Training for triathlons is a healthy experience – most of the time. Sometimes, that nagging calf during the run session turns into something serious. I had that problem about five weeks ago. I’ve been to the physio four times, I’ve tried to run a few times… and each time it feels like a vise on my right calf. Initially the physio diagnosed it as small tear, so I’ve been getting massages and treatments while sticking with only swimming and biking.

I went for a 30-minute run earlier this week. It was tough to go that slow, frustrating to barely be moving when I really wanted to have my usual long strides and 4:20/km speed. For this run, I was happy with sub 6:00/km and short stubby strides, my foot-strike more towards the rear than my usual smooth mid-foot strike. It was ok, not great but ok, 3km in 30 minutes.

I went for another run Friday and managed 5.65km in 37 minutes, so things were getting a bit better. My leg was still hurting a bit, but it was manageable. For the rest of the day and night it was a bit sore, but when I woke up this morning it felt pretty good. So I decided on a morning ride, a couple of hours on a route that I take often.

As I got into the ride, I noticed that mt legs felt great! I could stay in the big chainring over hills where usually had to shift down to the smaller chainring. I was powering through the ride, and making sure to stretch my right calf muscle as often as possible, preferably with each pedal rotation. You know, with each downward pedal you pretend that you are wiping something off the bottom of your shoe. This felt great on my calf, and I was also concentrating on lifting my opposite foot during each pedal stroke. I was going up hills in the big chainring pushing 480 watts, feeling wonderful! And then…

There are many roundabouts here in Gran Canaria. It is not a difficult concept; if someone is already in the roundabout, you wait until they pass and then you can go. But, the guy on the motorcycle this morning decided to go when I was just in front of him. Bang! His front wheel hit my back wheel, I was in the air and then crashing to the ground, landing on my right shoulder, then my left hip, while my head crashed to the ground and my sunglasses drove into my nose and then shattered. Bike helmet was toast. Back tire, toast. I was lying in the road, while the guy with the motorcycle was trying to pick up his bike, as he had gone down as well. I remember seeing him approaching the yield line, but he just kept continuing, I was screaming at him to stop, but he didn’t hear me through his motorcycle helmet. I thought he was looking right at me, but no, he most definitely was not.

The next few minutes were a blur. I was kind of woozy as I had just smacked my head to the pavement (and before that I had been riding pretty hard for 30 minutes). The police and an ambulance arrived, I was still in pretty ok shape as we went through paperwork and they checked me out. My shoulder was killing me, I could barely lift my right arm and my lower back was starting to hurt. I called my wife and she came to pick me up, but before she arrived I received the motorcyclist’s insurance information, the police report and the ambulance report.

My wife was a bit freaked out, as my Garmin had sent her an automatic “accident report” as I went down. When I spoke with her she calmed a bit, said she would be there to get me shortly. The ambulance left, but the police stayed until she arrived and then we were on our way home. It was around this point I noticed that my right calf felt fine – it was finally getting better! But, my head hurt, my hand was bloody, my should was in serious pain and my lower back was throbbing.

I took a shower, had some lunch, iced my back for a while and then went to assess the bike damage. Sunglasses were broken, bike helmet had a big dent, rear tire and tube were done, shirt was ripped on the right shoulder, and finally my carbon fiber seat rails were shredded. But the rest of the bike was ok, so at least I’ve got that. It is now a few hours later, I’ve had some Advil but my head still hurts. My shoulder feels better, my back a bit better, and my calf feels really good. Hopefully everything is better before my next race, in 28 days. It had started as such a great day, almost through one injury only to end up flat on the pavement. I feel like an old man walking up the stairs now, aches and pains all over. Ah, the athlete’s life, eh?