Friday, July 8, 2016

Catching Up.....Back on the Road!

I accidentally tabbed over to the blog stats site and saw that I still have readers looking for mature running tips and stories!  I have been off blog for one year now.....sorry to the readers out there, I did not even leave any updates or a closing statement or rationale.

The fact is that moving, competing and over training cost me a bit of energy and enthusiasm.  That is simply life.   To keep that from happening to others, I will try to catch y'all up to date.....as I did not ever lose my love for the run on the open road.  With music, it is my "road dance" that I love.



Giving myself a much needed break post the Senior Games, I settled into moving into new house, and making it home.  As Fall set in and new sites and places to explore allowed for much run enjoyment.  On crisp  fall/winter days (think 40 to 60 degrees F) I began to run further and faster.  Cold weather running is my favorite.  I love the feel of the cold wind as I run.  As winter moved into spring, I had been building up to 6 mile morning runs, and loving it...until the fall came.  Me.  The first fall I had,  was at full enjoyment running speed for me at around 9.5 min/mile.  My toe caught on the concrete as I rounded a small lake, and I flew forward, landing on  both knees,  mid section, knuckles of both hands right wrist and elbow.  Still wearing long running tights and jacket, when I collected myself, sat down on the path, and assessed the damage, I saw that I had torn my favorite white and orange jacket but both knees of my pants were intact.  A Bone jarring fall, but everything moved with pain felt on all impact areas.  As I struggled to figure out what had happened to me and how bad the damage, I saw no blood seeping through anywhere.  Several minutes passed.  It was a brilliant blue sky, crisp day, and I determined that since no serious damage was noted, I was going to continue my run.    No brain, no pain????  My rationale at that moment was that I was betting on being so sore and bruised up by the next day, I would be off my feet at least where running was concerned for several days.  My endorphin crazy brain convinced me to get up, dust myself off, and continue my run to the full 6 miles I had built up to.  I had been setting personal distance records per month, and my Nike program continues to motivate.  Although I was worried and distracted over what had caused me to fall, as in my years of running I never had, indeed I finished my miles and headed home.

Realization of a bad fall began to set in as I got inside the door and began to warm up.  Burning pain now was felt particularly my left knee and right elbow.  My tummy burned a bit strangely.   A quick peak of my abdomen showed road rash.  I headed into the bathroom and began to peel off my running clothes like one peels a banana.  Hat and gloves first, then unzipped my jacket.  Pain was now full bore on my elbow...and as I gingerly tried to remove my right sleeve, I saw that inside the white sleeve was blood, and the fabric of the jacket lining was embedded and dried into my right elbow.  I stopped pulling and sat down and tried to remove my tights, with the same pain in both knees, worse on the right.  The tights are black, and again, no tear in fabric, no signs of seeping blood, but the tights were similarly embedded into both knees, deeper on the right than the left, and not giving way to gentle pulling.  By now the nerve cells were all screaming, and I was home alone with a big mess.  Removing my shoes and socks was difficult and painful, but I did and then I limped to the shower, turned the water on and got in.....I knew I needed to remove the fabric as gently as possible and then somehow disinfect the big deep open areas, and find a suitable way to bandage myself up and prevent infection.  The warm water pelting down did not help the pain, but was necessary to moisten the wounds and get them cleaned out.  Soap, water and need to ignore pain to get the job done was all I could focus on.  After washing my wounds out, I left my clothes in the shower on the floor, grabbed a towel and began patting dry around the wounds, and taking a survey.  deep open abrasions and contusions were on my right knee, Left arm near elbow, with more superficial abrasions of my tummy, both forearms, hands, and my right knee.  I was glad I did not face plant.  Fully warmed up to room temp, now everything hurt to one degree or anther.  As a nurse, I was trying to  be objective and take care of myself, but since just unpacking I knew I did not have the type of bandages in the right size to cover these nasty bleeding wounds.  I also knew I  needed to put antibiotic cream on them, preferably the Neosporin with pain relief (lidocaine) and ice down the muscle aches and bruised areas that lost all the skin, and I needed covering bandages that would not stick to do this.  Telfa pads or gel pads, nonstick gauze and large nonstick bandaids....but how to get them?  To get to the store, I needed to cover them.  I did not know any neighbors yet........ how to even walk to knock on a door to ask for help.... so I try to call my husband.  He is usually all day long helping people with far more serious problems, so I try not to bother him.  First call on his cell gets the usual no answer.  I text him a few pictures and wait a bit.  Bruising and scrapes were ugly.  He came home with supplies!

 He texts back asking if I need help.  I tell him what I need is nonstick bandages and help wrapping up, will probably figure it out if he is busy.  He saw the pictures and when he had a break, left work to bring me what I needed and helped with the first bandaging before heading back to the hospital.  I was now propped on pillows, with ice packs and bandaged up, tylenol taken and waiting for relief.   Continuing the run was not the best thing I could have done I am guessing now.  I was right it would be a good week until I felt even tempted to run.
Then I would be slower and shorter distances for several weeks as I continued to heal.  The shock of what happened began to wear off when  as I was rounding a corner in an uphill area in the neighborhood on the road when it happened again!!!!

I found myself airborne for a second and then again sprawled on rough macadam surface.  Both palms had lost skin, deeply.  The jarring was again intense.  My right knee that had just begun to scab up and look like it would heal up was all ripped open again, and deeper.  I was distraught.  I began to wish someone would come by and drive me home, help me.......no one was out.  Tears streaming, and limping badly I slowly walked home.  This time, it hit me emotionally.   How could I have fallen again??  there were no cracks or seams in the road?  I had been carefully watching.  After getting home, I cleaned up, and before bandaging sat in the bathroom alone and sobbed.  I am strong, I have been through a lot and survived.  I did not understand this reaction inside myself.   After more than a half hour, I had cried it out.  I love my runs, and was feeling distraught that I might be finished.   I then redressed my new wounds and by now my right knee looked totally smashed and like a ragged pot hole.  It had only been a few weeks and being super careful, this fall blindsided my sensibilities.   I curled up in a soft blanket, with my meds and ice packs, and tried to sleep. Two weeks went by with no attempt to walk any distance or run.  I mentioned via email to my Speech Therapist, Amy Wilson, in my previous town, what had happened and how it upset me.   Amy initially advised me to go back to my computer and continue my exercises to increase my attention, a problem that persisted post SAH.  Admittedly, I got back into my living, and had let this fall by the wayside.

A day later she messaged  to me and said she had talked with the person who had been my Physical Therapist, Jason.  He told Amy, that he had noticed and told me that he noted a toe lag on one foot when my muscles on that side got tired.  I have no memory of this.  But I won't forget now.   His recommendation after I heal up, was to break my miles up, and not run so much in one day, not to run every day and to build up slower.  His best guess was that the nerve/muscle on the one affected side would tire, and my toes would lag and I was tripping myself that way.  Since I followed all of their wise advice,  no more falls.  As spring was passing I got out and ran shorter runs, slower and just tried to enjoy the cool spring weather while it lasted.






 Now into the hot Texas summer, with heat in the high 90s with high humidity, I am not running.  My last run was this one.

I should be blogging on cross training and also on heat exhaustion and heat stroke.  I was treated for heat exhaustion not long after this last picture was taken.  Post race, I began getting shivers, and felt very cold.  In fact it was the opposite, I was over heated.  EMTs poured cold water on me, and had me drink 3 bottles of Gatorade, a bottle of water and sit in the shade until the shivering stopped, and my blood sugar got above the 70 they measured it at.  Shivering in hot humid weather is not normal, and is a strong reminder that hot weather is not for exertion and me!
Building a pool to do some water aerobics in for me is underway.  It should be finished next week.
 What I will blog on now, as I see people from around the world are still checking in on my blog, is how to adjust your training to the weather as the seasons change, and tell about my cycling adventure that is upcoming in another week.  I plan a run in Ireland soon as the 60 degree F high temps are perfect for a run as well as a week on a bike!

Sorry for my absence, and neglect of this blog.  In my mind, its purpose had been fulfilled as it lead up to my biggest race.  One cannot stop encouraging fitness, and falls are part of this apparently.  But getting up, getting back into being active is what keeps me going.  I will keep giving my followers encouragement, and experience, even  the falls in life.




No comments:

Post a Comment