Road Warrior Blog

19 February 2008

Later Skater

Posted by Mike Dopke under: Mike Dopke (Coach) .

I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. The realization of my sometime absent mental capacity hit me once again Saturday evening as my body slammed into the bottom of a concrete pool from 9 feet up. What was I doing swimming you ask? Oh no silly rabbit… I was skateboarding with my son. What!?! I know, I know, I’m a dork. The truth is that it has been close to 20 years since I have been on a skateboard, but in my younger I was actually quite good at it. So when my son asked if I would take him to the indoor skate park and teach him to skate ramps I accepted the request without much hesitation. It would be great father son bonding time (and also great cross training). Now the bonding time I need is in my wrist.

I’m quite sure it is broken, laughed the doctor in the E.R. as she manipulated my limp and swelling wrist. How did you say this happened again? The x-ray confirmed her theory. I’ll put you in cast she said and you can be on your way Tony Hawk. Cast? No thanks I replied. You see I’m running 16 miles in about 12 hours from now. How bout a splint? You’re doing what? You heard me. Oh, you’re one of those crazy runners. Yup. Somehow in my vicotin haze I was able to sweet-talk her into the splint. You will need to see a specialist on Monday anyway she said.

The alarm pulled me from my restless slumber early Sunday morning. The vicotin had worn off and it had for the most part been a sleepless night with my arm throbbing with every heartbeat. I went downstairs to answer the call of the coffee pot and flipped on the television to check the weather. Rain, ice, and then snow was the forecast. Terry called and I suggested going to the Y and running indoors. Sixteen miles, lets see how many laps is that anyway? Just a sec, uuuh 112. I tightened the Velcro on my splint. We somehow managed to keep count on the longest ever track run. I finished the run with a 6:45 mile, which was the last mile that I will run for a couple weeks.

I slept better Sunday night, but struggled again Monday all day at work. My wrist was very sore and I was a little bit nervous to what the specialist would have to say. More x-rays once again confirmed the break. That splint is coming off and your going into a cast right now he said. There was no arguing with him (although I tried). Also, no running for at least 2 weeks. WHAT? Yeah, 2 weeks to let the bone begin to set, otherwise you will greatly prolong healing. Then we will change your cast and you can start running again. I stared at him in disbelief. I just ran 16 miles yesterday with a stinkin splint I said. You were lucky you didn’t make things worse he said. While I was there I showed him the bump on my heel. Pump bump he said without missing a beat. Wear bigger shoes. That’s what I figured.

So here I am, angry and on the DL with pump bump and an itchy blue cast up to my elbow. I can’t shower without putting 2 bags over the cast. I have been in a grumpy mood all day. I write like a chicken now, and no longer type very well (both of which I do all day long at work). I can’t run for 2 weeks but I can at least use the elliptical machine or a stationary bike. I must admit that my wrist feels better in the cast. The pain is gone for now. Oh well, off to spinning class.

  

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