I Almost Miss the Ass Bruise

Last night as I circled Central Park on my bike I got to thinking. A dangerous pastime, I know, but an hour and a half in the saddle with nothing but my thoughts for company, and it just sort of happens.

This time last year I had just bought my bike, my baby, more out of necessity than choice. I sat in my orthopedic surgeon’s office and pointed to the exact spot on my shin where a bone scan would later reveal a stress fracture. My Achilles Heel was misplaced six inches north. Say what you want about runners, but we know our bodies. The doctor's prognosis: No running.

So I bought a jersey with pockets and shorts with a chamois (the closest I’ll ever come to having a booty!) and I traded in my running sneakers for shoes with carbon soles and Velcro closures. On my maiden voyage, I rode a block and a half before I fell over at a stop light, feet still attached to my clipless pedals. I limped home with a flat tire, a bloody elbow and a very badly bruised sense of determination.

It was the summer of Team Free Pie, of three idiots sharing a small apartment, of hilarious trips to the grocery store in the pickup truck, of speaking entirely in Wedding Crashers quotations. And I kept falling. Jackie’s Ass Bruise started to sound less like a painful reality and more like a potential band name. Gradually, I got a little better. One morning I called my dad excitedly.

“Guess what I did this morning?” I asked.
“Rode your bike?” Lucky guess.
“Yes, I rode my bike. But I also drank from my waterbottle while still riding and I didn’t fall!”

It was a huge milestone in my career.

It’s funny how acutely I miss that summer without actually wanting relive it. Team Free Pie disbanded: L is in Texas, A is in love and I’m here. My stress fracture healed and I’m much better on a bike these days. I’ve only fallen once this season but it was a spectacular fall, and part of me is still recovering.

Well, friends, it’s the 3rd of July, the market closes early, and I’m out the door at 1PM. I’m overwhelmed with possibilities of how to spend my free afternoon. There’s always Central Park, my bike and my thoughts.