I relaxed into my run almost immediately. I expected to be sore and slow as I had run fast the day before. The day was hot, almost 90 degrees, and I felt great. I was running fast again and my mind was wild with words and thoughts that were not my own.
A wind blew in, the air shifted and felt like rain was coming. I welcomed the cool breeze and the clear air. I turned around and started home, realizing that all of the windows in my home were open.
Autopilot, it’s what I call the mode that my brain gets into when I run. I was in full-fledged autopilot and loving every second of it. Suddenly, my body felt off. It was perplexing because I felt so great up until that exact moment. Normally, it is a sign that I need to extend my stride and take a larger step. My body wanted me to slow but my mind told me to increase my stride, that I had felt great to that point. It was only about 2 or 3 large strides before I got immediate and sharp hip pain. I slowed my pace to just shy of a walk for 2 steps and then a large dead branch fell from a tree as the wind blew violently. It was about 3 feet from me when it hit the road and pieces of it flew up and hit my legs, chest and sunglasses. I didn’t even have time to put a hand over my face before the debris hit me.
I took one large stride over the branch on the road. Without a thought, I screamed “I love you, thank you” to the universe. My hip pain was already gone and it was obvious that it was the universe's way of protecting me. Your body won’t lie to you, learn to trust it.
