The shopping cart incident

Taper week is off to a great start. (Not really).

I am not getting enough sleep, I am still babying my right knee, and I drank too many margaritas this weekend.

Then, the cable on my bike began to fray, a sharp wire stabbing me in the finger during my ride on Sunday. (On second thought, maybe the margaritas were a good thing; it was a kickin' ride :) 

Hmmm . . . take a chance on the cable holding up and risk a complete break on race day, or take the bike to the bike shop?

To the bike shop I went, squeezing the errand into an already busy day.

There was also a

near the bike shop and the dog was getting low on food and was completely out of pig ears, and you can't have that, and my youngest daughter wants "dog things" for her birthday, and so into PetSmart I strolled.

I collected two bags of Pig's Ears (on sale), two dog books for the daughter, and heaved two 40-pound bags of kibble onto the cart. $120 later and I was on my way.

It was chilly, breezy and overcast outside, and I saw the  at the end of the shopping center, shining like a warm, welcoming beacon. Blinded by Starbucks, and motivated by the thought of a warm, frothy latte, I stepped quickly into the street; a car was closer than it appeared, approaching faster than it should have been. I sped up, made a sharp turn toward my car, and rammed the cart directly into a speed bump/hump/traffic calming device, whatever you call it.

Yes, I saw the big yellow hump. Yes, I thought the cart would simply roll over it. Yes, I was very wrong.

The heavy cart came to an abrupt and violent stop while I, a hapless victim of Newton's Law of motion, kept moving forward, crashing into the cart that had lurched forward, like a bucking bronco trying to rid his back of an unwanted load. A 40-pound bag of food went flying, narrowly missing the oncoming car, and my right knee (yes, the very one I'm babying) collided with the metal bar on the back of the cart, hitting the soft, vulnerable spot between kneecap and ligaments.

I tried to right myself and my knee buckled; like it had suddenly gone to sleep.Kinda like when you hit your funny bone on your elbow, except it wasn't funny.

The car kept on motoring without a second glance at me or the bag of dog food a mere inches from his front tire, but this wonderful passerby--a lovely, primly dressed, older woman--took pity on my poor, clumby soul, and, after asking if I was okay, she deftly plucked the bag of dog food from the asphalt and deposited it back into my cart as easily as if she were scooping a small Chihuahua into her arms. It's like she was the grandma version of Clark Kent who suddenly appeared from her car with a red cape flying behind her. My hero!

And then she vanished as quickly as she'd appeared. I limped to my car, making a mental note of the lessons I'd learned that day:

1) Shopping carts and speed bumps do not mix.
2) Older ladies are surprisingly strong!
3) I am still a klutz.