Not a very happy camper, but what a nice job the Fire Fighters did bandaging me up!

So after getting back into the swing of things this week as far as training, I was looking forward to my recovery bike ride on Friday night.  Thunderstorm clouds had moved in and, though a bit windy, it was under 90 degrees.  Perfect for a nice easy ride 🙂  I was determined to make the ride a REAL recovery.  Sometimes that is hard for me, you know.

I left about 4:45 and was off to my cousin Emily’s cross country meet that started at 5:00.  After her race I would finish my ride.  Adam met me at the park where the meet was running and we enjoyed watching Em and the other local high school kids battle it out on a nice course through the North Bloomington Park.

The meet was short and I was back on the bike just after 5:30.  I stayed on the trails close to the River to help to control my speed and keep me in the recovery mindset.  I was really enjoying myself.  I was approaching the hour mark of my ride and needed about 20 more minutes so I was going to swing through Sun River to the Southern Parkway and then on to home.  I was at the intersection of Man O War and Sugar Leo and decided to turn Right.  There was water running through the cement ditch (gutter).  I know better than to hit water like this with any kind of speed and as soon as my wheel touched it, I knew what was about to happen.  Both wheels slide, quickly, and I fell even faster flat on the ground, striking my right hip, elbow and then head on the pavement.

I slowly sat up and my first though was, I’m okay, I’ll just ride it home.  Then I realized my elbow was bleeding pretty good and I probably should sit for just a minute before getting up.  I pulled the bike out of the middle of the street  and gave myself the once over.  A few cars passed by me and I was really surprised that no one had stopped and torn as to if I wanted anyone to actually stop.  One lady did eventually turn around and asked if I needed help.  She was getting out some wipes and things when another woman pulled up and let me know her house was down the street and I was welcome to come and clean myself up there.  It was then that the Fire Department pulled up……..Yup!  Fire truck and all.

Yup! That hurts!

The engine was in the neighborhood and just came upon the “incident”.  Had they been called, I would have (number 1) been mortified and (number 2) impressed at their speed of response 😉  I was actually glad they were there because they got me checked out, clean up and bandaged.  I must have fallen in the dirtiest spot on earth because I was covered with sticky, oily, road dirt (this was probably part of why I went down……..put water over that and it becomes a skating rink).  They noted that I may need a few stitches in my elbow (it’s small, but deep) and that I probably didn’t have a concussion.  Seeing how we don’t have any insurance coverage for me, I was happy to avoid the trip to the Instacare.

I had called Adam a few moments before and he soon pulled up, kids in tow, to take over.  I filled out the necessary paperwork saying that I  didn’t need to go to the hospital and off we went.  Bruised and battered, but in pretty fair condition.

So went my recovery ride……..It was turning into such a great ride to.  After cleaning myself up and crawling into bed, I was hesitant as to what he morning would hold.  Luckily when I got up it wasn’t so bad.  I figured I would have felt like I had been run over, but I was okay.  My hip and elbow was swollen and sore and my neck seemed to be completely out of whack…….but it could have been a million times worse.  I was grateful.

It almost looks like I have two elbows it is so swollen.

I called my trusty massage therapist, Adam Byington, and after a bit of massage and essential oils, my neck was feeling better, but I’m pretty sure I have whiplash.  I’m getting quite an impressive bruise on my hip and my butterfly bandage seems to be holding the elbow together well.  I’m no worse for the wear.

Coach M ordered an end to my week after I considered going for a run or something and she was VERY right.  My poor head is foggy and stiff.  It is going to take a few days before I’ll be on the pavement again.  I’m set to race Kokopelli this coming weekend, so we’ll have to play that one by ear.  Right now, I’m not a fan of putting much weight on my elbow and the aero position doesn’t look very comfy 🙁  We’ll see.

Owie!

Banged up and bruised, but grateful that my big races of the season are behind me and off-season is ahead.  Unfortunately, when you are a cyclist, who puts hundreds of miles in a month, crashing is not a question of if it is a question of when and how bad.  I feel pretty fortunate with this one and knew my number was up.  I’ll knock on wood (or my helmet) and hope the next “incident” isn’t for a while.

Not a whole lot of road rash. A sore hip, neck and elbow though!