Rob Murphy

November 05, 2024

15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

Salt Lake City,

Member Since:

Feb 11, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

I had some success in high school and college. Winner 1985 Rod Dixon Run

Had a fair amount of success as a Masters runner for most of my 40s.

Short-Term Running Goals:

Have fun with running, explore more trails, stay healthy.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Keep running and racing consistently for as long as I can. Find what is sustainable for me over the long run.

Personal:

I teach AP European History and other courses at Alta High School. I coached the track and cross country teams at Alta for 16 years.

Married, two kids - Abby and Andy

My Twitter @murphy_rob

Click to donate

to Ukraine's Armed Forces

Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	12.50	Year:	1470.39

Mon, Oct 10, 2011

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Well, I guess I'll have to add an item to my "bizarre reasons to miss a run" list.

On Monday morning at about 4 AM, I got bit by a spider while lying in bed. It hurt enough so that it woke me up. The bite was under my left armpit. So I couldn't go back to sleep and I got up and went to work. But throughout the morning I became more and more lethargic and I began to feel intense pain in my hips and knees primarily - and it was way different than hard workout pain.

So I ended up leaving work early and going to the doctor. They said I had suffered a "venomous bite" (duh!) and that it was likely a "paralyzing neurotoxin". You just love hearing that right? They said it was going to take time to "work its' way out of my body" and that there was nothing that they could really do other than give me a pain shot in the rear end which didn't really work.

So I went home and spent the rest of the day writhing in pain. Seriously, the pain in my legs and hips was really bad. Today it is about 50% better and I am back at work with some pretty good narcotic pain relievers. Probably going to show films in class today.

Nice huh?

Just got my labs back.... apparently I'm not going to die.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00	Weight: 0.00	Calories: 0.00

Comments

From Andrea on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 11:14:18 from 72.37.171.52

A venomous spider bite?! That sounds terrible!

From jtshad on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 11:22:14 from 204.134.132.225

Hope you recover soon, did you see what kind of spider...black widow, hobo?

From Jake K on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 11:26:19 from 155.100.226.53

Thats scary. Did they have a guess of which kind of spider it was?

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 11:37:53 from 205.127.70.66

When the damn thing bit me I reached up and smacked it and then flung it across the room. Ann found a few pieces of it later and put them in a plastic bag in case they need to see the thing after my blood test results come back. The doctor said my symptoms closely matched those from a scorpion bite but it wasn't a scorpion.

From allie on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 11:38:01 from 161.38.218.168

sounds like a black widow. i was a black widow victim when i was in sixth grade and it was the same thing -- the venom had to work its way out of my system, so everyday i would wake up with new pains in different places -- neck, back, legs, and finally the bottoms of my feet. it was terrible. the bite was on my face, and i woke up with a burning, throbbing cheek. it was probably the most intense pain i have ever felt in my life. when i returned to school i brought the dead spider in a jar and everyone made fun of me. that was the worst pain...

anyway. i'm glad you are starting to feel better. it's a fitting story for october...

From Bret on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 12:05:11 from 64.128.133.66

Wow - sorry to hear that. Hope it doesn't keep you from your Grand Canyon run.

From Steve on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 12:18:30 from 184.224.164.251

What the heck?! That is insane! Don't tell my kids or they will never sleep at your house again, lol! Time for some pool running..

From dugco on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 12:34:53 from 199.44.94.193

Wait! This could be good... can you say spidey-senses!?

Sorry. Did they do anything or recommend anything for you to do directly at the bite location? Tissue necrosis (think big ugly lesion) is common with some spider venom. Take it from your toxicologist/biologist, go above and beyond what they recommend in this instance - nuttin to play with.

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 12:51:53 from 205.127.70.66

Doug - other than redness and soreness, I have no symptoms like that around the bite area. Most all the symptoms are in my legs. My knees feel like they are about to explode.

From Wesley Hunt on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 18:05:02 from 198.8.4.24

Living is preferable to dying...certainly the understatement of the day. Hate to hear your going through this. Different folks in my family, including my brother, have been bitten by spiders, and it can be pretty rough. But you're a tough guy. After all, you're an elite distance runner.

From MarkP on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 19:13:38 from 97.117.127.158

Wow! I know its painful, but what a story to tell you great grand kids some day..."back in my day you would get bit by spiders and liked it."

From Teena Marie on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 19:19:40 from 174.27.200.245

I just left a message on the exterminators machine. Seriously.

DANG!!!

Feeling any better this late afternoon?

From Jon on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 22:05:58 from 74.177.82.194

Holy cow, talk about a unique adventure. Not that unique equals good, but wow.

From Mark on Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 14:11:29 from 24.129.132.78

Ouch! That is a very bizarre reason to miss a run. Hopefully you feel better as soon as possible. I think venomous spider bite is a legitimate reason to miss a run!

Add Your Comment.

Keep it family-safe. No vulgar or profane language. To discourage anonymous comments of cowardly nature, your IP address will be logged and posted next to your comment.
Do not respond to another person's comment out of context. If he made the original comment on another page/blog entry, go to that entry and respond there.
If all you want to do is contact the blogger and your comment is not connected with this entry and has no relevance to others, send a private message instead.

Debt Reduction Calculator

Featured Announcements

Most Recent Entries:

New Kids on the Blog
(need a welcome):

Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):