Top of the beacon.. There's always someone else there! Always! A family taking photos and enjoying the view, they laugh when I just touch the top and immediately start running back down! ( if you don't touch the viewfinder on the top then you haven't been to the top - but I'm not obsessive). I'm feeling invincible and nimble with my 'Brooks Pure Grits' on my feet, the tiniest shorts I own and my tri club über lightweight vest. It's a good day. Nearing the end of the run I remember thinking 'hmm, I'd forgotten north hill had quite a steep descent towards the car park' I'm also loving the dappled patterns the trees make on such a beautiful sunny day, and then how you run out of the tree covered area into the bright sunshine and it's difficult to see!... Wow I'm flying down here today, just around the corner on this bend an I'm back at the car park, what shall I eat when I get in? Something quick as I've got shopping to do, then I will be off to work, then I .....'TRIP! Thud, skid.' Noooooo! I soared through the air, and landed on the left side of my body. It hurt. I got up, phew, no one saw me, my hands hurt. I look down at my grazed hands but then 'whaa' what's all that blood down my legs, on my clothes? My elbow hurts. I lifted my arm and saw what appeared to be a huge skin flap hanging off my elbow with blood pumping from it. I stopped running, turned off my Garmin (I'm really not obsessive) and realised I had to stop the flow. I held the flap in place and blood oozes through my fingers for a while. It soon settled and I rang Ron.. 'I've fallen on the hills, I'm covered in blood, I'm going straight to the hospital' is all I could say. Even over the phone in a moment of panic he took control of the situation #myhero. I drove to the hospital, (how?) it was only 5 mins away. Ron was coming to meet me there, which he did. I ran in, was seen immediately! Guess they didn't want my blood contaminating the other patients. Or possibly it was my tiny shorts. Or maybe the fact that I was filthy. Blood, sweat, grit, and probably something that rhymes with grit. From sheep. And dogs. 'You're going to have to shower her' is what I heard. The nurse had to evacuate the unused shower cubicle of all the spare wheel chairs. She cut off my sports bra. She showered me. Oh god. She's crouching down washing the back of my legs 'I'm so sorry sob sob' I blubbed. 'As long as you don't break wind while I'm down here we'll be fine' says the comedienne.. Sorry, nurse. 'Don't make me laugh whilst I'm crying' says me! She dries me off and dresses me in one of the NHS' backless robes. No knickers. Puts me in a wheel chair. I need an X-ray. Here come the shakes. And my feet take on a dance routine of their own that Michael Flatley would be proud of. Hmm, maybe I could teach Zumba after all... Clearly delirious too. Ron has been home to get me clean clothes, a floral dress and knickers! Hooray. 'Please can I put my pants on?' Ron can do that for you, says the nurse, I look at a confused Ron. ....... 'put them ON you? this feels so wrong'. What is this, comedy hour at Malvern hospital? X-ray done, no broken elbow, phew but stitches needed..I shall spare the gory details on how the nurse had to clean under the 'birds mouth' flap of skin on my elbow, and how the student nurse helping her was loving every second of removing most of north hill from under the wounds on my hands and knee. Antibiotics prescribed as there was a very high risk of infection. I thought I would be teaching exercise classes that night! Haha! Now I'm the joker. This knocked me for 6. Delayed reaction over the next few days had me falling asleep. Aching all over. The odd little cry. But I was lucky. This could've been so much worse. Yes, I felt like I had been kicked by a horse, yes I have a very sore stitched up elbow. But, it will heal, nothing's broken, no one died. A couple of days in and I get the dressings changed. A couple of days after that and my hand and arm are very swollen. Another visit to minor injuries and the dressings changed again. The nurse also changes my antibiotics and gives me a sling. I thought I would be running again Monday. I'm not used to this, resting and giving the body time to heal. Time. Ron was telling me this from day one. I should've listened. I was naive. I won't be starting my new schedule yet or running on Monday, but if I rest now, my body will heal, and I will run and bike and spin and pump strong again.
Lessons I have learned....Concentrate to the absolute end of the run., especially looking out for tree routes and raised stones. I am not invincible. Listen to others when they tell you its going to take time, not only for the wound but the whole body, to heal and recover after a hefty fall, rest is the only cure. There is no point in trying to train a body that is trying to repair itself. Got out of doing the washing up though....result.
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