Bike Crash

Yesterday's TIART at the Runner's Lounge was, "Only in Running ..." I'm a day late, but here's my contribution:

Only in running do you fall off your bike and your first thought is, "I hope I can still run" :)

We rode our bikes to Orange Cycle this morning, had some lunch at College Park, then rode back. The ride was great and uneventful, until I turned onto the driveway to my apartment, slipped on some leaves, and wiped out. I landed on my side and I think my left hip took the brunt of the impact, then my head. Thank god for helmets!

Nothing is broken, but I have a big nasty scrape on my left elbow (I think 1 layer of skin is gone), a small gash and scrape on my right knee (why is it always my right knee!?) and bruises on my left thigh/hip that are slowly materializing and changing colors before my eyes. Of course, this would happen the one time I forget to wear my cycling gloves, but my right hand just has a tiny scrape.

My biked may have looked worse than me, as it layed in a contorted heap on the ground. The front wheel and handlebars were twisted to one side and Jason thinks that the breaks may be broken or at least need to be realigned or popped back in. So I may be getting a new bike sooner than planned, though I planed to start seriously looking next week anyway.

I really did think about how this would affect my running schedule as I was falling or as I layed on the ground--it all happened so fast. I amazed myself with how much I have changed. Had this happened last year, it would have ruined my day and I would have used it as an excuse not to bike or exercise for a while. But today I just popped back up and started immediately analyzing the damage and thinking about what I could do to ensure I was back running and biking as soon as possible. I was laughing and smiling almost immediately as Jason took photos of the damage.

I've somehow transformed myself into an athlete and suddenly find myself seeing a whole new world I never knew existed--or at least it seemed so far away that I never thought I'd be part of it or get to even peak through the fence. Now I can't imagine it being any other way, and I look forward to where the next turn in the road will lead me.