End of "the dream"... Just got out of the hospital after a ridiculous accident.
I was stepping off a New Orleans St. Charles Streetcar this past weekend on a rare day-off the bike and got bumped by someone simultaneously getting on causing me to awkwardly "roll" my ankle as I stepped down/off the streetcar. Well, the ankle rolled alright... so far that I went all the way down onto my knee, tearing collateral ligaments, my ACL and MCL. I also cracked the bone at the elbow joint and my collarbone. Surgery was two days ago and the scars are as much mental as physical due to the disappointment.
- So much for riding for the next "half-of-forever". Rehab? - not looking forward to it.
- So much for the "dream ride", the trip and seeing my friend.
- So much for the non-recoverable @$2200 I've invested in non-refundable plane, car and hotel reservations, training expenses to date and equipment replacement/upgrades as a result of the training rides since January.
- We won't talk about how I'm going to pay for the surgery... I don't have medical insurance. It'll probably take me years to pay it off (I've been advised bankruptcy may be the "smartest" financial move but that goes against my sense of personal integrity).
So, for all those who said they doubted I could do it... you were right. Ain't gonna happen. I failed.
In case anyone's interested, Since January, my training "mileage" was 7784km.
- My average days/week riding was 5.2.
- My longest period riding without more than a 1 day break was 14 days.
- I went through 2 chains, 4 tires, 10 tubes and numerous patch kits. i broke 1 pedal, replaced it and then broke that one ultimately replacing the crankset.
- I ruined the hardshell seat on my Corsa due to cracking along the edge after a fall after being run off the road into a soft sand shoulder by a cop who didn't honor the 3-foot law (had camera footage of it, showed it to the Sheriff who said, "So what? You shouldn't have been riding on that section of 2-lane road"). This also required replacement of the handlebars as straightening it manually never got it back to "feeling right". This accident also required replacing a handlebar-mounted mirror.
Physically, I strained my right knee twice (probably due to over-use/over-training), suffered severe sunburn over a 3-week period in late June/early July that was only "solved"/pain-lessened with a prescription salve normally given to "real" burn victims (freakin' SUN!), and fought off 2 intestinal viruses probably related to unhealthy convenience store food prep areas. Despite an historically weak right ankle (from military service-related damage 30 years ago), for the most part it held up. There were only 3 rides where I finished so "waxed" at the end of the ride that I was unable to walk up the stairs in my house without assistance. (this was probably a result of too much effort, too soon). I did get an infected toe and lost a toenail due to clipping a toenail too closely then riding through muck before it was healed - which made the next week's worth of riding really miserable.
Knowing what I know now about "the journey" and "the outcome", would I do it over again if this outcome wasn't "guaranteed"; would I do it again if I could have a "do-over" starting this past January? Probably. The possible reward of seeing my friend, making a once-in-a-lifetime (and likely my last) overseas trip, and completing the challenge of a 1200km ride makes me think it was/would be worth doing it...again.
What would I do differently?
Well, I wouldn't get off a St. Charles Streetcar at the same time as someone else was stepping on! (Seriously, it was an unusual accident, I've done that exact on/off routine hundreds of times if not thousands). I'd wear long-sleeved, breathable, 50SPF+ jerseys/shirts sooner. I'd get better wrap-around/over-glasses sunglasses/prescription sunglasses. I'd wear breathable, "sunproof" leggings and damn how it looks. Doing this all solo/unsupported was a strain - but how can you ask someone/anyone to actually support this kind of training routine(or amount)? My only "assistance" was that I knew I could rely on 1 person to perform a "come get me ride of shame" function if I called (never made the call though I was tempted twice).
I guess that completes the wrap-up.
It's over.