Anatomy of a crash

There are 5 easy steps to every crash.

1. The Unbeknownst
2. The Anticipation
3. The Brace
4. The Impact
5. The Consequences


The Unbeknownst
You feel calm, collected, and confident as you blitz into each obstacle at mach seven. Your mind races, struggling to keep up with your pace. Everything is within your limits, so far... except this time you slide a little further than expected, you can't stop in time, or you didn't take into account that one rock. You feel your plan starting to derail like a loaded down freight train. There is just too much inertia to deal with in too little time.

The Anticipation
The train is derailing and you know it. You can feel the ground coming at you like a speeding bullet. You know this is going to hurt... a lot. You get mad that it came to this. At this point you are trying to limit the damage. Observe what is going wrong and try to create the best plan of attack. Do you ditch it or try to ride it out? Quick, make a decision, the ground is coming up fast.

The Brace
Zero G as you are free falling. You feel the contents of your stomach drift upwards. You lose your sense of balance. It's quiet peaceful, but, this is just the calm before the storm. You know it's coming, you can see it, you can feel it. You're getting closer to the ground. Hopefully you have put yourself in the best position to survive what is about to happen. Brace yourself.

The Impact
There it is, the ground. You've been dreading this moment for the past 900 milliseconds. You feel your body compress as it slams into the ground. Close your eyes and try to relax, it will all be over soon. Each rock and root punish you as the massive amount of kinetic energy you are carrying is converted to heat and sound. You bounce off the ground like a child's basketball. Everything goes limp as you are free falling again, this time it's only a brief release from the oncoming pain. The ground is coming up again.

The Consequences
You're still sliding as you open your eyes. You can't make sense of anything. You can't tell which way is up. Once Newton's first law has run its course you come to a stop.  There is a sense of peace that washes over your body like a cold wave, it's finally over. The dust settles as you begin to check each limb. Wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers, okay good, those still work. It can't be that bad. Where does it hurt? Are all my bones still in one piece? Pain signals crawl up through your nervous system towards your brain. You feel the damaged parts of your body engulf in a non existent fire. FUCK. The only four letters you can muster up. This is where your recovery starts.