I was running yesterdy in the forest. I had my new Brooks running shoes which felt so amazing on the feet. And I was doing pretty much everything except being focused on the running. Listening to music. Making plans in my head. Trying to make the Google Voice Assistant do what I expected from it, by saying “Decrease the volume”, getting interpreted as “Increase the volume” (haha). In short, I was not paying much attention to the surroundings.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my foot and had to stop. A wooden branch was lying on the ground, and it felt like something pierced the shoe.

I ran a little more and decided to examine my foot. Sure enough, the shoe was pierced by some spiky part of the branch. I took the shoe off and took out a small piece of wooden splinter from the shoe. The pain was moderate, but the surprise was much greater. My shoe was had been pierced by a piece of wood… I still find it hard to believe.

More than 24 hours later, it still hurts, though it’s healing pretty well. But this incident somehow stuck in my head. I really wish that other runners avoid my fate. So…

Three Lessons

The lessons I draw from this incident?

  • Nature is powerful!
  • Running requires full focus. You can’t just rely on the autopilot, or you might crash
  • The best equipment will not protect you if you are not careful enough