Injuries

Hard to believe, but I've somehow managed to dislocate not just one, but both shoulders in the last week.  I've avoided all overuse injuries and had no trail falls or anything like that, but two freak accidents are affecting my final training.

Incident #1 was from a fall off my treadmill at home.  There was a major snowstorm last Saturday so I decided to run inside.  I guess I missed the tread and went flying, landing hard on my right shoulder, in lots of pain.  It took a few minutes to be able to get myself up.  Magically, a few minutes later it slid back into place on its own.  If there's a painful injury that has quicker relief when fixed, I don't know what it is.  A dislocation feels like you've been stuck with a knife, and every time you try to move it at all it's like the knife has twisted.  But pop it back in place, and it's almost like it never happened.  Road conditions were miserable, so I decided not to go see a doctor, and since it was just a bit sore the next day, I let it go.  I even went on an 18 mile run the next day, followed by a 9 and 10 early the next week, and resumed skiing as normal, knowing I had to be more careful since ligaments are stretched and the shoulder can pop out easily in the days after injury.  I hadn't fallen all year, so why worry?

Then came Thursday.  A couple inches of powder made for nice skiing in the morning, but by noon it was clumpy and inconsistent.  I slowed down, but not enough.  I hit a bad patch and lost control, along with a ski.  Had I been in the middle of the slope it would've been an uneventful fall, but I was near the edge of the steepest slope at Wintergreen, and went off the edge.  I was sure I was going to smack a tree or rock and it might hurt bad, but miraculously I missed everything and came to a stop, on my left shoulder, in pain, and unable to get up.  I'd seen that movie before, so I knew it was dislocated too.  Ski patrol helped me slide on my butt to a flatter spot where I could be snowmobiled out.  They wouldn't try to relocate it and it wouldn't go back in on its own, so I had to go to the ER this time.  They took x-rays and said it might not be easy, so they prepped me for the forgetting drugs so they could pop it back in, but then the doc came in and said it probably wasn't needed, and in about 5 seconds he had it back in.  Ahh, sweet relief, after over 4 hours of sharp pain.

Still trying to get the miles in, so I tried to do 32 today (two days later), but at 24 the dull ache turned to pain and I figured it was a sign to stop.  Oddly, my right shoulder (the "old" injury) was the one with the pain, though both ached throughout the run.  Otherwise I felt great.  I'm ready.  I'll keep running, but stop with pain.  I need to heal more than I need the miles. Skiing?  Well, yeah, maybe, but only in ideal conditions.  And March isn't known for good Virginia skiing, so the season may be over for me.

Four weeks til race day.