Chapter 3 - An Accident, An Injury, But Still Dopey

 

A Slippery Slope, Literally


On a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the end of July, Cat and I went for a casual bike ride on one of our favorite trails.  It had rained the night before, and I lost control on a slippery slope and ended up in the emergency room. Broken nose, a few stitches, lots of aches and scrapes, but nothing else broken in the head and neck.  Sigh.  I needed a week to recover before I could run again.  I missed a 10-mile race to which I had been looking forward, but I was back running shortly thereafter.  I rejoined a local running club for their marathon training runs by mid-August and completed runs of 18 and 20 miles on consecutive weekends. I ran a lot slower than in years past, but I was happy with completing the distance. I had recovered from my close encounter with the pavement and was back on track for Dopey.

Another Bump in the Road


On the last weekend in August 2022, the local running group sponsored an annual half-marathon that was popular among local runners.  It is one of my favorite half-marathon courses.  One I knew well and had run well in the past.  I knew I was a lot slower now, but I had set a goal to finish in two hours.  I knew exactly what pace I needed to average, and I slowly ticked away each mile just under that pace.  At 10 miles I was on pace for 2 hours.  I maintained that pace through 11 and 12 miles.  1.1 miles to go.  I needed to keep it going through some rolling hills into the finish.  No problem.  I’ve done this before, just hang on and push through.

Well, I did it!  Just under 2 hours.  I was pleased.  That afternoon, however, I could barely get off the couch.  My right leg, from my hip down to my knee was throbbing.  That night I woke up in agony, my hip was aching.  I waited a couple of days before running again.  I took two steps and had to stop.  Something was not right.  I strained something in my hip or quad that was making running and brisk walking painful.  Oh no, have I done permanent damage?  Is my body reminding me of my age?

Perhaps I just needed a break.  I had been entertaining the idea of a Fall marathon.  But maybe this was the wakeup call that I needed to come to my senses.  So, no panic, let’s just rest.

Am I Looking at a Lifestyle change?


After a week, I decided to try a physical therapist that Cat knew.  The therapist did a quick assessment, noticed an imbalance in my calves, and gave me some stretches and posture related things to try.  I was able to run a bit but struggled with discomfort afterwards.  After a second visit, I felt like it was really in my hands to work through some exercises and let whatever damage I did heal.  

In October, Cat and I went to Walt Disney World for a week.  Every 3-4 years we go down to experience the Wine and Food Festival at Epcot. We covered 8-10 miles a day on foot. During that trip, I was still experiencing achiness in my right hip after being on my feet for a while.  I also had some impingement going on that made it difficult to flex my hip in certain ways. Putting shoes and socks on, for example, was difficult on my right side.

Is this a major lifestyle change ahead of me?  I had heard of others who gave up running and transitioned to cycling because of issues with their hips.  No, that can be me.  I like to ride but not exclusively.  I just had a scary cycling accident, I’m not sure I feel safe on a bike.  And what about my Dopey Dream?  Is that gone forever now? 

Planning for Dopey 2024 Regardless


I was betting that my hip issue was temporary and would resolve within a few months.  So, I continued to plan for Dopey 2024.  I still had a concern regarding registration.  I did not want to get my heart set on Dopey only to be left staring at the registration rejection screen on my computer in April.

So, before our October Disney Trip, I reached out to a non-profit organization in Kissimmee, Florida, to see if I could get on their RunDisney fundraising team.  I mentioned that I was going to be in Orlando in October and the gentlemen responsible for fundraising invited Cat and I to visit the facility, and we did.

The non-profit is called Give Kids the World Village (https://www.gktw.org).  I was amazed by this place and the history behind it.  We were given a one-hour tour of the facility, many times during which I was almost brought to tears hearing the stories of children who were terminally ill or had life altering conditions.  After the tour, I was ready to sign up and do my fundraising.  It would an honor to participate in the Dopey Challenge on behalf of Give Kids the World.  I was assured I had a place on the team, but I would have to wait until March or April when Disney allocated entries to charities.  Perfect, it will give me time to heal my hip before I commit.

Here is a short video introducing Give Kids the World Village:



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