Falling Everyone's favorite fear. Yes, I have crashed, a few times. I suffered bruises mainly, but more often a burn from skidding on the floor. The very fast skaters sometimes even endure a broken bone. As we all know, skating is a risk at any time and crash management is part of skating.
Some speeders wear minimal pads, others only a helmet and skin suit and take what comes.
But yes, crashing is part of any sport and indoors speed skating has its share. The most fearsome element for me was getting used to pack skating. Getting THAT close to another skater was challenging. First, it really limits your visibility so you must trust the skaters in front of you. There is also the fear of catching another skater's frame or possibly a pylon, but the more you do it the more second nature it becomes.