Today was the ‘Hamiversary’ of my fall on March 28, 2020 where I tripped on some black ice and tore my hamstring—a part of my anatomy I was completely unfamiliar with until that moment. I was less than a block from home, but the fall rung my bell so soundly I fainted once in the foyer of my building and then again in the elevator. For about 24 hours I thought I had a concussion but it was ‘just’ a torn and/or stretched hamstring which was severe and painful enough to cause the fainting. A few days later a spectacular thigh-length bruise formed on my leg. In my 27 years of walking this is by far the worst injury I’ve ever sustained, and it kept me off the trails for three weeks amidst a growing pandemic. I’m lucky I didn’t need surgery, or that the injury wasn’t worse.

Anyway, this year was much different. I am fully recovered and today, Tom and I went for a mid-afternoon walk on an overcast, snow-less day. March has been very warm, so unlike last year, the sidewalks pose no additional threat to me. No ice and it was 13C. Having said that, a storm was brewing, and we made it home before the rain started.