Although my first Sprint Triathlon was an amazing experience, it didn’t come without incident.

Note the bloody sock.

It seems that after my swim in a little slice of the Falmouth Atlantic Ocean, I didn’t get all the sand off my feet before putting on my socks and sneakers for my bike ride and run.  I had been advised to make sure the sand was off my feet… and I even sprinkled baby powder into my socks and sneakers the night before the race to eliminate as much moisture as possible… but those darned little sand specks managed to cling on for the ride.

I knew during the running portion of the race that the heel of my right foot hurt a bit, but I was so “in the moment” that I didn’t pay too much attention to it.  Even after the race, I didn’t pay much attention to it.  It was only when I took off my sneakers to change into my flip flops that I noticed that the heel of my sock was soaked with blood.  On inspection of my foot, I gathered that a rock or two had continuously gouged the heel of my foot for, oh, 12 miles or so of my bike ride and run.  I had a gash in my foot about a half inch long and wider than I’d care to remember.

And this gash had bled.  Ouch.

Now, I’m from New England, and I’m a huge Red Sox fan.  I watched Game 2 of the 2004 World Series when Curt Shilling’s blood came seeping through his sock for all the world to see.  This sock is now enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Just wondering if there’s a Hall of Fame somewhere for my bloody sock.  Or if Curt would like to display my sock along with his.

If not, let me know… because the Tide’s gonna turn on it!

(My heel is bandaged and healing quite nicely, by the way… albeit a bit tender!)