Bummer

My slow but sure mileage build-up in recent weeks made me think that a mid-August target date for my return to full training was well-within reach.  I forgot that sometimes, shit happens.

In the past three weeks, my weekly mileage was consistently in the mid to high 20’s.  In fact, last week, I surely would have hit around 35km if not for a short bout with the flu.  I was hoping to get my mileage up to the 40’s by mid-August so that I could embark on a 10-week HM program, just in time for this year’s edition of the KOTR.  The 10k at the KOTR is likewise an option, that is, if I am unable to rack up serious mileage.  After all, it’s about time that I got that sub-Piolo out of the way.  At any rate, the plan was to get in a good enough condition to be able to run a decent race at the KOTR.

 I had a good start to the week, actually.  After running a good aerobic 10k run on Sunday, I went for a 30-min. bike ride on Monday, followed by an easy 7k run at Ayala Triangle on Tuesday.  I was going to run again on Wednesday but my buddies came calling so I decided to pay homeage to St. Michael instead.  🙂 

I woke up Thursday morning with a sore throat.  I also felt that I was coming down with the flu so I called in sick.  Had to cancel my run that day, too.  I was supposed to run Friday evening but decided to cancel last minute as I wanted my legs to be fresh the following morning for my basketball game.  It was the second season of the Den Daniel Reyes Cup and my team, the SF Baconators (so named due to our fraternity’s ties to the great Sir Francis Bacon), was bent on improving on our 4th place finish last year.

This group pic was taken a few moments before I got injured.

*Photo credit:  Archie Gonzales

I joined the proceedings a few minutes into the first quarter as I arrived late and had to suit up and warm-up a little.  Less than a minute inside the court, I found myself sprawled on the floor, holding on to my left ankle.  I knew something was wrong when I heard a snapping sound as my ankle buckled under my weight, which was quickly followed by what seemed like a gazillion volts of electricty shooting up my spine all the way to my cerebral cortex.  More than a quarter of a century’s experience of playing organized basketball told me that I had to call it a day.

It was a freak accident, really.  I have emerged unscathed from far more serious situations like this one (from last season’s tournament) for example:

      *Photo credit:  Ceazar Ryan Aquino

How and why it happened remains a mystery to me.  All I could remember was that I was scrambling for a loose ball then, pow! – I just twisted my ankle on my own.  I did not step on anyone’s foot or was otherwise thrown off-balance when it happened.  No contact from any opposing player either.  It was Murphy’s Law personified – by my own clumsiness. 

For the meantime, I’d rather not think about the ramifications of this, my latest injury.  It’s a long season anyway and still quite some months off from the KOTR.  However, I can’t help but reflect on recent events, more particularly, my seemingly frequent run-ins with injury.  All I can say is, shit really happens.  At least, this time around, it didn’t hit the fan.