Free Falling.....

So I am at dinner with friends last week and the topic of sky diving was brought up. Instantly I look down at my plate hoping I did not scarf up all of my food in order to avoid being in the conversation. Pure luck I still had part of my sushi roll to shove in my mouth and listen.

Jumping out of a plane has to be one of the craziest things I could think of and yes, this is coming from a multiple Ironman finisher. I think I would rather swim through slimy, alligator infested water than jump out of a plane. Naturally when my turn came around I shook my head with a resounding reply of heck no (okay, I may have said something else at the time to get the point of no across to them).

I thought to myself, what words of wisdom could I offer being the true friend that I am to my lunatic friends? After all, this group has listened to me gripe about bad training days, chafing after long miles on the bike and run and everything else a triathlete could complain about. Here are my two cents on the matter:

Wear socks that will wick moisture. This way when you are screaming the entire way down to the ground and sweating up a storm, take comfort in knowing your feet will be nice and dry.

A good pair of athletic shoes. I would choose one with lots of cushion or even springs. At least when you land on shoes with springs you are going to make one heck of a funny home video and give the Easter bunny a run for its money.

Land feet first – yes, I said that. But think about it, landing feet first focuses the impact on a small area. It also has your feet and legs absorbing the worst of it. Plus, you will probably need to move up your foot exam you have been blowing off with your Podiatrist.

Keep your feet and legs tightly together so that both your feet hit the ground at the same time. This way, you can have really cool matching casts on your legs and feet.

Land on the balls of your feet – even more torturous impact to the foot and legs as opposed to landing on your side.  This way, you will not burst open like an egg, you will probably resemble Wiley Coyote (and don’t write back telling me you don’t know the bugs bunny series).

Finally, tuck your head and try to roll after impact but avoiding the poison oak or ivy and here in Texas don’t land in a wild boar’s nest or snake house they don't like drop in visitors.