Slippery When Wet

Where do I start with this day?!?!?

At the crack of dawn I took my Kingwood Fit peeps on their second 4-mile run. The early morning start enables us to beat the heat and log some decent miles. The pace was faster this week and my pod of 5-8 runners finished the mileage without stopping. Another successful run!

Kingwood has been getting isolated rain storms everyday for a week, so there are areas that are wet. With my running mileage complete and no one to join me on the road bike I decided to take my trail bike out for an easy one-hour ride. Two miles into my ride I was crossing a wood bridge and making a right hand turn at the same time. The moisture apparently coated the wood with a small layer of algae, which made the surface slick. As I turned to the right, my bike slid out from under me and I went flying over the handlebars. Believe it or not, but I landed on my feet, but I had too much momentum and couldn't stop from hitting the ground. I braced my fall onto the concrete with my hands, which took the blunt of the fall. It all happened really fast. The first thing I noticed was my shattered Garmin running watch. When I landed the faceof the watch must have hit the concrete. Either way, it's destroyed.

While surveying my injuries I noticed abrasions on all the knuckles of my left hand, missing layer of skin on my palm, scratches on my left elbow, and abrasions/scratches on my right forearm. The most alarming injury was a moderately sized deformity on my forearm near the abrasions. It looked like someone had showed a golf ball under my skin. I had full range of motion and minimal pain to the area, but I was worried I might have broken my arm.

Next thing I did was look over my bike for damage. I was happy to see the bike survived with only a little road rash and the chain popping off. My left hand was hurting, so it took a bit of effort to get the chain back on and bike home with one arm. Within the first 30 minutes the swelling was already going away, so I skipped a visit to the ER (to get an x-ray of my arm).

I was covered in dirt and debris from the fall. As I was cleaning the injuries at home I dug out a quarter-inch torn near the swelling. I assume it nicked a small vessel in the area, resulting in the swelling. All was well, but I was outwardly upset looking at the mess I made of my new garmin. VERY seldom do I ride my bike with the garmin, but this morning I wanted to monitor my heart rate, so I wore it on this particular ride. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that garmin's repair center tells me they can repair the unit at a reasonable price.

In an attempt to relax my nerves I went for an hour walk. Nothing eventful, but I took my phone and was texting people the entire time. I should have left the phone at home, because I didn't have an opportunity to de-stress from the incident. I was too engulfed with talking to my friends to enjoy the serenity of a nice walk.

I'm not lifting weights for about a week or until my hands feel better.

Run:
4.13 miles
46:45
11:19 pace

Walk:
3.72 miles
1:06:07
17:46 pace

Trail Bike:
4.36 miles
24:24
10.72 mph