Describe how many times you've fallen while running and why.

First up: why is this frontpage if its 6 years old lol

I fell three times ever that i remember. They were all during my first trail run which was only 7 miles. There were tree branches hidden in the sand. Bruised my arm on the last one. That was also the last time i went for a real trail run

Almost fell off a mini cliff during an xc race. There was a 90 degree muddy turn in the course with a drop on the other side. Had a teammate accidently slidetackle me and I went over the edge but was slowed down as I hit some dry dirt.

I just fell last week. Was on a trail and I was feeling a little dizzy while jogging along. Toe caught a root and I went down hard. Landed on my chest. Took about 20 sec to get up and keep going.

old guy 67 wrote:

Probably about 10-15 times. I've been running trails the last 25 years and have been attacked by roots at least 50 times. Being gifted with remarkable athletic ability I've been able to remain on my feet most of the time by employing a flailing helicopter type maneuver with both arms rapidly circling in wide arcs.

Having run trails for almost 70 years now (I'm now 80 and still at it, winning "age equivalent" races these days), I can say that I was never even really hurt by numerous falls (relying on similar "helicopter" or "ornithopter" flailing maneuvers). But around 5 years ago at age 75 coming downhill during a half-marathon on Greylock mountain here in the Berkshires, I learned to take falls more seriously. As I was passed by two women on the trail, I tumbled instantly down on a sharp rock. It opened my forehead and severed my temporal artery resulting in massive blood loss. I survived only because the two women were both professional nurses, Mary Reeve and Jill Lizotte by name, and they and others abandoned their races to keep me alive for an hour before firemen came. The firemen lugged me on a stretcher to an ambulance and then to an actual helicopter from the summit to Albany Medical Center. There my 9 inch gash was sewn up by surgeon Lauren Whipple. I now focus on road races with only an occasional gander on easy trails. I think you lose balance with age and falls become more perilous.

Once:

Exchanging baton in DMR (800->Mile; 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships)

I hit a little pothole running 1.25 mi repeats. I was running about 5:15-5:20 pace and went flying several feet. Sprained my ankle and couldn't run for a week.

Another time was running repeats on a lake trail. I was coming up behind a n older couple that was taking up the whole path. I always warn people when I am coming, but they didn't hear me, so I ran wide on off of the path and hit a wet patch of mud and spilled out, scraping and bruising my knee.

Another time finishing up an 8 mile steady state run, I came upon some construction and had to run on the grass to avoid it. I hit a very bumpy uneven patch and twisted my ankle and flopped to the ground. I was about 1.5 miles from home, I limped about half a mile and some guy saw me limping all sweaty and shirtless and stopped to offer me a ride home. I had to take a few days off for the ankle to recover.

I have probably spilled out on ice around 4-5 times, but never badly injured.

I’ve fallen a ton. I stumble a lot and fall probably 1 in 10 stumbles. The worst are the “almost nose dives” where I somehow manage to get a leg under myself to save the fall but have a massive force drive up through my hamstrings and hips.

Usually it’s roots and rocks On trails toward the very beginning of runs (when I’m stiff) or the end (when I’m tired). However, occasionally even on pavement my heel will catch an uneven spot. I’ve also discovered I apparently close my eyes at times while running. It’s ok - you can laugh at me.

bayarearunner9 wrote:

Too many to count.

Fell about 5 times running the Dipsea my first time, and once my second time. Rolled my ankle two years in a row at running camp from tripping and falling over a root.

Did you race the dipsea? I ran it solo and had a ton of trouble finding the “path” through the neighborhood... was kind of weird running down the road into what appeared to be somebody’s yard. Despite tons of falls in my day-to-day running, I only fell once at the very end of dipsea as I was trying to find the path from the trailhead to the beach - I was scanning for signage and my foot sunk into thick/slick mud as I ran through the roadside grass and down I went.

But I could also see taking spills in a race in some of the steeper sections (like when you duck back into the woods after the nice Pacific Ocean view).

Probably around a dozen times, but it has always been on trails. My group run on Saturday is the culprit of most of them. First time running single track with them I went down twice. Gone down a few more times in the mud. One winter with several inches of fresh snow we made our own trail and didn't realize we were on a frozen creek and caught some ice.

Most memorable was near the end of the Tecumseh Marathon (trails near Bloomington, IN). Section of trail had tons of roots sticking 6 inches out of the ground and I was walking through it. Couple of guys passed me and tried to encourage me to start running. 5 seconds and I face planted. Walked the rest of the way through the roots.

too many times. Could fill a Book on how many times I've fallen while running.

Even have one on VHS. X-C districts in 89 at EMU. Coming down the Golf Club hill, slipped landed on butt with feet in the air, slid down the rest of the hill, at the bottom put my feet to the ground as it leveled off and was back on my feet running. Father always thought it was cool how I didn't lose any momentum. Probably the fastest part of the race for me.

Had a home HS X-C course with parts called the swamp (3 segments about half mile total). Grew up running on it as a young kid as Father was HS Coach. So falling in wet Michigan falls were common. Had one work out (HS) in the rain where I seemed to fall at every turn. Running fast in flats on wet dirt paths.

Had a Time Trial in College in the rain that everything that could go wrong did. Falling was the least of the problems, which I think I did twice during the TT. Also, had to stop twice more to get wood chips out of spikes to say the least.

1. While on a run with my team on a trail, I tripped while running over rocks. Thinking that's all that it was, I got up and fell again. I then looked and noticed a four inch cut on my ankle with barbwire stuck to my sock. I removed it, got up, and finished my run. 3 years later and I still have the scar.

2. This winter, I rounded the corner on a long run, and aware of the ice, I stepped carefully. I still ended up falling and cutting my knee, with all the sixth graders on the team staring at me from across the street. I turned around and finished my run, with blood dripping down to my shoe and flicking everywhere.

Good times.

Just one that I remember. Summer 2018, halfway into a 13 miler on East Tiger Mtn up to the Preston RR Grade, caught my toe on a root jutting up at the edge of a drop. Super-manned into a boulder. Smashed my left pec and slit my wrist open but good. Couldn't clear the dirt out so I let it bleed to prevent any flesh-eating bacteria- took 40 minutes to stop dripping. Last 6 miles was a bit tough to get thru.

Three major ones that I can remember:

Running on a rocky leaf covered trail in late October looking down at my watch instead of the ground like I should've, hit a root and the next I knew I was laying on the ground with my knee covered in blood. It started dripping down, like a ton of it too, and I didn't think much of it until I went to a parking lot with a ton of people with a tour guide in the distance, I rubbed a bunch of leaves on the wound which just made my whole leg a light shade of red, and my hands and face ended up being covered too hahaha. Very very awkward.

Running on a winding bike path on a 60 degree February morning, so there was a ton of melting clumps of snow, I tried to jump one clump that was like 3 feet long while turning a corner and slipped on a sheet of ice right when I landed. I slipped backwards and hit first my tailbone and then the back of my head and just layed there for 10 minutes in agony, I wish I would've broken the fall with my hands but I was carrying a college room key and I guess my reaction was to hold onto that rather than not break my fall. I really thought I broke my tailbone, it ended up hurting for a good month after but I eventually recovered but that was a long painful recovery.

Third one was I was warming up for a road race in the city with my brand new pair of pink vaporflys, and I was wearing a pair of sweats that the ankle zipper was stuck on the top part so it was flapping around. Well the flap got caught under the shoe so I tripped face first in front of about 1000 people.

Probably around 20 times. I have a terrible sense of balance. Most falls are due to tripping over roots on trails. I have also been done in by curbs, slick spots on roads, holes in roads when running in the dark, and wet grass. Several times the falls have resulted in injuries serious enough to require medical attention.

Over 50 years and 120000 miles, most of it off road, and I have fallen too many times.

Most common causes:

-tripped on protruding rock, root, etc.

-slipped on ice, slick snow, mud, loose rocks.

-clipped or stepped on by other runners behind me, and a couple times by their unleashed dogs.

Some unique unusual falls:-

-ran into a taught fine wire cable at thigh level I did not see.

-went down in a mini avalanche/snow slide traversing a side slope covered with 8" snow.

-edge of poor half bench constructed trail collapsed when I stepped on it.

No really big injuries except 4 stitches, 2 broken fingers, broke 2 pairs of glasses, and lots of scrapes, cuts and wounded pride.

Problems as I get older include the decline of physical skills to recover and not fall. I also see potentially hazardous conditions and remember how I once fell before in similar situations. The part of my brain that recognizes fear has also fully developed, I also have dependents at home. So I now sometimes run less aggressively and slower to avoid falling.

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I've fallen so many times running, thankfully no serious injuries (that I am aware of).

Highlights include:

1.) Dog started chasing me in middle of the run and I looked at the dog instead of the road and tripped on something.

2.) Training for my first marathon, a series of long runs involved falling at 15-16 miles when I would trip on uneven pavement. The "fall streak" ended when I changed my route so the uneven part would be early on and not when I was very tired and not picking up my feet enough.

3.) Numerous times on uneven sidewalks. I now run in residential roads as much as possible and avoid sidewalks when I can.

4.) Ironically, I slipped and fell on a wet bumpy pad they have at the end of sidewalks for persons with disabilities.

5.) I've "tried" trail running three times and fallen on two of those runs. Roots and rocks. I am nervous about trying again because so far it has not gone well.

6.) Ice.

7.) Not "running", but I was stopped and about to cross a road (during a run) and misplaced my foot on a cement curb that had a right angle (because I was looking at traffic), fell off the curb, landed face down in the street and slightly sprained my ankle. It was in front of a lot of cars, and was probably my most embarrassing fall. This is my most recent running related injury, but I was just standing there and then took a walking step, so I claim it was not caused by running.

My most recent fall was probably on one of those trail runs, autumn 2019. I also learned that fallen leaves on a trail that has lots of roots and rocks is not a great combination, and I think that "run" ended with a very careful hike towards the car and being extremely concerned about falling again. I have not attempted trail running since then.

The number of times I've almost fallen and somehow got back up without going down is impressive, and everytime this happens I am shocked and have no idea how I got back up. I've greatly reduced my fall rate by not running on sidewalks, paying more attention to the running surface, and I think my body has learned how to prevent falling (sometimes) when I start to lose balance.

when you run on trails it's a regular thing. you remember some of the bad ones.

there was one epic fall (or fail). in a trail race I caught up with a group

of runners, and they were all standing and looking down. I mean, that was a huge

hint, right? well, not for me. I kept on running and very quickly realized my mistake,

the downhill was all mud and super-slippery, just impossible. on that downhill alone

I fell like 3 or 4 times and it was not pretty. it was just comical

I bet maybe around 10 times,

I think twice running trails and tripping on a root or having a misstep. The rest were just random falls on ice in the Winter. Normally when doing an out and back and turning around.

most of my falls happened while I was actually only walking, and mostly because of snow/ice, so that kind of doesn't count . maybe 2-3 jogfalls overall, except one particular time. that was crazy. I was jogging real slow at the park, thought I was being careful having already fallen in the first minute or so. only time I was ever there. unpaved path for the most part, some exposed tree roots. a short distance- wasn't exactly fit, so maybe a mile or so, and... still wiped out 2 more times in just a few minutes. 3 frikken falls! wtf can't explain