August 16-17, 2011- Going All Out!

     I’ve often heard my mom tell others that her daughter is not afraid to try anything. What she is usually referring to are things like going to Spain for a semester abroad and staying two extra weeks by myself to explore Europe at the last minute when I was in college or traveling halfway around the world with a toddler and an infant by myself just because I needed a break from the small “rock” we call home. When it comes to traveling, I am most definitely not afraid and ready to try anything, but risks that could affect me physically are another matter all together. I could never bring myself to try bungee jumping, even when visiting the bungee jumping capital of the world in New Zealand. I do not have a desire to climb a mountain and freeze my butt off at the top just to say I made it, and until recently, I did not have a desire to try race or mountain biking, mainly because I was not totally comfortable clipping my feet in due to my potential to get hurt when I couldn’t get out. I can be very graceful when dancing or doing yoga, but I can be very clumsy with things I have not grown up doing or am nervous about starting.

     That’s why it was such a big deal for me to purchase my new bike. It’s not like my usual leisurely rides to work and back on my Sun bike. This is a road/mountain bike with the clip in pedals I have only ever tried out in the bike shop while the bike was stabilized on a trainer, meaning I did not have to balance myself. Biking like this can be dangerous if you fall or hit something in the road and have little time to react. In fact, my oldest brother now has a plate in his jaw from a wreck on the road while out training with his team several months back. Knowing the potential dangers, I went ahead with the purchase anyway, and since my fiance and I had already spent so much time, energy, money, and thought on the choosing and putting together of my bike, I decided to test it out on my own yesterday evening.  Unfortunately, my fiance had to go back to Roi because of work the next day, but I knew how to clip in and out, and I was only planning on practicing around the block anyway.

     The short of what is becoming a very long story (especially since I am typing right now with only one hand) is that I clipped in, took off, rode around the block twice, stopped, unclipped my left foot successfully, then promptly forgot to turn my right foot out of the clip and fell on my right arm, cracking my radius bone right up by the elbow. Ouch!! I am now in a splint for the rest of the week, and then physical therapy to get range of motion back in my elbow for the next several weeks. At least I was not afraid to try! I went all out on time, thought, and money on the bike, so I had to go all out on riding it, which I did. Now I can say I had my first broken bone (other than fingers or toes), and it only took 36 years and one clip in cross bike to do it!