A look back: The Accident 19/7/2011

Our first few months here in Penang were a complete immersion in the culture, I had a group of new active friends, Rox was getting immersed in the job and Brenna was getting involved in her school and meeting new friends as well.
The group of friends I had were not only runners, but also Cyclists. We had been told that cycling was not an activity that was done in Penang, so I sold my bike before we left the states. For fathers day, Roxanne bought new a new bike so I could join some of the rides. I went full on road bike and got the shoes and everything. Now clipping in was a new thing for me, so I had to practice a lot before I felt confident enough to to the bike out. Early in July of 2011 the group had decided on a long ride to Balik Pulau, I decided to join in.

Somewhere between stopping for breakfast and passing the dam in Teluk Bahang, I wrecked. To this day I still have no memory of what happened, did I get hit by a car, did I make a mistake and turn where I should not have....I guess I will never know. I went over an embankment on the road side and somehow managed to climb back to the roadside (with the bike still clipped to my right leg) and flag down a couple who went down into town and flagged the friends I had to come back and get me. After a phone conversation with Roxanne that I don't remember having, an ambulance ride to Penang General hospital that I don't remember taking, and an admission I don't remember any details about.

I was stitched up large cut on my forehead (14 stitches), my broken right wrist was x-rayed and stabilized and my right hip was x-rayed...after some tense moments on the ward, we were told the hip needed surgery, but it would not be till the next day when we could be given a date for the surgery. Although the care i received at the general hospital was very good, my window for saving my hip was closing, so Rox had me moved to Gleneagles, a private hospital not far from the public facility. That morning around 1:0am I had my hip and wrist repaired. With 3 inch metal pins holding my wrist back together and a hard cast for extra stability, 3 screws holding my hip back together, I was in for 5 days of hospitalization, other than the food, the care was excellent.

It was not until late August that the cast came off my wrist. It was early October when I was able to begin rehab, December when I could begin weight bearing exercise, and February of 2012, when the doctor cleared me to begin running again. So this was a complete restart for me, after getting myself to a desirable fitness level, and beginning to age group place in some races, I was back at the beginning. I could not think of a better place to be though. With heat support and healing vibes, I was back at the start line in mid March of 2012, here in Malaysia, and then did my first travel race in late May....those are stories for another time. As I am off my feet again for another few months and our time here in Penang winds down, I will be looking back at a few milestones...hope you come along for the trip down memory lane. As always, thank you loyal reader...Run Happy!