Greetings all! Virginia here…recent victim of a stupid accident that I must related to triathlon (though the connection is rather dubious).

On Thursday after work I stopped at Kroger to grab a few groceries. It was a rather luxurious grocery shopping trip because I had only one munchkin in tow (the three year old), rather than the usual 3 or 4. In a hurry to get home to cook, I buckled the babe into his seat and threw my stuff in the trunk. As I slammed the trunk, I forgot that I recently put my bike rack on the trunk (I usually use the permanent one on our other car). As I shut it, the stem of the bike rack slammed down on my head….HARD, immediately knocking me to the ground. I crawled over to my son’s side of the car and sat on the ground next to him for 10 – 15 minutes while I got a hold of myself. Needless to say, the kiddo was FREAKED out.

(Note: I am connecting this to triathlon because my bike rack hurt me……It hurt me…….I didn’t just do this stupid thing to myself. Except….I DID)

“Get up, mommy!”

“The ground isn’t for sitting, mommy!”

 “You are getting dirty, mommy.”

 Fun times.

So, by the time I got home I had a massive headache, felt very dizzy, and had a huge bump on my head. My very sweet husband was instantly worried, and I spent the evening in bed (and the kids ate Chinese food, not the food I bought at the store).

I was scheduled to run 6 miles at 5:00 am the next morning with two running friends. I woke up in massive pain and texted to say I was out. My husband begged me not to go to work, but I had a lot to do, so I went in anyway. It was a rather excruciating day.  In my first block class I was trying to lead an “intelligent” discussion on the syntax in Chapter 1 of The Kite Runner, and I realized that I couldn’t concentrate on the words (which hurts with SYNTAX).  But…I made it through Friday, went home, and was asleep by 8:00 pm (kids ate Zoe’s…again, no cooking).

True to my stubborn self, I went to bed determined to run my scheduled 11 miles on Saturday morning. My daughter was leaving for a school trip at 5:00 am on Saturday, so our plan was that she would drive to school for the trip (she wanted to drive herself and pick up friends) and then would leave her car in the gym parking lot next to her school. I was going to do my run and then go to the gym where I would do a class, swim, and drive her car home. My workout bag was fully packed and in her car. When I set out at 5:30 for my run, I made it the 1.25 miles to my gym….barely. I have never felt such WEIRD head pain. I felt as if I had a heartbeat in the area that had been hit. I had pain running down the side of my head. My neck was completely stiff. It was so strange. I realized I couldn’t complete my plan, so I headed home in my daughter’s car. SUCKAGE.

Ok….after two days, I got it. I need to rest. I need to heal. That made me cry.

My husband did the, “I told you so” speech when I came in, and I totally bawled. BAWLED.

But, I spent the rest of yesterday in bed, and I am feeling a lot better this morning.

A few minutes ago my husband left for HIS 11 mile run. I am SO JEALOUS that it hurts. I had the thought that I MIGHT run when he gets home (after all, I feel better), but I am going to try to be smart and resist the urge. SUCKS.

When I emailed my coach about this, he encouraged me to take a few days off and reassured me that a few days would not kill my training. SO….I KNOW this theoretically, but it is so hard to believe. I think I can actually feel myself getting fatter and more out of shape. I’m sick.

No one ever told me that triathlon would make me crazy. No one said that it would make me cry over MISSING a workout. Hmmmmm……

BUT….I think my kids are probably loving this, because this morning they got a breakfast of homemade waffles, eggs, and veggie bacon. That NEVER happens. SO, for the SBKs in my home, the BOOM is awesome!

Evidence of my morning productivity when the workout is missing.
Evidence of my morning productivity when the workout is missing.

7 Responses

  1. If you had trouble concentrating on words, you might have a concussion. It’s a good idea to get that checked out. I’ve had one before and they are not pretty.

  2. Came to say the same thing- not being able to focus on words, etc sounds like a concussion and trying to concentrate with a concussion is actually worse than getting hit in the head again. Definitely worth getting any head injury checked out, but especially one that is still bothering you that much a few days later.

  3. You absolutely have signs of a concussion. Don’t mess with your brain! What would you do if this had happened to one of your kids? You’d go to the doc, stat! Right? So PLEASE go to the doc. You will NOT lose fitness. Brains are more important!

  4. Yes yes that head injury should have been checked out. I had a concussion from a hard running fall and my head never hit anything just the thrust forward was enough. For sure get it looked at

  5. I am a physician and you definitely have signs of a concussion. Very serious–should call your doctor TODAY. Probably should have had a CT scan, but they might still do it.If you have a concussion the recovery is much more than you think.

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