Finally

It finally happened.  

I did it.

I fell.

And I made it a good one!

7:30

Oct. 16th

Trail Run

Temp:  Not sure, but there was ice on my windshield

Location:  Black Diamond Bike Trails

I have been trying for months to coordinate with my friend Heather to run.  We are both Mom's kind of with opposite schedules.  I am evening runner.  I have a little one so I have to wait for the husband to get home.  She runs when the kids are in school.  So I was thrilled when my scheduled changed for our first training run together.   We set out from her house to the well-known trail system.  I was stoked!  I usually run alone.  That  can get lonely, because I am alone.  Just in case you were confused.  Anyway, about two miles in we were working up a sweat and trying to chit chat.  That started getting a little bit hard which meant we were really starting to work.  In mid sentence, at about mile 2.5, is when I went from talking to flat on my face.  HARD. As it always does, it happened really fast.   Loud thud and no more talking.  I instantly felt colors.  I may have seen them.  You know that intense pain when purple and blue and pink come into your head.  I rolled over onto my back grabbing my knee.  You know its bad when you "roll" into bushes.  The first thing she says, "don't worry, I'm not going to keep running."     She may have said something different or meant to say something else but that is what I heard.  We both were a little worried.  I want to say I was more scared that I had sustained an injury that ended my running career but I was still wallowing in the pain.  I needed to get up. I had to put weight on it.  As I glanced down I saw the rock I landed on.  Jagged, lethal looking.  It laughed at me.  I know it did.  That rock was a knee eater.  If rocks had personalities, this one had the personality of a serial killer.  Perfect place.   Put there just for me.  I rolled up to stand.   I could stand.  Yay!   Fudge O rama,   I was kind whirling but needed to complete my next task. Walk.   Walking checked out.   We lifted my pant leg.   Ok.  This is difficult to type without breaking out in shear laughter.   Heather shouted,  "OH MY GOD!  Oh geez."  We had a couple of the "OH NO!!!!! its as bad as it can be!!".  She had me laughing.   She would instantly apologize, "I'm sorry, I'm not helping am I?"  Our next challenge was to find our way out. She had her phone with the GPS but it was confusing.  We called for husband help.  We let him know I was injured and needed rescue.  After hanging up with advice on where to go we continued on our quest for 169 (our local highway that runs with the trail system).  We could see and hear the cars so we were close but it was a little more complicated then that.  The trail system whinds around and around and around.  You get on a trail think you are headed where you need to be then all the sudden it gets you going in the opposite direction.  We were concentrating on hopping onto the right trail when we heard another larger THUD THUD THUD.  We looked up and there we two MONSTER sized deer.  They had RED EYES I tell you.  Ok, they didn't. But it was scary.  I froze, than, walked, then, froze, which direction do I go, oh shammalama ding dong.  It was like I braced myself to get thumbed on by a deer.  Praise Jesus they went in the other direction.   I thought, whats next Big Foot?  We shook it off and continued on our quest for the highway.  Paul (the husband) was parked out on the highway to rescue us.  There was deep ravines and sharp stabbing sticks but we made it.  Heather assisted me thru each step.  We got to the truck.  As soon as I sat down my knee started in with the pain.  They drove me back to my house so we could assess whether or not I needed medical attention.  That was completely nice because my car was still at their house.  Heather drove my car back for me.  True Friends!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!

The Knee
So I have obvious trauma to my knee.  Once I got home, I couldn't get comfortable.  I could move it, bear weight on it, and the swelling could have been a lot lot worse.  I self diagnosed and hear it is:

My knee received some blunt force trauma, right thru the middle in the soft part.  I sustained a contusion which is slightly swollen.  The discomfort I am feeling is from the contusion and swelling which seem to be pushing on my knee cap.  My knee is not swollen from top but from side view  there is noticeable difference.  I have some injury to my arm muscles and palm on my left hand. I am having difficulty moving my arm but it just needs a couple days of healing.  At this point, medical care is not necessary. I will rest and keep an eye on it.  Obviously if it doesn't get better I will go in but right now I am PRAYING for it to be just bruised : )   please.  please.  OH PLease let it be bruised.   I did required pain killers to get comfortable.  Like I said if I need to keep taking pain killers than I need to be seen.  But I wanted to give my body a chance to repair itself and go from there.  Lots of ice.

My day did not get better.  I was suppose to meet up with a friend for another long run.  I was dreading sending her a text to cancel.  In the shower I picked up my phone (yes I was in the shower, it is possible, you just hold the phone out of the water)  only to get a message that she could not meet me.  Something worse had happen to her....it sent me into instant tears.   I stood there in my towel,  wet hair, in pain, crying for her.  The dreaded call that one of her parents had suddenly made the journey home to heaven via a heart attack.  To respect privacy, I won't name her but I was heavy hearted the rest of the day.  I texted my Dad to tell him I loved him.  In honor of my friend, I am changing my music.  Prayers being said for your family.