT I fell off my bike at the age of seven and cut my chin open in exactly the same place you did – the pictures are almost identical! If it’s any consolation, no one’s ever been able to see my scar, unless I tilt my head right back :-)
Been there done that! Except I was the idiot who left my own treadmill on, stepped off to tie my shoe, and then forgot it was on and stepped back on…BAM! I don’t think I injured myself as badly as you; I cut open my knee and had bruises on my legs. The saddest part is that I was SO embarrassed I got right back up and ran my 30 mins… the whole time thinking to myself…don’t stop, don’t stop, omg, don’t stop, so embarrassed, hurts so bad, don’t look at it, omg… I practically crawled back home, and cried as I iced my leg.
This is crazy! I’m so glad you weren’t hurt even worse!
I can’t believe someone would walk away and leave a treadmill running, that is so strange. I hope you are feeling better, maybe the gym needs to put a sign up saying “please make sure the treadmill is off before you get off”.