So on June 2013 I did Ironman CDA. It did a bit on my immune system and I kept getting sick. I had to miss Worlds 70.3 (lottery slot) and I couldn’t balance myself on a bike I was so sick (or run… or swim…). Started getting better towards the end of the year, started going to the gym and taking group classes, but still had major burnout and had no desire to SBR (I did do an Oly in October which I enjoyed). Then I got sick again in December-January, so sick I missed work for 2 weeks and was out a total of one whole month from regular activity. Then I got a lottery slow to Silverman HIM and “was forced” back into training, and slowly I rediscovered my love for it. I started to crave it again.
On 5/3/14 I was doing a charity ride for the American Diabetes Association (Tour de Cure) and was at mile 33 of 100 feeling great (it was my first standalone-century), and a 19-year-old from Cali hit me from behind at around 45 miles per hour. There were 3 adults and one toddler in the car and none of them saw me (the toddler was ok). He just didn’t see me. There were signs all over, bikes all over, police cars parked here and there (one a few intersections back), so there was a pretty good indication all over to watch for bikes. I was in the lane I was supposed to be at and still got hit.
I’m clipped in to my bike so my right foot unclipped, my bike went under his car, I went over, cracked the windshield (you can see the crack in the picture), bent the hood, then because my left foot never unclipped and my bike was attached to his car by the wheel I ricocheted back to the ground when he stopped braking. If the right foot had not unclipped I would have probably gone under his car and most likely be dead and if the left foot had unclipped I would have probably gone off flying somewhere and most likely be dead. Other than being hit, it worked out perfectly for me. Not one broken bone. There’s not only dying, there’s also being brain dead, quadriplegic, paraplegic, broken bones, things that would never heal, etc.
The only thing I got was a hematoma on my right backside, where I hit his car. I couldn’t sit for two weeks (and had to miss work), I couldn’t lay on my back or wear jeans for seven weeks, and I was in a tremendous amount of pain. I still have pain and am very limited in what I can do 11 weeks later. The hematoma added like a 4-inch third backside 
Almost gone, but still there. It will most likely heal completely and I will probably have no after-effects in a few more months.
I consider myself very lucky to be alive and to have walked away from that the way I did.
Now I can’t wait to start training again. Hoping I can start training soon. Silverman is iffy but not pulling the plug yet (10/5), half marathon the day before Ironman AZ, then off to drive to AZ to volunteer and do IMAZ 2015, and I have Disney Dopey in January 2015 (5K Thursday, 10K Friday, HM Saturday, marathon Sunday) and hoping to do St. George HIM in May of next year. Planning on Park to Pedal next year or the year after, as few cars as you can get in a standalone century.
This accident has really changed me. Obviously I’m meant to do something so off to find out what it is and do it. I find myself just spontaneously laughing out loud because alive feels so good. I look at myself in the mirror and think to myself, two arms and two legs! Whoohoo! I don’t really need anything else anymore other than being alive.
Still don’t have a bike replacement so will have to use my previous one (which is not a perfect fit, but it’s a bike!). I’m getting the bike replaced but it takes months.
All indoors training from now on (I have a Wahoo Kickr and a Cyclops Fluid 2 and a treadmill and a park about 0.375 (or so) from my front door with each lap being around 0.45). Triathlons are closed courses so those are a go. Once I get Park to Pedal done I will probably not do another standalone century again.
You can be doing everything right and still get hit. In the grand scheme of things it’s not worth it for me. Especially since I can lead the lifestyle I want while being safer.
