The good, the bad, and the ugly

I took a somewhat nasty fall on a trail run last night. The plan was to go out about three miles, then turn around and head back to the trailhead. I was about 2 miles into it, maybe 2.1, when I stumbled over a rock. Unlike the fall at the beginning of the Sawmill half, where I could not move my foot and fell straight down onto the path in front of me, this time I was able to try to keep my feet. I think if the path in front of me had been sidewalk quality, I would have been successful. However, the trail was littered with rocks, and stepping on them did not help at all. Compounding the situation, the trail was curving left at that spot, so my straight-ahead movement led me off-trail to the right, into some biger rocks. By biggger, I mean one to two feet across, if memory serves. I rolled a bit to the right as I fell, resulting in the worst of the impact hitting primarily my right shoulder, and also ribs and calf. I got few other dings as well, including on my left hand, both knees, face, and back. It hurt, but I was able to get up and move. Nothing felt broken. I ended up walking two miles back to the car, which gave me plenty of time to reflect. I have been thinking for some time now that if I ever fall in a run, it could be spectacular. Now that it has happened, I don't want it to happen again. My options include giving up running, wearing my old inline-skating pads and maybe a helmet, or perhaps running on the street only and giving up trails. There are pros and cons to all three options. I replayed the sequence of events in my mind as I walked, trying to pinpoint exactly where I went wrong. Other than the obvious -- not picking up my foot high enough -- it is not clear. It could be clumsiness, or even a vision problem, or . . . what?

The other thing I pondered while walking back to the car was where to go, specifically home or hospital. I thought a little bit about insurance and their guidelines to take the big emergency room over the small ones (urgent care ER?), so I figured if I did go to a hospital, it would be the big one close to where I live, St. Rose Dominican. The pain in my shoulder was gradually getting worse as I walked, and not so gradually when I tried to run. To self-diagnose a bit, I tried to move it. Not only was I able to do so, but the pain was not the kind of intensely-spiking pain that indicates a fracture. Based on that, I thought I would just go home and try to get some rest.

Back at the parkig lot I took four Advil and was planning to use wet wipes to clean my scrapes and cuts, but I found that it was really hard to do because of the pain and reduced range of motion in my right shoulder. Even the simple act of getting in the car and buckling up was slow, difficult, and painful. With that new knowledge in mind, I changed my plan and drove to the ER.

I knew where the ER was . . . years ago when we were new in town I went for a drive, thinking that I might have to get there quickly with one of the kids someday. I did not expect to have to drive myself there, and I did not give much thought to parking. As I pulled into the parking lot and headed toward the ER signs, I wondered where I should park. I saw an official-lookig person near the door, so I pulled up to ask--only to realize that she was the valet . . . as in free valet parking. Problem solved! Less time spent dealing with parking, and a shorter walk for Greg.

Once inside, I had a short wait. More accurately, I had a series of short waits. There was only one person to wait for before I got checked in, then a short wait until called by a nurse to take my vitals, one before seeing the doctor, another before being taken to get x-rays, and a couple more to get my scrapes treated and take care of billing. They gave me the results of the x-rays just before I left: no fractures in shoulder or collar bone.

I had my Rubik's cube with me, and I scrambled and solved it five times while at the hospital. I actually scrambled it 7 times, but two attempted solutions failed because I got interrupted. I forgot what step I was on and had to start over.

When I got home, it was still difficult to move. A shower would have been difficult, if not impossible, and the same goes for dressing some of my wounds. I wanted a shower, but I also wanted to leave the antibiotic ointment that was applied by the nurse on longer, so I skipped my shower and went to sleep. Not bed, just sleep. I have a waterbed with a frame that is maybe an inch or so too high, and it takes a moderate effort to lift myself up and out. Most days that is not a problem, but given the circumstances I was afraid that I might wake up and not be able to get out of bed. I got in my recliner and got some decent sleep.

By the grace of God, this turned out well. It could have been much worse. I will continue grappling with the questions of whether, where, and how to run.