~ On June 17, 2024, I broke my leg while slalom skiing ~
I'm starting this series of blog posts to document my recovery journey - which I am reframing as focused training for my first official marathon. I had planned to run the 2024 Hartford Marathon with Shan, but obviously, that's not happening. I'll shoot for something in 2025 - maybe the Hartford Marathon or maybe something different. Either way, my "focused training" will simply be a typical marathon training plan with a bonus prologue that covers my physical (and mental) healing and recovery.
So, how did this happen?
On a slalom ski, the front foot is in a rubber 'boot' and the back foot slides into a toe plate. If you fall while water skiing, the skis usually slip off your feet. I've crashed quite a few times while water skiing without incident, but this time the ski turned one way and my body (and leg) turned the other way. I knew immediately that something was wrong; my foot felt weird and floppy. As I floated there, doing a systems check, I knew I had broken my leg. I cradled my foot to reduce the weirdness/floppiness and Shan and Isaac helped me out of the water. We made our way back to the boat launch, and Heather called 911.
1 ambulance ride, 2 X-rays, and 1 CT scan later I was sent home with pain meds, a splinted leg, an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon, and a diagnosis - "comminuted spiral fracture of the mid to distal tibial diaphysis, extending to and including the tibiotalar joint." (i.e., I had multiple tibial fractures extending to my ankle).
Oh. F**k.
The initial prognosis from the doctor at Saint Mary's Hospital was that I would need surgery to fix the mess I had made. The orthopedic surgeon (who we visited 2 days after the injury) said that since the fractures were well-aligned surgery was probably not necessary (yay!).
Typical recovery for tibial fractures involves 12 weeks with no weight on the leg and 6 months, or more, for the bones to heal completely. BTW, did you know that the tibia is one of the slowest-healing bones in our bodies because it's a large bone and there is less blood flow than other bones?
For the week following the injury, I was taking pain meds, sleeping 18-20 hours/day, wallowing in self-pity, doing crossword puzzles, and crocheting. Today, in the second-week post-injury, I'm in less pain and moving around a bit easier, but I'm feeling a bit lost.
What do I do now?
How can I feel the awesome sense of accomplishment I had been getting from running and cycling without actually running and cycling? What can I do to replace the hiking/backpacking plans I was making with the boys? How do I maintain my fitness without doing the things I love, the things that my body is already accustomed to?
The answers are obvious. My plans can still happen, they'll just look a little different.
I can still spend time with my boys this summer. We don't have to plan an epic endurance adventure. We will have fun together no matter what we do.
Sure, I was just getting started on the Run 169 CT Towns challenge*. And while I won't be running anytime soon, I can still go to the races and cheer on my husband, our friends, and other Run 169ers.
There are many ways to maintain my fitness, but my body needs to make new bones. Being a woman in my 50s, I need to focus on nutrition, rest, and exercise to promote healing. I'll get that broken leg up to speed later - TBD, I guess.
Since I won't be spending time running or cycling, I will have more time to focus on making other plans. Namely, Shan's run through NH (I'll talk about this more later) and [drum-roll, please] our 1100-mile Running CT for Medals4Mettle - CTM4M!**
Bonus: I will have plenty of time to write a series of blog posts that 3 people might read, so stay tuned for more blatherings as I meander through this unexpected journey.
Footnotes:
* There is a group of ambitious runners running races in each of CT's 169 towns, ~200 people have earned the crown so far. You can learn more about the Run 169 Towns Society here
** If you aren't aware, Shan's "next big run" (aka, CTM4M) is planned for 2025. We're mapping out a continuous route through CT's 169 Towns. Shan will run this 1100-mile route, 40ish miles per day, finishing at the Hartford Marathon. The run is to promote our new CT Chapter of Medals4Mettle. For more info, check out our blog post.
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