Don't sweat the small stuff.

This past Saturday, June 8th, I learned a valiant lesson in "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff." I awoke on Saturday and had planned to get a quick 30 mile ride in before enjoying the afternoon at a Washington Nationals baseball game. As I began my ride, I had no choice but to go through a couple of puddles in my first five miles of the trail. I decided to do the 15 mile ride down to Mt. Vernon and back for a nice round 30 miles. About a week ago, I spent a good three hours hours thoroughly cleaning my bike and putting new tires on her. She was looking real purty! So a puddle was not exactly what I wanted to encounter on my first ride out on her. The puddles were really small compared to the torrential downpour that I was riding in around 13/15 miles on my way to Mt. Vernon and then what was really to come of my day. I reached Mt. Vernon with no problem and was contemplating how lucky I am to be in such an awesome place and have such beautiful places to ride my bike. So I got back in the saddle and headed back home.

The last two miles of the bike path headed to Mt. Vernon are in and out of a forested area. Let me say that there are signs posted everywhere stating "Slippery when wet." So I really was going slow and using caution. I got around a couple curves and the path straightened out so I let up on my brakes. Well my friends, wet pavement with a small slime of moss on it + new shiny tires on my bike equaled disaster. I have never wrecked like I did that day! My right side took the brunt of the road rash and bang up. My left foot that stayed clipped in of course; which proved disastrous for my left knee. So I was about 13 miles from home at this point. I did what a Roddy would do. After checking everything out and surveying the damage, my right wrist was a bit sore and my left knee felt a bit twisted but nothing like torn ligament pain. So I jumped back in the saddle and rode home SLOWLY. It took me twice as long to get home. After thanking the very kind people that stopped to help, I moved on.

After about 10 minutes back on the trail a gentleman roughly around the age of 85 comes up behind me stating "Steam machine rolling up behind you and on your left to pass you behind." I should be honest and say I cursed him a bit under my breath. About five minutes later I passed him ,off his bike, crossing the path to pick something up. His exact words were, "I dropped my pill bottle. It has my viagra in it. My girlfriend would be so upset if I lost that." I was speechless and decided to hold my sarcasm. Not ten minutes later, guess whom is hot on the injured soul's trail? This time he is yelling "Come on green machine! You can do it!" My thought, "I don't care if you do have erectile dysfunction. I am going to beat your behind if you don't shut up!" I held my tongue again as I chalked my bad mood up to the blood running down my leg onto my new white sock and the fear of how torn up my bike really is.

So I really didn't think I needed to see a doctor or anything, because I am a nurse after all. I awoke on Sunday and began to get ready for work. I knew it wouldn't be pretty, but I figured I could gimp around for the day. I got in the shower and moments after getting under the water the all too familiar feeling of passing out came over me, so because I am a nurse and know that drowning is a horrible death, I turned the water off and then grabbed the bar at the rear of the shower. Let's just skip to the fact that I awoke on the floor of the bathroom almost to the door wrapped up in the shower curtain like a burrito. Passing out is such a weird feeling. That made me cry uncle and I went to the ER to get checked out. No broken wrist, which I had feared. Nothing broken in the knee and MD agreed not painful enough to have torn any ligaments. EKG (heart rhythm) was normal. CT scan of head due to the swan dive out of the shower just revealed a large and amazing brain. So just some R&R recommended and advil. Luckily, it has been raining so I don't feel eager to get out there and get going. Very weird to be off work though. I have only called in twice in almost ten years of nursing. I have used my time to study for a certification that I have wanted to obtain and to look for my next adventure. I still love biking but dang road rash burns and I have to mend quickly as I have an awesome bike tour in Maine in July.

Stay safe everyone!