One Chapter of the Saga, Coming to a Close

In the mail today, I received a check from the insurance company for the City of Buena Vista. The check is to cover my medical expenses related to a freak accident that occurred on a run a little over two months ago in downtown Buena Vista: I put my right foot through a rectangular, flat metal water meter cover. When I stepped on it, near the end of my run, it broke in half, and the half I stepped on broke in half (total of three pieces). My leg dropped two feet below ground, and the rest of me sprawled out on the sidewalk thanks to my forward momentum. I felt the pain just below my knee almost instantly, and it increased rapidly until I wondered whether I would be able even to walk the remaining nine blocks home. A large hematoma formed just below and to the left of my knee. A nice gash topped it off, and another gash leaked a considerable amount of blood just below the right side of my knee. For days, blood drained from the hematoma, down the inside of my leg and pooled in my foot. Yes, I had a purple leg. When the pain started, finally, to subside, I realized that my self-diagnosed over-use injury was now hurting just as bad above my ankle, too. I had likely nailed the already tender tendons on my way into the hole. Fortunately, a doctor's exam, tetanus shot, and several x-rays later, everything appears to be in order, aside from the new and aggravated older soft-tissue damage, which always takes so much longer to heal. Now that I know that I am doing the right things to recover and that my medical bills are covered, I can continue to focus on rebuilding my running fitness base and strengthening my feet, ankles, and tendons in preparation for reentering the long running career I have planned for myself. So what if I am just an amateur. It's fun.