We got there about 1/2 hour early and had lots of time to get our kit, stash our stuff back at the car, meet the rest of the team (Pascale and Marshal from Montreal and Kyla's brother Alec) and line up to start. The race course was on the grassy fields and forests of the equestrian park. The footing was pretty good (thank you aeration system!), but considering the rain we had the night before, as well as the cooler temperatures, the ground was still slick. As we left the start gate, we ran through one of the paddocks, climbed up and down a hay pile, and encountered our first zombies. We were warned that there would be both walkers (doing the stereotypical zombie shuffle) and runners; but that we wouldn't know which ones were which until we actually got to them. I "survived" the first 3 zombies, but one of them ended up being a runner - and ran after the group for a good 200 meters (uphill) - lots of screaming and startled people surprised that she would follow us that far away from her post. Good fun! Once past the barns, we headed down the more narrow pathway towards the x-country field. The next obstacle was a tunnel we had to crawl through... and where my one and only picture was taken.
Down another slope and there were some more zombies. They were chained to a post and I stopped to evaluate how to dodge them. I decided cutting away from them would make it so they couldn't reach me... I darted to the left and as I darted...
I heard a pop. In my right calf.
Followed by the inability to run.
I may or may not have uttered a word I won't write here since my parents read this blog.
I tried to walk it off, but to no avail.
There was no way I was going to finish this race.
I told my friends to go ahead and that I would meet them at the finish line. I wasn't going to ruin THEIR race just because mine was over!
I asked some of the "zombies" (who offered me their chair to sit on), to use their walkie (talkies) to get someone to pick me up as the walk back over the 1km I had just run was really unappealing. NO WALKIES. (seriously?????? Who doesn't have walkies throughout the course "just in case"?) Add to that, no transportation across the fields - the zombies had been driven to the outskirts of the fields and then told to walk across the field to reach their posts.
One of the girls told me she texted the organiser (but didn't get a response) that there was someone injured on course. What if someone was SERIOUSLY injured on the course? What sort of plan was in place? Earlier this year, someone DIED - yes DIED!!!!! - while running a tough mudder (another, albeit longer, obstacle course...). Did this organiser not take that into account and plan for the worst? So, I was left to hobble up the paddock to where a car would HOPEFULLY be coming to get me.
Lucky for me, one of the other zombies was on crutches and offered me use of one of them to help me out. After walking about 2/3 of the way, the organizer DID show up and offer me a lift to the first aid tent. Where the volunteer offered me ice and suggested I get it checked out further (and then proceeded to offer me some Tylenol... "for the swelling".... errr, thanks, I said, you mean for the PAIN, right?).
Needless to say, I will be sending an email to the organisers of the event "suggesting" some changes to their race course "plan" for next year if they want to repeat the race.
Lucky for me, I was not driving AND we had plans to meet up with Sarah, my wonderful RMT/RPT friend for lunch. I had her assess me upon arrival and she deduced that it was my gastrocnemius (the more superficial muscle you use when moving quickly to the left). Nothing to do but stretch, ice and rest for 48 hours to give the muscle time to heal and for the swelling to go down.
Which brings us to today. As of today, I can WALK with a much shorter stride than usual and with obvious (to me) protecting of the muscle. I am no longer going into serious muscle spasm every time I move the "wrong" way, and I am now able to go up on my toes "A LITTLE".
I have a call into the physiotherapist I saw when dealing with my back injury last year and hope to be able to get further assessed sometime this week. Upate: appointment at 7pm on Wednesday...
And I'm bummed.
And I can't help but remember that it was this time last year when I sprained my ankle and eventually resulted in sever sciatic back pain that kept me off work for a month... something I am STILL paying back in sick leave.
But that sort of thing couldn't POSSIBLE happen two years in a row, right???
Errr... here's hoping.
