Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!

Well, it finally happened - my first bike crash; and not just a piddly little fall, oh no, I have to do everything in a big way!

Saturday, I needed to ride 27 miles to offset my lack of running 9 miles (3x run miles=bike miles). I got up at 5:30, prepared to go out about 6:30, but it was still dark so I waiting until 6:55. I was wearing my running shorts, bra top & tank top, but when I went outside it had started pouring down rain and the wind was blowing. So I went back inside, took off the tank and put on my waterproof rain jacket.

I was intending on running my usual North-South route which takes me North for half the distance and then back South on the same road. Since the wind was from the South, I just couldn't handle running against it again, so I decided to take a different route and kind of made it up as I went. It would take me into the small town of Aumsville, about 5 miles away, & then I would figure out which way to go. As I look back, I realize I should have gone against the wind. LOL

I crossed the overpass over Hwy 22 and began my descent into Aumsville on 1st St. I remember a truck with a trailer pulling out of a street ahead of me, I noticed the shoulder ended and I started riding on the road. I saw Gordon Lane on my left and thought of my brother in law, Gordon.

Then, I woke up on the ground with a gentleman asking me if I wanted him to call 911. Pretty befuddled, I mumbled something about getting back on my bike to finish my ride. Yeah, right! He said I had a bad cut above my eye that would need stitches so I nodded to call 911. Then I started thinking about how much it would cost. So typical of me. :)

This man was SO kind, he got my son's cell number from me and called him; then he made sure the road was blocked from cars, put his coat over my legs & later under my head. What a Good Samaritan he was.

I remember my helmet strap was choking me so I unclipped it but kept the helmet on. Thank God for helmets! Everyone needs to wear one when riding a bike, EVERYONE!!! I also remember unhooking my bottle carrier from around my waist & pulling it from behind my back. It was killing my back!

I suddenly became VERY nauseated and knew then that the ambulance was a good idea since I most assuredly had a head injury. My neck was hurting too and my upper back ribs, plus my hand (all on the right side of my body). Nothing else was hurting and I could move my legs, feet & toes fine. I remember having dry heaves, but thankfully did not throw up. I'm so glad - did not want to lay on the ground beside that. hahaha!

I was in and out of consciousness but do remember the first responders and the ambulance crew. They were great, but kept asking me questions!! I didn't want to answer anything, too nauseated and my head hurt! LEAVE ME ALONE! Well, that obviously wasn't going to happen so I began to tell them to check my Road ID on my shoe. They were not familiar with it and still kept asking questions. They asked me if I was taking medication and I said, "Yes, Lots. Check my Road ID" then they asked if I was allergic to medications and I said, "Yes. Lots. Check my Road ID". A pattern was developing! For the life of me, I couldn't remember anything except I'm allergic to Codeine & Nortriptyline, but I couldn't even say that. They finally gave up. Smart move on their part. hahahaha!

The paramedic gave me anti-nausea medicine which helped some, but I was still in a groggy state when I reached the hospital. It's nice to go to the ER in an ambulance, half conscious, because there's no line, no waiting. LOL

I told the nurse about the Road ID & he removed it and check online and VOILA! there was all my information. He was very impressed and said he had been telling his runner wife to get one, but she kept putting it off. He said she's getting one now for sure!

I got more nausea medication and then Dilaudid for the pain. It worked, but it made me super sick so I got more nausea medication, a different kind, which finally worked. I had a CT scan of head and X-rays of chest & hand. No broken bones, just bruised and a concussion, plus 10 stitches above my right eye. Got to go home!

Here's the progression of the shiner



I have to say how great my son was. He went and got my bike, helmet, etc and then came to the hospital and stayed with me the whole time. He called everyone for me and took care of me at home. He even had to wake me up during the night. This was his first time doing anything like this and he showed such concern, but wasn't mushy. He's just like me, joking when it's appropriate and serious when necessary. I'm proud of him.

I have absolutely no recollection of the accident. I faintly remember hitting the ground, but nothing before. The next thing I remember is waking up and being asked if I needed an ambulance.

We thought the man there had seen the accident, but he was at a diner and as he pulled out of the parking lot, he saw the crowd and me on the ground, drove there and blocked the road so no cars would run over me. He then stayed, called my son & 911 and didn't leave until I was taken away. It's so nice that people still care. He even called my son today to see how I was doing! This is a perfect stranger.

I believe God sends people like that. All Christ Followers have the opportunity to respond in that way, just like Jesus would do. How many of us actually do it? AND to call back and check up on me! A true Good Samaritan just like in the bible.

I thank God for sending him. I also thank God for protecting me. I had no covering on my legs at all. If it hadn't been raining, I would have had nothing on my arms either. I fell in such a way as to land on the upper right side of my body, on the hardest part - my head. :) At least that's what I've been told - I have a hard head! NO injuries to my lower extremities at all. It would have been a mess if I'd slid on the pavement on my bare legs. I also had gloves on which protected my right hand. God is good.

I hope I never remember the accident so I won't be afraid to ride again. As far as I can tell, I must have slid in the rain as I crossed the RR tracks. They are at a 45 degree angle to the road there and would have been a hazard.

Always remember to check out your route before hand or at least go slow in the areas you're not sure of. I was going at least 14 mph so fell pretty hard. Just the Thursday before I remember thinking that I could get hurt really bad if I fell off my bike. No kidding!!!

I am still really sore and have a wonderful black eye & the other one is getting nice color too. I overdid it today and am now paying the price. I'll stay in bed for sure tomorrow!

God bless you all and have a wonderful day.

Gina

His Strength is Perfect

On my 40 mile bike ride Wednesday, I was NOT wanting to ride, at all. I had ridden the previous two days and was really tired. I forced myself out the door and on to my bike. I really wanted to quit at 2 miles, but kept telling myself, just a few more miles...

When I realized that I was actually going to complete the entire 40 miles (at about 20 miles in) I began to have a portion of a song go through my head, "His strength is perfect when our strength is gone; He'll carry us when we can't carry on; Raised in his power, the weak become strong; His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect." I realized that I had made it this far because of the strength of Christ. I had been praying the scripture, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13) and He HAD given me strength!

So often I feel like I can't make it, that I have reached the end of my rope, but I've found if I call on Christ, He is always there to help me, to give me the strength to make it. I was able to ride 62.2 miles on my bike today and I again had that song going through my head. I decided to try to find the entire lyrics and to my surprise, that scripture was part of the song!

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
But sometimes I wonder what he can do through me;
No great success to show, no glory on my own
Yet in my weakness he is there to let me know . .


We can only know
The power that he holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes;
His strength in us begins
Where ours comes to an end
He hears our humble cry and proves again .

Wow! That is SO true. When we decide to let go and let Him take control, then He can begin to work miracles. Yes, we must do our part, most definitely! But when we've reached the end of our strength, then He is always going to be there to support us. How awesome is that?

I know that I could not have finished the 40 miles or the 62 miles without His strength; nor could I have run my marathon or finished any of my runs without His presence and strength. He expects us to work to the best of our ability, but to be aware that we DO have limitations when we are on our own. However, with Him beside us, we have NO limitations to what we can do. I love that!

Thank you, Jesus, for your strength! Thank you for always being there to help me when I need you!

God bless you today and everyday.

Gina

"Half Century" Bike Ride!

Note to self: "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER (did I say never?) map a bike route that includes going South from Silverton on Cascade Hwy!" One (and only one) good thing about it is that I got a good hill workout out of it. Every time I think I have ridden lots of hills, I find another route that has more of them. ACK! I couldn't just turn around and go back - it was the wrong direction and I would have had to ride 60 miles today instead of 50. Oh well, live and learn. LOL!!

I am amazed that I was able to ride so far, more so since the last 20 miles were basically hills, long & steep hills. Did I say "long"? They were SO long. At mile 31.2 I started a hill and finished it at mile 33.4 with an elevation gain of 227'; then again at mile 36 started another long one that ended at mile 38.8 with a gain of 400'. This went on for the rest of the ride until I reached within a mile of my house.

Here's a shot of what I thought was the top of the first LONG hill! It just keeps on going...



But the view from the top is worth it!


The weather report said it was supposed to be 54 and cloudy so I stupidly believed it and wore tights & a long sleeved shirt. It was sunny the whole time and of course I overheated. I removed my shirt, but was stuck wearing the tights. It was a busy road so I didn't want to ride au naturale. :)

I also ran out of water at mile 37, something I never do either. I wasn't thirsty for the rest of the ride, but really needed to eat my other gel, but not without water, so my energy level fell way off.

So the last 20 miles were the ride from hell, :) but I survived! My average speed wasn't too bad - 13.9; actually that is pretty good, only .3 mph difference from my 40 miler!

Wow, I can't believe I rode 50 miles! I am definitely feeling tired, hungry too. I burned 2201 calories so I guess I can eat pizza for lunch!

Have a great day! I'm going to. :)

New Bicycle!

Since I'm on a temporary leave from running due to an injury to my thigh muscle, I thought I'd begin biking in earnest. I biked a bit last year when I had a stress fracture, but quit when I joined a gym and started pool running & using the stationary bike there. I had been using my daughter's old bike, which is a boy's bike and has off road tires. So I thought I'd look for a new one. What a hard job!

I just thought I'd go to Walmart and get one there, but looked and realized I had NO idea what kind of bike to buy. So I decided to go to a bike shop and looked online to find one in my city of Salem, Oregon. I found one downtown and went to look. Well, that was a brief look since they were all WAY out of my price range. Hey, I just want a bike that will last with me using it 3 times a week for cross training. I don't need a racing bike or a mountain bike or a $1,000 bike, ok? I talked briefly to the sales guy & then left, disappointed.

From there I went to Sports Authority and talked to the sales person there. He was very helpful and showed me a hybrid (women's) bike that was on clearance for $280. It was even pink! He suggested I look at another bike store also downtown to see if they had a better selection so I put off getting the bike that day. I should have just bought it then because after looking at the other store (AND circling the block & parking a block away, walking there on crutches!) I found they didn't have any bikes even close to that price or that kind. So it was back to Sports Authority where I got the same sales guy and purchased the bike. He was able to get it into my PT cruiser so I took it home that day. Here's a picture:



Here is a picture of the one I was using before:



Now, here they are side by side:



I realized after I bought this bike that my daughter's bike wasn't even a full size one, plus the tires needed air! Shows how much I know about bikes. lol

I went for my first ride today and made it 20.42 miles! I DO like the bike and am SO glad I got it. My leg did pretty well as long as I was pedaling hard, but if I tried to pedal downhill with no pressure it hurt. My route has lots of hills, one being a 14% grade uphill so my quads got a good workout & will probably be sore tomorrow, but it's ok. I'm just so glad to be outside exercising again.

I can't wait until I can run again, but will continue to bike 3 times a week for cross training. I am finding I love it. And YES, I do have a helmet - wouldn't run without one. Now I need to buy a kickstand (it doesn't have one???) and a lock so no one steals it from my front porch. I'm all set!

I've found it is important to be prepared for whatever you do, but you HAVE to have the right equipment or you can't maximize your experience!

And NO, don't expect any duathlons or triathlons from me. I'm happy just running races. Biking is for fun & cross training and as for swimming - not my sport! :)

Have a blessed day!

Gina

What? Injured AGAIN?

You've got to be kidding? Another summer injured? Whats up with that? lol I guess I should listen more to my body and quit running when I am having pain. DUH! I have injured a muscle in my upper thigh and will have to be off road running for a few weeks. All is not lost, though. I can still do my marathon in October. All I have to do now is start pool running & biking next week so I'm still on track. I am so thankful I didn't do something really stupid and end up being out for much longer.

I wanted to run the Salem Run for the Arts 5k so bad that I just ignored the signs of a possible injury and ran anyway. I actually didn't do too bad either - 37:21, but couldn't put weight on my leg right after the race; not a good sign.

I've GOT to stop pushing myself so hard and really listen to my body. I've also purchased a pair of Newton running shoes that should help with my foot strike. Read about Newtons here. I am bummed that I can't try them out for a few weeks. I ran in them for the race and they felt good on my feet, but my leg hurt so bad I couldn't focus on how they performed otherwise.

This means I can't do Homer's Classic 8k race in August, but should still be able to do the 5k in Corvallis at the end of that month. That's an easy way to start back into road running. I will just run it for fun.

This reminds me to always stay alert for signs of injury and STOP running before it occurs. It's just like in real life - we need to stop ourselves BEFORE we do something stupid. Then we won't have to try to fix it.

1 Timothy 4:16
"Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."

It's easier to prevent something that to repair the damage after it's done. Make sure you stay close to God and His word and follow His teaching. Then you will not regret what you should have done.

Have a blessed day!

Gina

Stayton Old-Time Runs 10K

What a HOT day to run! I knew it was a gamble when I signed up for this 10k on the 4th of July, but was hoping it would be a cooler day. It didn't happen! This past week has had our area in a heat wave, with temps the last few days in the 90s. I really debated about running in the hotter temperatures, but decided to buck up and just do it!

I've never run this race before, so I wasn't sure of the course; if there was shade, etc. Turns out there wasn't! At least not much, maybe a spot here & there, but nothing to brag about. So, no shade, no breeze, just lots of hot sun. The temp at the start was probably only 65, but at the finish, closer to 75, but with the sun beating off the asphalt, it seemed A LOT hotter.

I appreciated the two water stations, at miles 2 & 4 and just soaked myself with the wonderful ice water, but it didn't last long. :( Still, I ran the best I could and finished not last, but the second from the last! I managed to sprint to the finish line though, just to look good in the picture, of course. :)

My time was approximately 1 hr 16 minutes, with a pace of 12:10. It is interesting to notice how my 10k times get slower as the temperatures get hotter. My best time was in April, with the temperature at 42*, 1 hr 10 minutes; a pace of about 11:18.

The Jeff Galloway run/walk/run plan says you should slow your time by 30 seconds per mile for each 5 degree temp increase over 60, so I guess I'm still doing great work. It's just hard to see my time slow down.

I'm still very pleased with my results today. It was a fun, well organized race and I will probably do it again next year. I placed 2nd in my age group again, but there were only 2 of us! The proceeds from this race benefit HOPE for the Kidney Foundation - it was a great way to have fun & support a good cause.

Next race is Salem Walk or Run for the Arts 5K on July 18. I've got 2 weeks to rest up. :) It starts at 7:45 AM so I hope to be done before the heat hits.

Have a wonderful day and God bless you.

Gina

Zensah Contest

I just wanted to let everyone know of a great contest a twitter friend of mine is having. Go to her blog and read about how you can win a $75.00 gift pack from Zensah Compression Clothing .

I want to win so I can get stuff to match my pink leg sleeves.


I wear these when I'm running and/or when I'm recovering from a run. They are awesome and help speed recovery to the muscles in my calf & shin.


I think I would look awesome in the pink running skirt



& arm sleeves too don't you?



I could be a giant Pepto-Bismol tablet or maybe a Necco candy! lol

If you are a runner I would recommend these products for you to try. They are awesome!

Zensah is also on twitter if you want to follow them - @Zensah

Have an awesome day, everyone!

Keen on runnin'.

Gina