The skiing incident & my aching tailbone

This week has not been a great start of a week the new year.  One thing I didn’t tell you about was an incident we had on the ski trip.  Actually it was more of an “accident”.  We were loading on a chairlift when all of a sudden we heard a loud “pop”.  We all looked down at our skis and realized one of Zachary’s  had popped off!  Apparently he let the toe of his ski drop and it got caught, causing it to pop off as the chair took off.  Not a big deal at all.  The lost ski was given to the chair behind us where it would be reunited with us at the top of the chairlift.

We had a discussion that when we reached the top of the lift, they would slow the chairlift down and Zachary could ski off with just one ski.  Again, not a big deal.  He might fall, but hey, we all fall on every ski trip.  It’s just a part of skiing!

When we reached the top, the lift operator called out to us.  “Parents, just grab his arms and support him and ski off the lift.”.  This new idea caught me by surprise and I figured it must be a good idea because this man is in charge.  I grabbed Zachary by the arm pit and we made our way off the chair.  I snowplowed down to keep us in control.  If you don’t happen to ski, this is what the “snowplow” technique looks like.  It’s a beginner move that everyone uses daily.

I’m guessing that move would have been perfect, if it wasn’t just me holding Zachary up.  Alan wasn’t going along with the new plan (which was last minute). I’m not exactly sure what happened yet, but I think Zack’s ski went underneath my ski which made me slip, because the snowplow position that I was maintaining was now spreading apart… FAST.  My knees twisted in to point at each other and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground and my back slammed to the ground.  The way my legs were positioned I had no control over the speed at which I fell on the ground and it was fast/hard.  So glad I had a helmet on because my head smacked the ground too.

Immediately I was freaked at the position of my legs.  I didn’t think legs could even move like that!!!  And to make matters worse, my legs were trapped in that position because of the long skis, which made it impossible to move them.  I’m not sure if it was audible to anyone else, but I’m pretty sure I was screaming at this point.  The second issue was how hard I fell on my tailbone.  I thought for sure I had shattered my spine and was never going to walk again.  Folks, it was THAT BAD.  Yes, I am dramatic, but for those seconds I thought I was a goner.

Immediately the laughter started.  Don’t get me wrong, skiing is a risky sport, but we also have a good time.  We have had many, many hearty laughs over the falls that we have all had.  But first, we have to make sure the person is not hurt.  Through the laughs Alan asked “Are you OK?”.  I just shook my head “NO”.  That’s all I could do.

Alan quickly came over to help me up.  He untwisted my legs and got me upright again.  Luckily, despite how tragic that fall felt at the time, I was felt surprisingly well once I got my legs untwisted.  Nothing broken and I was a bit sad that no one took a video, because I’m sure the incident was probably pretty darn funny to witness.

We skied a bit more that day and I felt a little sore on the long drive home.  I don’t think I even felt any pain until Tuesday this week (almost a week after the incident).  Back to work didn’t quite agree with my tailbone. Sitting around in a chair all day was uncomfortable!!  Thinking back I’m wondering if my trip to SkyZone really made the issue worse.  No wonder I was the oldest person jumping.  All the other parents were smart enough to be sitting it out (or maybe just not as adventurous as me!! haha).

I’m really trying to take it easy so my bruised tailbone heals up fast.  I skipped my long run on Friday and did the stair machine instead.  I got a good workout on it!  Although I did have to concentrate quite a bit so I wouldn’t trip.  But it is a great new cardio option for me to use at the gym.  Tailbone friendly!

I was going to just walk around the track, but I think you know what happens when you put a runner on the track with their running shoes one… yep, I ran 2 miles around the track (easy) instead.  It didn’t bother me when I ran – but I spent the night with a heating pad on it for some relief.  🙁  🙁  Sidenote: the warm heating pad made me fall asleep while we watched The Hobbit.  Yep, I’m sure that was the reason during that 3 hour movie.  haha!!

It’s not a huge pain, but I think any pain or anything that’s “just not right” should be addressed. It’s more of a dull ache that is freaking me out!  So that’s why you got this huge blog post instead of me running this morning!!  (*if you made it this far, give yourself a high five!!*)

Hope your weekend is good.  I’m visiting my Dad at the hospital (boo, they moved him from the rehab facility back to the hospital), and maybe taking down Christmas decorations (depending on my mood after visiting my Dad).  I could really use a run this morning…

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Q:  Have you ever had a ski accident that left you injured?

Q:  Anyone out there with back pain?  

If so, I’m so sorry to hear that – it’s rough!!!!!!

Q:  What cardio machines do you like to do at the gym?  Stair machine, rowing machine??