It only hurts when I breathe…

So, I guess that I wanted to have an eventful taper. Was slated to do a 45 mile “rolling hills” ride with H yesterday. We went out from home and up and over Camino Alto – the idea was to do it at race pace/heart rate, but H wanted to check out some nurseries along the way for something he’s looking for, so that flew out the window fairly fast. We went from Camino Alto up and over/around Strawberry, then to Tiburon, around Paradise, down past Cost Plus (found the “pedestrian/bike crossing” to the Larkspur ferry we were HOPING was there), past the Ferry Building to a left on Anderson, then down Second Street past Trader Joe’s, with the idea that we would go around China Camp and ultimately, home.

We were out Second well past Trader Joe’s, and there is a part of the road that’s uphill, without a lot of room – 2 lanes of traffic in a divided highway, plus cars parked along the side, and a wall on the left so cars can’t swerve, either. It’s never been one of my favorite places. I wear a mirror on my glasses to be able to see traffic behind me, and I glanced up to see if I could move over just a little bit away from the parked cars.

WHAM!

From 17 MPH to 0 is not pleasant. I must have subconsciously “jagged” away from the traffic towards the parked cars, because there is no other explanation as to why I hit a rear-view mirror. It stopped me dead – this must be a bit like being “doored.” I went over my handlebars, and was on the pavement in a second. The bike was out in the street, but amazingly, the gal in the front car nearest me stopped. Her passenger was out of the car so fast I’m not quite sure the car was actually stopped all the way.

I got up, and actually felt OK. Angeline was obviously NOT OK, poor sweetie.

H (as usual) was pretty far ahead of me, but you couldn’t miss the WHUMP, I’m sure. He came back, and was upset and yelling “What did you DO??” (scared, I’m sure). I was able to stand, turned and twisted, all that jazz – and so he sat me down in the shade to go back and get the van (which was about 10 miles back, at home). After he actually found my contact that had popped out, sitting on the road (yes, it’s fine. Wild).

The weird part is I’d had a bit of a prescience about the whole thing. When we were on the back side of Paradise, I hit a pothole in the shade that was deep enough that it snapped my neck back and my teeth shut, and hurt my wrists. At that moment, I had a thought “What would I do if I went over the handlebars?” Well, my Grrl Leann and my Grandboys Cody and Caleb have been practicing for their karate belt test, and one of the things that we have been texting about all week is “tuck and rolling,” which Leann was having trouble with. As I was riding away from the pothole, I thought a lot about tucking and rolling. Left shoulder to right hip, avoiding the head, go diagonal, keep your hands in, etc.

That’s what I must have done when I hit the pavement – because my left shoulder (even though I was wearing 3 layers, to “simulate heat conditions” in Louisville) has a big raspberry on it – and my right side between my ribs and my hip hurts like the dickens. I also have a raspberry on my left calf, and two cuts on my face – H surmises this is where my glasses broke and cut me (broke my good glasses! Argh!)

Once H was back, we headed out to the Recyclery and were able to get the exact same wheel for a great price. They only take cash, and I was trying to figure out how we were going to handle that, when H reminded me he had actually stopped at his ATM to get cash, about 15 minutes before the crash. It was a little odd how “prepared” we were in that respect.

After a lot of running around (H noticed what looked like a crack in Angeline’s frame which of course sent me into a crying fit – we took it to Ceasar’s Cyclery where they are the biggest Giant dealer around Marin – they were just closing, put her up, and said it was 95% just chipped paint, etc. etc.), H wanted to know if I want to go to the movies; I said I wanted to blow my taper diet and go to Left Bank and drink wine and eat fatty foods. So that is what we did. I even dressed up – makeup and everything. (I think I was trying to distance myself as much as possible from the crash!)

Got home around 8:00 and went to bed with 6 ice packs and a cup of tea. I’d taken a couple ibuprofen waiting for H after the crash, but I could feel everything starting to stiffen up and hurt. Woke up this morning, and oh lord, I feel like I was hit but a truck.

Or, a rear view mirror.

Left shoulder and side of neck are super stiff and painful. I can’t reach out straight or overhead. That could have interesting ramifications for swimming, I’m sure. Breathing REALLY hurts. Ride side, between my ribs and the top of my hip bone, REALLY hurts. The shoulder thing is pretty awful. I have an “emergency call” in to a chiropractor my masseuse recommended – mine is on vacation for 2 weeks – and an emergency call to her too. Interestingly enough, I have a free biofeedback session at 2:00 today with a gal from my BNI – not sure how that will help, but I’m sure it will.

Ouch.