It's all good, friends. Really.
If you are a runner and absolutely had to pick an injury, I would highly recommend cutting your forearms. As bizarre as this whole situation has been, it's had zero impact on my training. It's inconvenient, annyoing, and unsightly, but overall, it's really no big deal. My run on Friday was actually five seconds faster than Monday's run, and it was the exact same route and distance. Life is weird.
As scary as those cuts looked, they are all bark and no bite. Yes, the process of wrapping my arms is time-consuming, but in the grand scheme of it all, it's been no problem. After Wednesday, the pain subsided substantially. The stitches are a bit itchy if they dry out, but it's nothing a squirt of Neosporin can't fix.
I have several looks for my wound care: daytime, evening, and running. Daytime is the most tightly wrapped, since I want to keep them clean and away from germs. Evening I can go without the gauze, which is much more comfortable. And for running or working out, I simply add a lovely pair of arm sleeves over the puffy white bandages as not to offend anyone. It's a bit warm, yes, especially when you live in Las Vegas in July, but it's a small price to pay. Brian is my chief wrapper; he has this great technique that makes the gauze stay in place (mainly because he has two working hands). I only have to wrap early in the morning, before my runs, but I have my sleeves to keep the wrappings from slipping.
I had a chance to meet and thank the Boot Camp Guy that was so instrumental last week. His name is George, and he looked just as surprised to see me this Tuesday as he did last Tuesday, albeit under much different circumstances. George and I had a good laugh about it all and I had a hard time not hugging the man. Apparently, he told his boot camp about the incident because as I was leaving (after someone opened the gate - I may be foolish but I'm not dumb), they called me over and wanted to see photos. Interesting, the boot camp was all very fit males (single friends, take note) who squealed and gagged over the images. It made me smile. George doesn't know it yet but he's going to get a very large delivery of M&M cookies next week for all of his help.
My trek back to the scene of the crime also gave me a chance to see the fence again. Upon further inspection, I realized I was doomed from the start. Prior to last Tuesday, I hadn't been there for two weeks. Something must have happened to the fence in that time, because the part I climb over had been severely dented. The very top part, instead of sticking straight up, was bent so deeply, it was almost parallel with the ground. One metal hook was actually sticking straight out. In the daylight, the damage was obvious, but last Tuesday, it was dark, I was tired, and I never even looked up. I could actually pick out which part of the metal I scraped down on, based on the way it was bent. CSI Las Vegas is alive and well, friends.
If running has taught me anything, it's that nutrition is key. You simply cannot expect your body to do crazy hard things if you are feeding it garbage. I approached wound care the same way: food is medicine. Even as Kat drove me back to my car that morning, we were strategizing over nutrients and foods to consume in the coming weeks. I'm been downing anti-inflammatory smoothies, eating as much Vitamin C, copper, and zinc that I can, supplementing with additional protein and hydrating, hydrating, hydrating. I even indulged my inner carnivore on Saturday night by slurping down three fresh oysters. (As much as I hate to say it, they were delicious.) And with 74 mg of zinc per serving, they are Nature's miracle cure to wound care.
So it's all good, folks. I'm thankful for so many things - good friends, a quick recovery, no leg damage, and we are not in the zombie apocalypse. Let's face it - had these been zombie bites, I would have needed to have both arms amputated below the elbow. Or I would have just died and turned into a zombie. I don't like either of those options. So I'm happy that everything is totally fine and this is nothing more than a speed bump on the path to St. George.
If you are a runner and absolutely had to pick an injury, I would highly recommend cutting your forearms. As bizarre as this whole situation has been, it's had zero impact on my training. It's inconvenient, annyoing, and unsightly, but overall, it's really no big deal. My run on Friday was actually five seconds faster than Monday's run, and it was the exact same route and distance. Life is weird.
As scary as those cuts looked, they are all bark and no bite. Yes, the process of wrapping my arms is time-consuming, but in the grand scheme of it all, it's been no problem. After Wednesday, the pain subsided substantially. The stitches are a bit itchy if they dry out, but it's nothing a squirt of Neosporin can't fix.
I have several looks for my wound care: daytime, evening, and running. Daytime is the most tightly wrapped, since I want to keep them clean and away from germs. Evening I can go without the gauze, which is much more comfortable. And for running or working out, I simply add a lovely pair of arm sleeves over the puffy white bandages as not to offend anyone. It's a bit warm, yes, especially when you live in Las Vegas in July, but it's a small price to pay. Brian is my chief wrapper; he has this great technique that makes the gauze stay in place (mainly because he has two working hands). I only have to wrap early in the morning, before my runs, but I have my sleeves to keep the wrappings from slipping.
I had a chance to meet and thank the Boot Camp Guy that was so instrumental last week. His name is George, and he looked just as surprised to see me this Tuesday as he did last Tuesday, albeit under much different circumstances. George and I had a good laugh about it all and I had a hard time not hugging the man. Apparently, he told his boot camp about the incident because as I was leaving (after someone opened the gate - I may be foolish but I'm not dumb), they called me over and wanted to see photos. Interesting, the boot camp was all very fit males (single friends, take note) who squealed and gagged over the images. It made me smile. George doesn't know it yet but he's going to get a very large delivery of M&M cookies next week for all of his help.
My trek back to the scene of the crime also gave me a chance to see the fence again. Upon further inspection, I realized I was doomed from the start. Prior to last Tuesday, I hadn't been there for two weeks. Something must have happened to the fence in that time, because the part I climb over had been severely dented. The very top part, instead of sticking straight up, was bent so deeply, it was almost parallel with the ground. One metal hook was actually sticking straight out. In the daylight, the damage was obvious, but last Tuesday, it was dark, I was tired, and I never even looked up. I could actually pick out which part of the metal I scraped down on, based on the way it was bent. CSI Las Vegas is alive and well, friends.
If running has taught me anything, it's that nutrition is key. You simply cannot expect your body to do crazy hard things if you are feeding it garbage. I approached wound care the same way: food is medicine. Even as Kat drove me back to my car that morning, we were strategizing over nutrients and foods to consume in the coming weeks. I'm been downing anti-inflammatory smoothies, eating as much Vitamin C, copper, and zinc that I can, supplementing with additional protein and hydrating, hydrating, hydrating. I even indulged my inner carnivore on Saturday night by slurping down three fresh oysters. (As much as I hate to say it, they were delicious.) And with 74 mg of zinc per serving, they are Nature's miracle cure to wound care.
So it's all good, folks. I'm thankful for so many things - good friends, a quick recovery, no leg damage, and we are not in the zombie apocalypse. Let's face it - had these been zombie bites, I would have needed to have both arms amputated below the elbow. Or I would have just died and turned into a zombie. I don't like either of those options. So I'm happy that everything is totally fine and this is nothing more than a speed bump on the path to St. George.
Here's the recipe for my absolute favorite anti-inflammatory smoothie - it's so tasty!!
Turmeric Smoothie
1 c non-dairy milk (coconut or almond)
1/2 c frozen pineapple OR mango
1/2 frozen banana
1 Tbl coconut oil (I omit this)
1 tsp tumeric
Pinch of fresh ground pepper
1/2 cinnamon
1 small chunk of fresh ginger
1 tsp maca
1 tsp chia seeds
Blend everything except the chia seeds in a blender. Pour mixture over the chia seeds, stir. Enjoy!!
Turmeric Smoothie
1 c non-dairy milk (coconut or almond)
1/2 c frozen pineapple OR mango
1/2 frozen banana
1 Tbl coconut oil (I omit this)
1 tsp tumeric
Pinch of fresh ground pepper
1/2 cinnamon
1 small chunk of fresh ginger
1 tsp maca
1 tsp chia seeds
Blend everything except the chia seeds in a blender. Pour mixture over the chia seeds, stir. Enjoy!!
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