...but I am a prisoner to R.I.C.E.--rest, ice, compression, and elevation--care for a pretty bad sprained ankle and possible fracture. There was a tumble in the desert this past Monday, you see, leading to my current exile-from-the-trails and dependency on crutches...
...which means I won't be running out in this for a while:
(Desert sunsets just never get old, and I mean never...)
Please, then, humor me and pass on my rant: "People, PLEASE learn TRAIL ETIQUETTE!"
Monday after work, I drove up to Sabino Canyon--a perfect evening for a trail-run--and about a third-of-a-mile on the way to Bear Canyon, on a downhill, narrow, rocky section, I was approaching a group of hikers. They were single-file, but then just as I was about to call out to let them know I was coming, they stopped and spread out suddenly, never looking back, completely blocking my path. In that split second, I had horrible visions of crashing into the older woman, her impaling herself on a cactus and breaking a hip, and of course, the subsequent lawsuit... So, I tried to stop, but on this descending rocky path, all I could do was take a hard fall. While trying to fall away from the hikers, I ended up twisting my right leg and rolling over.
As I came to a stop, the lady turned around and said "oh yes, the sand is slippery, isn't it?"
It took every ounce of self-control in me to to not yell back--IT'S NOT THE SAND IT'S YOUR CLUELESSNESS!!! I stood up, realizing I had gravel embedded in my hand and leg, and a throbbing ankle. (Fortunately I had avoided self-acupuncture; I'd not fallen onto a cactus.) I hobbled back to my car--a third-of-a-mile morphing into a long trek--and then drove, using my left foot to brake...
By the way, that group of hikers didn't even help me up, they just continued on their way.
Bad Samaritans, bad Samaritans...
I knew right away that this was not just a garden-variety-sprain, so as soon as my wife got home from work, she took me to the Urgent Care...For the first time in my life, I had to use a wheelchair...and by this time my ankle was elephantine; upon entering the examination room, the p.a.'s eyes widened as she spit out "oh my god that's swollen!" Hmm, reassuring, that...
The x-rays didn't show any obvious fractures, but because the swelling was so extensive (an injection in the gluteus maximus was required), an occult fracture couldn't be ruled out, and so I've been referred to an orthopaedist...with the earliest appointment over a week away.
Crutches, which I've never had to use, are NOT fun. I've graduated from sympathy to empathy when it comes to seeing my students on crutches...
A day home from work, and then a day back at work on Wednesday--premature, now that I look back...fortunately my students are a pretty good bunch of kids, so there was no classroom mayhem as I was glued to my desk with my foot up on a chair all-day...yesterday and today I've been off...My mother happens to be visiting us, so at least she and my wife have been able to share the burden of waiting on me...
I'd just bought a new pair of shoes, too--trail-runners. May I heartily recommend the Brooks Cascadia in blue...
Here, then, are some recent scenes from the trails from which I'll be exiled for a while. (I almost always run with my iPhone on a wrist-strap. Miraculously, the phone wasn't even scratched on Monday.)
The Santa Catalina mountains are just glorious this time of year...
 |
| The shoes. They'll be resting for a while. |
 |
| With my wifelast week, not far from where I fell on Monday... |
 |
| Looking into Sabino Canyon |
 |
| in Bear Canyon, remnants of the late monsoon rains... |
...evening runs so often end up by running into the desert sunset...
 |
| Is there any better way to end the day? |
So, while I 'rice,'
here's a thoughtful card some friends sent me, with this message:
"hope you're doing more than hopping around soon!"
No comments:
Post a Comment