Six months post accident

Today marks six months since I was hit by a car while running. While I found information on pelvic fractures in the elderly, I could not find much for younger people and nothing for runners. If someone has a pelvic fracture and has questions (or needs to vent), I am always available.

Flashback:
Super Bowl Sunday (February 2nd) I was scheduled to go for my 10 mile run during my Glass Slipper Challenge training. I successfully complete a HOT 5 mile run the day before so in order to beat the heat, I ran at 6 am. My plan was to run up the hotel zone in Cancun. I figured this would be the easiest and safest route since I did not have to cross any roads. A little over half way through my run, I heard a loud noise and turned to the side. I had a split second to process a car was sliding towards me. The pain was excruciating. I was on all fours screaming (I am not too proud to admit this). Later, I figured this was because I was putting pressure on my broken pelvis. 

Despite the corruption of the tourist police of Cancun, I was eventually able to find out that the guy who hit me was drunk. He went over the median, two lanes of traffic, and the curb to hit me. This was at 7:10 in the morning. The ring in my pelvis was stable so I was able to fly home and did not need surgery. My American doctor diagnosed me to have three fractures in my pelvis which required 6 weeks of non weight bearing on my right leg. I could not move. It took all my strength to get out of the wheelchair to go to the bathroom. By week 2, I noticed significant muscle loss in my right leg and butt. I started physical therapy later that week and continued physical therapy for 16 weeks. This was a huge turning point for me because it helped wake up my muscles so by my 6 week checkup I could start walking with crutches. A week later, no crutches (yes, I still got sore if I tried to push myself too hard the first or two after I started walking). I missed almost all of my winter and spring races, but salvaged the NJ Half by signing up for the relay and walking my portion of the race.

Shortly after that I was cleared to run. It was 12 weeks and 3 days after the accident. Four weeks after I started running I was able to complete my first race- Hibiscus 5 miler. 

blurry action shot

Today:
I am mostly symptom free there are still a couple of issues. My achilles feels like there is a knot or something movable on it. It was bothering me since I started walking, but with a recent week off of running it has been pain free. 

Recently while walking I felt a pain in my pelvis (roughly 5 1/2 months post accident). I am not sure if I just twisted my leg slightly while walking or what, but every once in awhile I felt a pain. It did not seem to bother me running until a week or so later. After the Electric Run I took a week off from running, cycling, everything except strength training. The next run I had was in Mexico City and it went well. I do not feel pain, but it feels like my pelvis/hip area is always popping in and out of place. Example: like cracking your elbow or another joint. Oh yes I did survive running in Mexico this time. I ran along a major road but then into a park. No cars here.

There are smaller issues that I am not sure will clear up. My hip flexors are always tight if I am not always stretching them (like at my desk during the day type stuff). I seem to have worse circulation in my right leg. Whenever I crouch down where my leg and knee are bent then stand up, my leg then feel like the it was asleep and painfully waking up. This is only after a few seconds. Other than those issues, all of my other pains and symptoms have cleared up. I am still a lot weaker and slow than before, but am working on it. My longest run post accident has been 7 miles and I plan on duplicating that next weekend.

Moving Forward:
I have an aggressive plan for the fall. The Philly Rock n Roll Half Marathon in September, the Wineglass Half Marathon in October, and the Philly Marathon in November. I am seriously considering downgrading the marathon to the half marathon. While for the most part I am meeting my mileage marks, I am so much weaker than where I feel I should be for training for a marathon. The deadline I give myself is the end of August. I will see how my body responds to adding more miles while I really get into half marathon training. Even if I have to downgrade, being able to compete and complete these races will be a huge accomplishment. It is not about winning a race, but about being able to run. I feel fortune and blessed to be at the point I am. I just want to get out there and run.



Don't forget to vote for me for the Runner's World cover contest 

or if please consider donating towards the Wounded Warrior Project. Every dollar helps! I am running my first half marathon post injury and hoping to raise $500.

New Jersey half marathon recap

I originally had signed up for the New Jersey half marathon (Long Branch Half Marathon), but since my accident there was no chance I was going to be able to run or walk it. My friend, who was to run the half as well, and I decided to downgrade to the half marathon relay. She would run her half and I would walk my half. Leading up to the race I started adding distance to my long walks and worked up to 4.6 miles the Thursday before the race. The half marathon relay is split into 6.7 miles and 6.4 miles segments. I decided to walk the shorter of the two distances. I was extremely nervous about this race since I was not sure how my hip, leg, or knees would hold up. I also did not know if we would be able to run under the minimum time requirement. I had been walking around a 20 minute mile with a couple of 17:30 minute mile walks. 

The expo:

The expo had maybe a dozen vendors including two other races (Bermuda and Miami). Not going to lie, as soon as I got home I started looking up the Bermuda races. I loved Bermuda! January would not be warm enough to lay out (average high of 69, although I thought it felt warmer than the temperature), but a heck of a lot warmer than back in PA in January. The expo had one vendor selling Thorlo socks 3 for $36 (cheaper than Amazon!). I also snagged two new sock brands (made in the USA as well)-Wrightsock and Swiftwick. Can't wait to try them out. 

Another expo purchase- bondi bands. I have never tried them but have heard so much about them. 

I swear I'm not a lush! 

Pre-race:
To save a few bucks, my friend and I stayed in Belmar about twenty minutes away. The Tandem Bike Inn was adorable and the owners were so friendly. They even set out breakfast for us since we were going to be up well before they were to serve. The nice part was we were right near the beach. Not quite as warm as the Dominican, but I'll take it.

Our pre-race meal was at La Dolce Vita which overlooked the boardwalk and beach. The restaurant was packed and required reservations. However, they found two seats for us at the bar.  I enjoyed some lovely peach sangria and a carb loading pasta dish. I laid out my clothes and attached my relay bib. 5:15 am was going to come too soon...

Race Day:
We purchased a $5 parking pass at the expo. If you don't, it will cost $10 which they collect as you leave. We did not hit too much traffic and got to the Monmouth Race Track in good time. The race track has plenty of parking and is where the start of the race is. There is a shuttle to the transition and to the finish line. Just check which school buses are going where. The buses left after the race started and we got to the transition area about half an hour before the first races started going through. The transition area is by a park where there are a few porta potties, but the buses drop you off in the parking lot of a Catholic school. Luckily the doors were open and a few of us went in to use the toilets. Soon enough my friend arrived and I was off.

My "race":
I think their 6.7 mile segment was slightly off because I was hitting the mile markers before I should have been. Just after the transition area I was at mile marker 7. The first couple of miles (mile 7, 8, 9) were through neighborhoods. It was easy to take pictures since I was walking, but these miles looked all the same. 

I estimated going out around 19 - 20 minute mile so I would save my leg strength. Naturally, I didn't listen to my plan and went out around a 17 minute mile. I felt good so I just kept chugging along. The first mile of my segment I had a couple of runners try to encourage me to run. I wish I had a big sign saying that I could not run and was planning on walking. I really would run if I could! Mile 10 is about when you start going through a little town. There was a band playing and there were some more people around this area. I was still holding steady just under 17 minute mile pace. 

Mile 11 is where I started getting excited. I had not walked more than 4.63 so I was getting to my walking record. This is also where the marathon leader passed us. It was one guy and he had a police escort. Shortly after that is where the half marathon and marathon split. The half marathoners turned towards the shore while the marathoners kept going south. 

The beach was oh so close. My time starting picking up and I was at 16 1/2 minute mile.

We went up on the road/walking path and ran (or walked) along the shore the rest of the half. I love, love, love the beach so I had a smile on my face the rest of the way. I also knew I was so close and was going to finish the race with no problem. Mile 12 I really picked up the pace and was 16:10 minute mile. We eventually got onto the boardwalk. I started hearing music and seeing boardwalk shops. Not sure if they were rebuilt after Sandy, but they looked really new. 

By mile 13 we were hitting a large crowd. The runners who were walking started running again to finish the race strong. I so wish I could have joined them, but I was a good girl and didn't run. I finished the last .38 miles strong and my split was 15 1/2 minute mile!

love the medal. the star spins!

Team Double Trouble finished in 2:42:34. My Garmin and RunKeeper not surprisingly didn't agree. According to my Garmin I walked 6.22 miles in 1:45:41. According to RunKeeper I did it in the same time (ok 2 seconds slower), but 6.38 miles. Not sure which is correct. Anyone know which is more accurate???

The course:

Flat. There is no other way to describe it other than flat as a pancake. I do not recall even a hint of a hill. Between mile 11 and 12 you start going towards the shore which is where the wind picks up. It was pushes us back which was not ideal towards the end of a race. However, I was not affected by this since I was walking and not tired. I actually really liked this course. It felt fast and easy. I loved being by the beach and seeing the various coastal area of New Jersey. In my half of the half marathon, there were a bunch of people out cheering you on. 

Final thoughts:

The race seemed well organized. There were 10,000 runners between the New Jersey Marathon and the Long Branch Half Marathon, but it never felt overwhelming. I am a big fan of the couple of thousand to 10,000 runner races. My only negative thoughts on the race were the lack of goodies. No goodie bag and the food afterwards was pretty weak- small piece of bread, banana, and a powerbar (and only for the last person in the relay). However, I definitely want to come back and do the half marathon or marathon here. It was tough not to think about how I should be running the half. Trying to focus on the fact that I was even able to walk as far as I did. 6 weeks before the race I was finally able to put two feet down on the ground and 5 weeks before the race I finally started walking unassisted. Small victories.... Next race: Hibiscus 5 miler in Honolulu. Previously was the 15k, but downgraded to the 5 miler. Hoping to be able to run most of that one.

Back to reality

I have been a little lax on writing posts because I was lucky enough to tag along to the Dominican Republic last week as part of my husband's work trip. In my head, it was my redo of my Cancun. I missed three days of vacation because I was hit by a car so my goal for this trip was simply to relax.

While it was nice to relax and get some sun, it got me out of my recovery routine. There was no fitness center and no sidewalks outside of the hotel. The driving laws seem quite liberal there so it definitely was not safe enough to go for a walk on the side of the road. Since the beach was small, I was only able to do a short beach walk and some basic exercises. The extra standing and stairs while using flip flops seemed to hurt my knees and calves. They were sore by the end of the day almost every day. This is a good reminder that supportive running shoes need to be my go to shoe for awhile.

Speaking of running shoes… thinking about getting another pair of Nike Pegasus 30s. I really like either the yellow and gray or the coral and gray. 
                           

(source: Amazon)

I have an obsession with gray right now so all of my running gear has been oriented to match gray. I also just bought another pair of capris by Under Armour that are a darker gray. Thinking they’ll go nicely with a coral tank by Oiselle (on my birthday list!).

This weekend will be my first race post-injury. I was supposed to run the New Jersey Half Marathon, but instead downgraded to walking the second half of the relay (6.4 miles). The most I have walked so far is 4.63. I felt fine doing it, but I'm quite nervous that I am ill prepared. There are a number of things that can go wrong- my hip could act up, my knees/lower legs could get sore, I could be too slow to meet the minimum time... One positive: the weather should be ideal- about 50 degrees. The course also should be scenic. I do love the beach :)

Three more days...

Two week progress

Swelling has gone down, although my foot is still sensitive. My back feels a lot better, but not quite 100%. Today I can hear popping in my sore rib. The doctor in Mexico said a fracture might develop later even if he could not see one on the X-ray. I still have a black and blue elbow but it is not sensitive to touch anymore. I have been working on using the crutches but still feel like a baby giraffe learning how to walk.

I can sit for longer periods without feeling sore, but my rear end is pretty much always sore. With running, I am use to being hungry ALL the time but now I’m rarely really hungry. With a few exceptions I am trying to keep up with eating well.

I have had some good milestones these past couple of weeks. For one, I can get to the bathroom on my own. I can get in and out of bed although I still need helping prepping the bed to go to sleep. I was able to take the crutches downstairs, but I do not feel steady enough to do this without someone nearby. These little movements have made me feel more independent.

My Glass Slipper Challenge and Cherry Blossom 10 miler were both deferred. Unfortunately the Hershey 10k would not defer my entry. I am still hoping to be able to walk the NJ Half, but I will know more once I get to talk to the PT. The doctor has allowed me to do some basic movements in order to help keep muscle atrophy at bay. I fully expect to be able to run by the Hibiscus 15k although I am not sure how much training I will be able to get in. Before being hit, I joined a Glass Slipper Challenge group on Facebook. It is really disheartening to see the excited ladies talk about their costumes or the details of the race. I had to leave the group so I could avoid negative thoughts. Luckily I bought outfits I could reuse for running anytime. However, I was wearing the red Under Armour compression shorts when I got hit. (of course that was my first time wearing them grr) We simply could not get them off and over my broken hip without cutting them. 

My new goal is to register for the Marine Corps Marathon. It is a lottery system this year so I may or may not get it, but I want that to be my ultimate goal back to health.