My training partner fractured his clavicle during a training bike ride.
Cycling fast is pretty fun until you find yourself on the shoulder of a road wondering where you are.
This is what happened to my training partner (aka boyfriend aka Marvin) while on a ride this past Labor Day weekend. We had just finished a swim session at Giammona Pool and were doing a fast training ride along Great Highway. Being the speed and intensity addict that I am, I sped ahead to our turnaround point trusting that Marvin would be fine on his own and I would meet him at the turnaround. Unexpectedly, however, I received a phone call when I reached our turnaround point. Knowing that a phone call usually means something bad, I immediately answered with concern "Where are you? Are you alright?!" "I don't know, I just woke up on the ground." In near tears, I sped back to where he was. He was about 2 miles from the turnaround and the memory is hazy and guilt-ridden: all I was thinking was "Andrea, you idiot. Why didn't you wait at an earlier point? I hope he's okay. I really hope he's okay and it's not as bad as it sounds. I'll never leave him behind again." As I approached, I saw paramedics on the scene already with my boyfriend on a gurney and in a collar. In a flurry of emotions and panic, the firemen took pity on me and offered to take our bikes while I joined Marvin in the ambulance to SF General Hospital. Marvin was a champ in all of this. He was more calm than I was and sort of rolled with the punches. I really have a lot to learn from him. Thank God he's alive and it's just a broken collarbone and road rash...
This is what happened to my training partner (aka boyfriend aka Marvin) while on a ride this past Labor Day weekend. We had just finished a swim session at Giammona Pool and were doing a fast training ride along Great Highway. Being the speed and intensity addict that I am, I sped ahead to our turnaround point trusting that Marvin would be fine on his own and I would meet him at the turnaround. Unexpectedly, however, I received a phone call when I reached our turnaround point. Knowing that a phone call usually means something bad, I immediately answered with concern "Where are you? Are you alright?!" "I don't know, I just woke up on the ground." In near tears, I sped back to where he was. He was about 2 miles from the turnaround and the memory is hazy and guilt-ridden: all I was thinking was "Andrea, you idiot. Why didn't you wait at an earlier point? I hope he's okay. I really hope he's okay and it's not as bad as it sounds. I'll never leave him behind again." As I approached, I saw paramedics on the scene already with my boyfriend on a gurney and in a collar. In a flurry of emotions and panic, the firemen took pity on me and offered to take our bikes while I joined Marvin in the ambulance to SF General Hospital. Marvin was a champ in all of this. He was more calm than I was and sort of rolled with the punches. I really have a lot to learn from him. Thank God he's alive and it's just a broken collarbone and road rash...
The bone displacement from the fracture is about 2.5cm, which means he'll be getting surgery. It's been bittersweet taking care of my "patient." In one sense, we've grown much closer together with this experience as I was with him when he was in the hospital and as we've been learning how to deal with the injury and how to avoid anything like it in the future. But of course it sucks. I would've thought I'd be the first of us to get hospitalized because he's such a careful and intentional person. Alas, life has it's ironies. A single moment of distraction for him becomes a serious injury while I constantly chase danger and push my limits unscathed. He'll be missing the Santa Cruz sprint triathlon on September 25th but at least he got a 50% refund for it in the form of credits for next year.
Two things:
- ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
- Tegaderm is amazing for road rash!
I'll be updating this post with all my followup comments on his injury and surgery.
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