by Gordo Byrn

Two weeks ago, I hit a dog, at speed, while finishing off a ride in Tucson. I’ve had high-speed crashes before but this one was special, as a light tailwind had me flying north on Old Nogales Highway.

If you log a lot of bike miles then crashes are part of the territory. I do what I can to reduce/mitigate the risk:

• Ride defensively (see Dan Empfield's must read articles on urban and rural riding)
• Skip bike racing (it’s fun but so are a lot of other things that I choose to avoid – for personal health, and character, reasons)
• Limit group riding (it’s not you, it’s me)
• Carry high-deductible medical and long-term care/disability policies

My accident was the "normal" variety. Random dog ran out from the desert and under my front wheel. He didn’t stick around to check on me after I hit the highway.

Post accident, I consulted with our team doc. His advice was to wait 48-hours for my injuries to become apparent. I thought, "What the heck does that mean?" ...I would find out shortly! The injury to my rib cage appeared the next morning and grew for a 72-hour period.

Back in Boulder, we had a winter storm the second day (post-crash). Snowed in, blacked out and using my good arm to drag downed branches around my property... My mood was dark and I definitely do not recommend snow shoveling for rehab of an acute rib injury!

Despite my carefully managed online persona, I’m an up and down guy and I have a series of tactics that I use to manage the downs.

• At least you can work at home.
• Tomorrow will be better, just wait it out.
• You can have a latte after you finish clearing the branches.
• Take your time – there isn’t any rush.
• Your family loves you.

I made a deal with myself that I’d hold off for a week on making any decisions on IM Arizona. Across that week, I thought back to my original goals for the race:

• Learn
• Experience IM
• Race a fast course, crowded Ironman and show how to optimize power:speed
• See if I still enjoy racing all-day-long
• Benchmark against Chrissie’s time from last year

I thought about Chrissie a fair amount that week. I can assure you that everything you’ve read has understated what that lady can -- and has -- trained through. Less than a quarter of her 2011 challenges have made it into the public domain. There was no doubt in my mind that “Chrissie Would Go.”

When I was racing elite, there was a joke between Molina and me: Gordo Would Go. We did some crazy stuff together. Those are fond memories and formed my athletic identity for many years. However, I also thought about the bigger picture of my current life and triathlon’s role within it.

Why do I participate in triathlon?
To demonstrate how being a top age-group athlete can sit in harmony with personal health, family and work.

So I won’t be starting… …but I’ll be back.