About Me

Monday, June 26, 2023

...about that little crash


After several seasons of cycling, it finally happened.

My first-ever crash, that is, and it was a doozy!

Care to hear some thoughts, reflections, and musings?


It started, innocently enough, as a long ride with friends (Amy and Mike). It ended with a nasty tug-of-war wrestling match of sorts, as I painstakingly (quite literally) attempted to change out of my sweaty (fitted) biking tank (with its own built-in fitted shelf bra, BTW) and bonus sweaty sports bra underneath. This was in the close confines of a narrow stall, in an (un)air-conditioned bathroom, off of the trailhead.

Talk about your first world problems!

We were about 21 miles into our 55ish-mile ride, and about seven miles past the most recent town. I was coming off of a gradual curve, when my front tire veered off the trail. There was a 5-6 inch drop-off, and then gravel. Lots of gravel. As is common with most freak accidents, things happened within a split-second, so I had no time to react to avoid injury. I tried to steer it back, and then Boom! I was down for the count. 

After the initial shock of what had happened dissipated, I was able to stand up (pretty easily, actually!). I could tell my shoulder had taken the brunt of the impact. My left arm had a nice array of road rash. My left shin had a big raised welt. And, the left side of my rib cage felt pretty achy. Nothing "felt" broken, but I knew the ribs had taken a big hit, LOL.

Fortunately, my bike didn't appear to have any damage, other than a missing end cap to one of the handlebars. Everything seemed to be still in alignment, so I carefully climbed back on. Whew! 

We had another 6ish miles to the next town (our ride's turn-around), where we were planning to have lunch (and then heading back afterwards). Thankfully, I had more dull aches than true pain, but I could tell my ribs were already making it difficult to take deep breaths...not really an immediate problem, but still a concern nonetheless.

The ride back went pretty well, all things considered. The trail was fairly flat, for the most part, so there weren't too many hills to battle. There was wind, though (seriously, I think wind is the one constant!). I'd brought a change of clothes to wear for the car ride back home (just under an hour of drive time). As mentioned above, it was a major battle getting the bike jersey off with the achy ribs and compromised shoulder! It felt like everything was super-glued to me, and I was afraid I'd have to sleep in it.

After showering, upon getting back home, it took me maybe 15 seconds to nod-off into a deep slumber for a couple hours. The 56-mile bike ride hadn't been too strenuous, but it did take extra effort with my stiffening shoulder and aching ribs. It was a hot afternoon, as well, so that added to the fatigue. 

The next morning, I felt like I'd been hit by a bus. I knew it would be a day of very easy-peasy, low-impact movement. And it was. But, I'd made it through the night without much discomfort. I'd had bruised ribs before, so this wasn't my first rodeo...I knew it would be awhile before things would be back to 100%. Oh well.

So, some reflections on all that's happened...

It was pretty empowering to (somewhat, LOL) simply get back on the bike and continue riding after the crash. I didn't have any reservations, or fear, in doing so. After Sunday's rest (the day following the crash), I did an early-morning ride AND an after-work ride, for 25 combined miles for Monday). I even ended the week with 83 cumulative miles of biking!

On Saturday's 25-mile ride, one week post-crash

Although my body felt progressively better with each passing day, I was amazed at how many new bruises kept appearing and how many color changes the "veteran" bruises could sustain as the week wore on.

As the road rash lightened, the bruising darkened

Thankfully, I am able to do most of my usual workouts. Granted, I have to modify some of the moves, though. For example, I can still hold a 2:30-minute forearm plank, but my 2.5-year daily push-up streak came to a crashing halt (see what I did there, LOL). 



The one exception is running. I have a 4th of July 5K race on the schedule, and its still a bit iffy if I'll be able to participate or not. Taking deep breaths is difficult enough, at the moment. Trying to run for 3+ miles, in the heat of summer, ups the intensity. Let's not forget the jarring motion of ones feet (as they pound the pavement) may not be too comfy on my sore ribs. The jury is still out on whether I'll be able to run it, walk it, or DNS. Yes, a first world problem, but a frustrating one.

All things considered, I was pretty lucky. Had I sustained more serious injuries, or my bike been unusable, things would have been drastically different. Not only were we 6-7 miles from civilization (in both directions), we also were a good 21ish miles from our vehicle. It would have taken a long time for me to get anywhere had I not been able to (1) get back on my bike, but also (2) ride it unassisted.

Although I am grateful to have many other fitness options to keep me entertained, I do sincerely miss running. And, I'd be lying if I didn't feel a little frustration in being sidelined from a freak accident as opposed to an actual exercise-related injury. Just keeping it real, LOL.

So, enough about me and my first-ever crash! At least now I no longer have to wonder when it's going to happen. Glass half full!

Have you ever been sidelined from running (or a favorite sport) due to an accident, rather than an actual injury? Ever bruised/fractured a rib?

 I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up


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10 comments:

  1. Very glad indeed that you are relatively OK and were able to get back on the bike with no / little fear. It's astounding when you've had any kind of fall how many bruises and scrapes show up, all round you, as if you rolled around on the ground!

    I have cracked my ribs falling over a dog when out for a run. I fell in a running position with one arm extended so smacked onto my side and knew I'd fractured something. In fact it didn't show up on the X-ray (I was in agony the next day if I pressed my sternum so was persuaded to get checked out: being me, I obeyed the notice on the side of ambulances and in pharmacies not to bother the ER if you're not about to die, so went to the chemist, who sent me to A&E, but I went to the walk-in centre, who then told me to go to A&E, so I did, on the bus), which is apparently common if you do it too soon, as the inflammation presses the bones together and you can't see the crack. Anyway, the treatment is the same for broken/cracked/bruised ribs so I took anti-inflammatories and rested (grrr) - I think I did the bike and cross-trainer at the gym but with still arms - and it was only a month or so later I had an irritation with my sports bra and realised a couple of my ribs have a raised ring around them of scar tissue from mending! I wish you quick healing and not too much frustration at not running.

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  2. you are so lucky that you didn't break anything. You must have strong bones.

    I can't believe how active you still are...

    I know what you mean about not running... when you are a runner, everything else pales in comparison.

    But you will be healed soon.

    And yes, I broke my foot recently walking to see a sunrise...

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  3. I think that the most important takeaway from this is that accidents happen in a flash. You didn't "do" anything to make your bike go off the road, it just happened, and it could "just happen" to all of us reading this. The real tragedy is not going out for adventures or in having an accident and not getting back on the bike. And also what Lyzzy said - a simple dog walk can end in broken ribs so you might as well venture forth for everything that life has to offer (with a helmet and appropriate safety equipment of course).

    So yay that you weren't seriously hurt and yay for having a good story to tell. I hope that everything will heal up for the July 4th race.

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  4. Accidents happen in a split second and usually there's nothing we can do. Here's hoping that you've recovered enough by next week to participate in your 5K on Independence Day!

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  5. You are very lucky that you were not more seriously injured. Sometimes you do have to get back on the horse. Not sure I would have done it so quickly though! I would have been pretty shaken up. Hope you are healed by July 4th

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  6. Oh no! Sorry to hear about the accident! I hope you heal soon and can run your race next week. I've fallen a few times and I've had to stop running. The last time it happened I was afraid to run outside so I had to run on a treadmill.

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  7. Sorry about your crash! I'm glad it wasn't worse and that overall you are ok. Hopefully you can get back to running soon!

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  8. Sorry about the crash and glad that you were not seriously injured. I hope you get well soon and you can run as soon as possible.
    About me I was seriously injured: I felt 2 times while running and I broke the same shoulder, the second time, January 2016, I needed a prosthesis. Just last month I discovered to have a osteopenia.

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  9. It's very lucky this crash wasn't worse! And very lucky your bike was okay. I'm pretty sure I had a fractured rib once. It was also a very freak accident- my son was a toddler and I was giving him a bath. I was kneeling by the side of the tub, and when I went to get up, I braced myself with one arm on the tub.... but my hand slipped out from under me and my ribs hit the side of the tub, with all my bodyweight. OUCH. Since I know they can't do anything for a broken rib, I never went to get it checked out. I was in SO MUCH PAIN for weeks- it sucked. But, like everything else, it healed. I hope you're feeling better by now!

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  10. Girl, you're hardcore. I can't believe you just got up and got back on the bike. I am glad it was just bruises though.

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