It changed with a pop

On June 23rd, at about 2:40pm, I fully ruptured my left Achilles. It happened in the second half of a rec touch football league game.  Ironically, I had been thinking how fit I was feeling during the game - I was 2 for 2 on pass completions, and the girl guarding me had actually said I was too fast.

So I lined up, ready to sprint downfield to be open for a long pass.  As the quarterback called "hike", I pushed down on my back leg, ready to explode into a sprint.  I fell onto my hands and knees, trying to make sense of the loud pop noise I had heard.  Had one of the nodes on my cleats fallen off? Why did my foot feel so weird? Why was my calf tightening?  I reached back and felt the space where the tendon, which stretches from your calf to your heal, should be, tense and protuding just behind the ankle.  As I felt the emptiness, I looked up at the ref and told him, "there's been a pop, I think it's my achilles".  He responded, "Do you need an ambulance?"  Immediately I said yes.  

I've played sports all my life, at a competitive level.  As a kid, I spent summers playing tennis at the local club, and traveling to USTA tournaments all throughout New England.  In college, I rowed on the Crew team, and had the honor of being part of an NCAA winning crew.  Since then (and I'll be honest, it's been a few years) I've maintained my love of sport and competition.  I now live on the beach in LA, which is an outdoor activity playground.  My current sporting activities are rowing (3 times a week) kickball (once a week - though it is more social), tennis (once a month), beach volleyball (all day on the weekends), occasional yoga and any other sport I can get myself into.  So, while I'm not exactly elite like Kobe Bryant, I think it's fair to argue that I am more than just a weekend warrior.  And I know when an injury is going to require more than just and ice pack.

Pimp my ride

All the photos kept me smiling!

So as the ambulance was called for, I did my best to think clearly and get organized.  This was my second game with this team, and the friends I'd joined with were out of town for the weekend.  So I'd known everyone for a max of one week, and a minimum of roughly 40 minutes.  I tried to ignore the shock and worry on everyone's faces, and sent people off to collect my bag, fetch my wallet from my car (going to need that insurance!) and ended up handing my keys to newfound friends to deliver my car back to my apartment.  I knew my calm wasn't going to last long, so I capitalized as much as I could.  And then my chariots showed up - with a little too much fanfare.  A fire truck AND an ambulance? Feels a little excessive!  And speaking of insurance, do I need to pay for both?  I was whisked to the ER where, fortunately, the wait was short and the diagnosis was quick.  My foot was wrapped and suddenly crutches were placed in my hands.  The nurse worried that I looked "shakey" while trying to use them, but when you're still crying from learning you're going to need surgery and months of recovery, it's ok to shake.

While it's been just over two weeks since the injury, I've decided that writing and airing "my story" will help me process as I move down this little detour in life.  Even if nobody reads it. And I'm okay with that. :)