Guardian Angel

As I was laying face down partially in the northbound lane of Coastal Highway this morning there was a split moment that I thought, "this could really be bad." Thankfully I had a guardian angel looking out for me.

This morning during a group ride I had a freak accident with another cyclist that resulted in a lovely trip to the ER. The good news is that I've continued my streak of never breaking a bone and other than some painful bruising, some gnarly looking cuts and road rash I'm really no worse for wear. As the doctor said in the ER --- it is incredible that I literally walked away from the accident.

The story goes that I hung back and decided to help out a fellow rider, Diana, who was new to cycling. I guess I can't help myself. I remember the frustration of being new, trying to understand all the bells & whistles and feeling frustrated. I've also greatly benefited from the kindness of others and I truly believe in the adage that you should pay things forward.

As we tackled the Indian River Inlet bridge (which is terrifying at times) we celebrated our success by rolling along toward Dewey Beach to meet up with the rest of our crew.

Diana was a bike length or two ahead of me so I could watch her and give her some pointers. As I turned to check out who was coming up behind us I noticed that two rockstar triathletes were gaining on us fast. I yelled out to shift to the right to let these folks pass. As I looked back again to check their position I didn't realize that Diana had correctly shifted right, but had also slowed. As I turned my attention forward I now was in the dangerous position of being too close and my front wheel was now dangerously too close and parallel to her rear wheel and pedal.

I made a split second decision that meant that I would take my chances trying to recover myself vs. probably saving myself from serious injury but likely taking Diana out and causing her harm.

I was able to slow, but given our speed and proximity I ended up going over the handlebars. Though some of this is still a blur I've pieced together that:

• As I tried to slow and maneuver to safety my wheel got a bit too sideways. and I went over the handlebars

• I wasn't able to safely unclip in time

• My forearm and then shoulder slammed into the pavement as me and my bike fell back to Earth

• I then started sliding across the pavement still tangled up in my bike

•. My helmet and sunglasses saved me from a serious head injury and facial lacerations (looking at the scratches on my helmet and across my left lens I am immediately aware how bad I was sliding)

• I stopped sliding partially in the northbound traffic lane of Coastal Hwy

I remember hearing someone scream, "Roll out of the road! Get her out of the road!". I soon realized that the two rockstars who were behind us quickly were on the scene and took charge.

I yelled out that I couldn't roll or even move myself to safety. I now know that it was the shock, I was a bit out of it and the pain was incredible. I (and others) initially thought I broke my collarbone or shoulder.

One of the cyclists carefully rolled/pulled me out of the road, while the other grabbed my bike. The woman gave me a quick medical assessment and we were glad to discover it wasn't my collarbone, but getting a set of x-rays would be imperative.

I'm not gonna lie --- I was bleeding, I was scared, a bit in shock and I was in pain. The left side of my body took the brunt of the crash and it just hurt. My hand, forearm and leg were bleeding and felt raw. I could feel the blood dripping.

Someone had the sense to grab water bottles and start cleaning all my wounds. Folks took off their bike socks and used them to stop the bleeding. A guy stopped and gave me three Advil. The most creative thing was when Diana tore her own pants and made a sling for my arm.

As we waited for a ride to the ER I was again impressed and grateful for all the people who stopped to offer assistance. I was also grateful for Diana --- she kept me laughing and stayed with me the entire time. I was even more touched when Diana placed her hands on my good arm and said a beautiful prayer asking that God watch over me and ensure that I was kept safe.

Luckily, soon enough we were headed to the ER where I learned that I had again escaped serious injury --- no broken bones, no stitches. Not to minimize the situation, but I literally limped away just with some soft tissue bruising/damage between my left shoulder and elbow and lacerations on my hand, forearm and leg.

I'm on IR for at least a week and racing at Nations is likely not in the cards this year. Though I am disappointed I know that I've worked hard this summer toward my fitness goals and I don't need an official time to confirm that I am a winner and would have crushed my PR.

Most importantly, I am so very grateful for the guardian angel who was watching over me today and for having the chance to take a potentially horrible situation and making a very good new friend.

Of course...least I forget...how's my bike?! I haven't done a full assessment yet, but I think considering the day she's had...she looks pretty good. It's likely I have a bent back tire or something like that b/c the rotation feels off.

All in all I am one lucky chick.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

There really should be more hours in the day

Talk about packing it all in. Today was all about reconnecting and trying new things.

Running
In the morning I headed out to meet the ATM training group out of Georgetown for their Saturday Long Run. It was so good to see folks and to get back into running more regularly.

We did a 7-mile out-and-back on the familiar trails along the Georgetown waterfront and Rock Creek Park. What a beautiful day. Though I was a bit apprehensive about the run it actually wasn't bad at all. I took it slow and chatted up my fellow runners. At the halfway mark I was surprised and even contemplated continuing on with those running a 10-mile route...but that would just be nuts.

On the way back I picked up my pace...but then came upon another group of runners and started chatting with them. Notice the trend?

After the run it was great to catch up with friends before heading home.

Roosevelt Island
On my way home I heard that folks were hanging at the island with their dogs so I detoured over to hang out for a little while.

I haven't been to the island in awhile --- though I seem to drive/run by it frequently. It really is beautiful. I ran along the trail to meet up with folks and I wondered if I could get into trail running. It would be a nice change of pace --- but I'm so klutzy that I fear what might happen so scratch that idea.

Birkam Yoga
After working with Rhonda over the summer I wanted to try and keep up with yoga. I really do love it. I've been looking into local options and its a bit overwhelming. There are so many studios and styles.

I decided to just start trying different styles and maybe locations too --- so tonight I visited the Birkam Studio in Takoma Park. I've always wanted to try this hot-yoga thing and for $29 I have an unlimited 7-day pass to the studio.

Before class I met a really nice Indian lady who was showing me the ropes which was super helpful.

Aside from the sweltering heat, it was very different from the more flow style that I'm used to. The good news is that the poses and transitions seemed familiar so I didn't feel lost. I even got a few complements from folks who were surprised I was new. :)

I'm not exactly sure what to make of the instructor. He was a splash of cocky, confident, helpful and dictatorial all wrapped up into one. It was odd. After class I still wasn't exactly sure what to make of him. Maybe I'm just focused on the fact he called me "Pinky" during class b/c he didn't know my name but noticed that I had bright pink painted toenails.

Anyway, there were some really nice people in the class and I plan to go back at least 2-3 more times to determine what I think of the style and studio. My immediate reaction is that I liked it, but I think I liked Rhonda's style better. We'll see what I really think by the end of next week.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

We Be Jamming

Tonight after work I headed over to Hains Point to get in some extra miles on the bike. I had planned to get in a good ride the night before, but I got wrapped up talking on the phone and as a result was only able to get in part of my ride before the sun went down. I didn't want that to happen again tonight.

I hauled out of work and to Hains Point just in time to experience life in the last lane --- or riding with the DC peloton! My goodness they are a big group and fast. It was just like a scene out of Breaking Away. I could hear them buzzing behind me; they swarmed all around me; then they dropped me. For a solid five seconds when I was riding with them I felt wickedly cool.

Overall, the 32.20 mile ride was good. I added some speed work again on the backside of the loop.

I was feeling a little off tonight. My right upper arm is still very sore (from what...I have no idea) and I was feeling a bit drained. I realized mid-ride that I have not been eating enough and it was obvious when my calf muscles started to cramp up.

A couple stories related to drafting.

First, during one of the sprints I linked up with three riders who were speeding along the backside of the loop. I got on the last riders tire and was amazing by how much pull that created.

Second, during my last "work lap" I decided to stop being lame and just jam down on the pedals. As I was rolling I felt off and thought maybe there was something wrong with my bike. As I took a peek over my shoulder I saw that a chick had tucked into a spot right behind me.

Now that pissed me off because I have to expend enough energy to haul my own ass around the loop and now I was pulling her around. I whipped my head forward and just starting jamming on the pedals to see if I could drop her. We ended up racing around the loop in this tight formation. It was awesome!

After the loop I slowed, she rode along side me and thanked me for the pacing. I found out that her husband races with a team and she gets out whenever she can to ride. She encouraged me to check out the Greenbelt Race Series on Wednesday nights. She said I was fast enough to hang. That was good to hear and an interesting event to check out. She said it's mostly dudes, but there are a handful of chicks.

She was fun and pushed me...no surprise that I got her contact info and plan to include her on ride meet-ups in the future.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T