Older, slower, and clumsier

I've been trucking along, despite having gained a new tick on my tally of years lived. No new age groups for a couple more of these birthdays, and I'm not really racing much lately anyway. The best female endurance athletes always seem to be mid-30s, which I'm still classifying myself as for now. 

I am slowing down a bit, but I have my good reasons for that, not the least of which is winter coldness and all the extra clothes that go along with outdoor activity. 

But the clumsiness! Now in just the past 6 weeks or so I've tripped and come home bloody after two different runs. The first was on a trail made mostly of smooth gravel, but with sections of broken asphalt I was picking out of my hands weeks later. If I had just worn the thick gloves that day! Instead, I had on my new touchscreen compatible ones, since it is obviously too much trouble to put the glove on after starting strava. It was cold and I was fully clothed, thankfully, but still tore a hole in one of my favorite shirts at the elbow. The best husband ever (mine) remembered my love for these two moth-eaten, hand-me-down-gifted wool shirts and gave me a brand new one for my birthday. Helly Hansen base layer shirts! Go stock up. They are really the best for 40F or less. And they can save some of your skin. 

Anyway! I assumed that my fall was just due to the way my mind and eyes wander while running (not to forget the time I ran my forehead smack into a tree branch, requiring lots of stitches). But then just last week, running on a sidewalk with maybe a centimeter lip, I did it again. Flat onto my belly, hands, and, somehow, shoulder I skidded. I stood there in pain, contemplating whether I should just call for a ride home, but then decided it wasn't really that far after all. 

When I got home, Hunter saw my wounds, said, "Awwww!" and came over to kiss then. After inquiring as to what surface I had been running on, he gave me some excellent words of toddler wisdom: 

"Mommy, if you run on the grass it won't hurt so bad when you fall." 

Quite true, and he should know, since he has fallen a lot more frequently in the past almost 3 years than I have. 

All kinds of remedies to this problem have run through my mind. Should I switch out of my Hokas? I really love them but do seem to scrape my feet more in them. I can blame my hip flexors, possibly, for not reacting quickly enough and getting a foot under me. Maybe it's time for some silver sneakers classes in balance training in my old age. 

Pondering the meaning of life. And running surface impact.