Two years ago today......

Two years ago today I was in Bay Medical Center in Panama City Beach Florida. I had just had surgery to repair my shattered tibia and fibula in my left leg. It looked like this:

The accident was the result of a collision between myself and a car traveling 50 mph. The car didn't see me, and hit me from behind. I went onto the windshield (and broke it) then landed in a gravel parking lot. This saved my life:

The driver of the car kept going and ran over my bicycle. It blew out his tires and he had to stop:

Yes my bike is in pieces!!!

My road to recovery seemed to last forever! I was using a walker because I couldn't bear any weight on my left leg and all my road rash on my right side prevented me from being able to use crutches. I was unable to navigate the stairs at my home and had to stay with a friend. It didn't help that Poncey was only 4 months old. Looking back on it now, I realize what tremendous pressure it was on my mother, caring for me (including driving my bored self around!), my puppy, my household (laundry, cleaning grocery shopping) all while still working and living her life! I guess my recovery really became her life! Thanks so much mom!

I will never forget all the amazing acts of kindness from some of you guys. Bob Box came to visit me in the hospital, although we had only met several times. A true friendship was born out of his concern. I hardly knew Laurie, Russ, and Kile when they insisted on taking my out to dinner once I was on crutches and getting around a little better. They are now some of the people I adore most in this world. So many of you were encouraging and patient with me, telling me that I would recover and be able to race again, when the truth is that the doctor's said my leg might heal shorter and there was a chance I would never run again.

The path to healing was a tough one. I was in a tremendous amount of pain and very unhappy at my lack of mobility and general need to depend on others. I was given a boot instead of a cast, which meant that I could still swim. The problem was that it took me almost 30 minutes just to get into the pool and my that time I was exhausted! I remember crying the first time I made it the locker room because I was sweating and so tired. I couldn't believe how my body went from being fit to totally broken and out of shape.

I tried my hardest to remain positive and thankful for being alive. People were constantly telling me how blessed I was to have lived through an accident like mine. I was constantly being praised for my optimistic attitude towards my recovery and my resilience, but those of you closest to me knew that I was really depressed and felt like I wasn't getting better quick enough. Many tears were shed during those months and when I finally heard that my boot could come off my leg and I was free to bear full weight on it, I was SO happy!

The first thing I did was walk Poncey for a whole hour! I was limping and in horrible pain by the time we had it back to the house but I was free!!!! It felt so wonderful! My leg gave me a lot of trouble in the months that followed. My patella tendon was sliced totally through to make way for a titanium rod and took several additional months before it was healed. In May I tried to run and it was just some type of painful gimp.

One year after the accident I went back to cheer on IM Florida participants. It felt really good!

One year after the accident I ran my first half-marathon. My doctor's were totally amazed. Things still hurt a lot, but I was determined to not get left behind by my training partners so I just bore down and kept going.

21 months after my accident I completed my first Ironman. I choose to do it in Louisville, KY. The thought of experiencing something so amazing at the same place that caused me so much pain seemed to weird at the time.

24 months to the exact day after my accident I was in Florida again, for IM. I met one of the race directors, who was a witness to my accident. She couldn't believe my recovery!






Everyday I feel pain. Some days are better than others. Certain days I still walk with a limp. I have a herniated disc in my back likely caused from my fall to the ground. But I am alive and that is really all the matters, everything else is just icing on the cake at this point.

While I was in Florida I realized that I really want to do this race. I have totally forgiven the person that hit me, but I need to come to Ironman Florida and not just spectate, I need to race. There is a piece of me that hasn't totally forgiven IM FL, although it clearly had nothing to do with my accident per se.

There are times when I lose sight of how far I have come in such a short period of time. Posts like this help me realize that my circle of recovery is far from complete and I am gaining ground instead of losing it! That's a wonderful feeling!