Day 3,997: An icy spill

A slip on an icy patch resulted in my finger being splinted for part of the day.

I've run nearly 4,000 days in a row and can tell you the one streak I could never do is run without falling down at some point. I can't tell you the last time I did fall down -- it's such a rare occurrence that I usually note it in this blog.

But today ... lol.

I had an easy 6-mile run on the schedule and it was kind of warming up and the streets were clear. Sure there were icy spots on some sidewalks here and there but largely nothing to worry about. I left the YakTrax at home since I would not need them 99 percent of the time I was out there.

But I was about four miles into the run when I slipped on an icy patch on a driveway. All that I know is that my cell phone that I was carrying in my left hand took the brunt of the fall as it got thrust right into the snow/ice. Only problem was that my left index finger also went into the driveway. I also fell/rolled on my right arm and right leg.

At first I wasn't sure if my finger was broken as it was incredibly numb for a while. It never swelled and I didn't have any trouble running the rest of the route home and holding my phone (which survived the fall).

When I got home, my finger felt a little better being taped to something straight (such as the IKEA pencil in the photo). A few hours later, when I took a shower, I took the makeshift splint off and my finger felt better without a splint.

The next day the finger felt fine although there was a bunch of bruising on either side of the knuckle and I couldn't really make a fist.

It just goes to show you that you never know what might happen when you get out on the run. I've learned my lesson, though. Uncomfortable or no, I have to wear YakTrax if there's any snow/ice out at all.

Time: 10:15 a.m.
Temp: 32 degrees (?), wind chill 29 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirts, long x2, windbreaker, Brooks running pants, Saucony ISO Zealot 3.