(Please excuse the chipped polish and the need for a pedicure.)
I finally put some mascara on for the first time in 2 weeks. Felt so much more human and less like a zombie...
My black eye is almost completely healed. I don't get as many double-takes when strangers look at me. I'm still a bit worried about the road rash though. I completely expect to have a scar in my eyebrow, but I'm afraid I'll have spots on my cheek forever. I have gone through almost an entire container of Neosporin. The road rash on my elbow from the first crash 5 weeks ago is still discolored so it freaks me out that's going to happen with my face.
The broken maxilla still causes some sinus pressure but my headaches have been mostly staying away. My ENT doc said to wait at least 2 weeks to ride again so I waited exactly 2 weeks to the day and did the Haul Ash on Saturday. She told me to stop if I had any pain at all.
So about 13 miles in, I gave up. The path was really bumpy with tree roots underneath and I knew from doing this trail a few times before that it wasn't going to get any better. Every bump hurt. It made my eyebrow sting and feel puffy, and my sinuses felt like they might explode. I was also really really tense being on my bike for the first time since crashing, so that probably didn't help. I wasn't having any fun.
It was a really crowded ride and I saw two other people on the side of the path who crashed along the way. Also, one of our friend's dropped his phone and when I put on my brakes to miss it, I got yelled at by BFF's husband to not brake. Pshaw. Not brake? He should know not to draft behind me...and I wasn't about to hit a phone and fall off again.
So when I pulled off to the side in pain, stressed, and miserable I told my husband I didn't feel like kicking ass anymore. He agreed it was probably a good idea to turn around. We found out our beer tickets were good at the finish line so that sealed the deal. A 25 mile ride instead of a 42 mile ride, and 2 beers at the end while we waited for everyone else.
I was bummed sitting there checking out Facebook and Instagram seeing our friends post pics from the halfway point wishing I made it that far. But my eyebrow looked like it was bruising and I knew it was good we were done.
Here's a pic of my husband and I when we got back to Red Hook:
And here's a pic of our clan when they got back and joined us:
I love this pic. So much going on!
Anyway, since the ride I feel like I'm starting the whole healing process all over again. Sinus headache is back. It hurts to have normal facial expressions. My teeth hurt and feel like they aren't aligned correctly. Husband and VK Sista' both said it looked like my eyebrow was bruised again. Ugh. I'm afraid if I have to take it easy and not run or ride, I'm going to lose all my endurance and all the training I've worked so hard for. When I can run again is it going to feel really hard to run a mile? Will I go back to feeling like I can't breathe? Will I lose muscle? How am I going to do the Flying Wheels and the STP? And I'm so bummed I'm going to have to walk the Electric Run and Adventure Run this week. Do I even bother going?
I really feel like just giving up and going back to that girl who sat around and watched tv and ate chicken strips. I know that can't happen though.
I saw this on Pinterest the other day... I like it...
