FitView By Efren Martinez
Broken Fitness Swim, Bike, Run or even strength training with weights for most of us including myself can forget about safety first and just how fragile we really are and how tough it is to recover. Last month I was on a solo training heading into Oakdale when my front wheel suddenly locked up. I landed in the middle of the intersection and was awakened by the nice and my wife. For some reason my wife insisted on shadowing me in our van so I wouldn’t be out there cycling alone. I end up at the hospital with a comminuted fracture involving the lateral aspect of right clavicle with extension into the acromioclavicular joint. Translation; I had a broken bone with complications. This meant no lifting, pushing or pulling with my right arm and no swimming, cycling or running for 6-8 weeks.
Many of you may have faced something similar. Suddenly my yearly Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon I had been training so hard for was over. I was eager to find out why my wheel locked up. Working with Ed Battisfore from The Oakdale Bicycle Shop and Keith Williams of Williams racing rims, we investigated. They both concluded that it was human error. My error, I simply was in a hurry to get my ride on that morning and didn’t put my front racing wheel on correctly.
Now, what was I going to do to get back on track and how could I heal much quicker than the normal textbook doctor recommendations. Being without fitness for 8 weeks just wasn’t going to do for me. I quickly learned that the faster I could get the blood moving throughout my body and especially to my broken clavicle, the faster I could get the bone to reattach. With my doctor’s OK, I was back on my spin bike within 10 days of my injury. I managed to get my spin on with my arm in a sling and taped to my body so I wouldn’t jar my shoulder. A few days after that, I added a 3-mile walk with a figure 8 shoulder harness/sling. It was all very slow, but after awhile I went from a constant pain to occasional discomfort. 16 days later I got back in the water which was the toughest. I actually had to relearn how to swim with one arm. Exhausting, you bet, but after the 3rd time in the water I seemed to get better at it. Even though I was very slow, I was swallowing less water at the end of my swimming session and my efficacy went up. It’s been now nearly 3 weeks since my fall and thankfully I now have some mobility with little rotation in my right shoulder.
My yearly Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon might be over for 2014 but it didn’t mean I had to stop living a healthy lifestyle while healing myself. Below are some important fitness safety tips we should all practice. Friends, please always put safety first. Remember just taking that extra moment to doublecheck yourself and your gear and not be in a hurry can make or break you.
Always wear a helmet when riding your bike. Always safety inspect your bike before going on a ride, especially your quick releases. Run and ride with a buddy. Let others know when & where you are going for a run/ride. Double tie your shoe laces before you go out on a run & wear bright clothes. When working with free weights, be cautious of them so they don’t drop on your foot. Road ID is my preferred fitness App & it’s free on iTunes. Cyclist! Adding running & swimming to your workout builds upper body strength & it’s what saved my shoulder from completely shattering when I fell. www.facebook.com/QuakeFitness
