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19.5 Mile Timpanogos Loop for my Birthday

19.5 Mile Timpanogos Loop for my Birthday

I decided to treat myself to a Mt. Timpanogos summit for my birthday this morning. I have done the summit twice from the Timpooneke trailhead but never from Aspen Grove. I decided to make a loop of it.  Up Aspen Grove, down Timpooneke, then loop back to AG on the Salamander Flats, Snow Gauging, and Lame Horse trails. A 19.5 mile loop.

I put out the call and two fellow Wasatch Mountain Wranglers joined – Keith and Tim. We started at 5:00 and caught an amazing sunrise as we climbed the trail out of Aspen Grove.

Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (1)

This side is steeper than Timpooneke, less runnable, but features some  beautiful waterfalls, a few lakes and meadows, an old Forest Service ranger cabin, and views for days.
We spent a lot of time stopping and taking pictures, so I apologize to Tim and Keith for destroying their splits. But it was hard not to stop and gawk.

Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (3)
Just above the headwall up out of Aspen Grove – at about mile 4.5 – you hit a series of meadows. Here, looking back down the trial at Hidden Lakes.
Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (10)
Climbing out of the Hidden Lakes meadow and up to the Emerald Lake basin. Timpanogos Summit in the distance with the shelter just barely visible.
Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (16)
Looking down into the Timp basin I usually climb into from the other side – from Timpooneke.

Once we climbed over to the saddle, it a wind picked up and it got a bit chilly.  In the sun it was alright, but my hands got numb.  At the summit, two other wranglers, Josh and Jade, caught up to us. They had started from the other trailhead and were pushing for a fast round trip. We sat around for a bit up top.  It’s hard to just turn around and bomb back down when the views as so good.
Hat tip to Tim, as well, for picking up a ton of trash along the trail and on the summit.  Littering makes me so mad.

Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (19)
Looking East from the Timpanogos Summit. Wow.
Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (20)
Happy Birthday to me! Some people say this isn’t what they would have given themselves for their birthdays and that I’m crazy, but I think the mountain disagrees. Birthday summits FTW!
Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (22)
The rest of the WMW crew – Keith, Jade, Josh, Tim.

Once we got off the saddle the temps picked up fast. Lots of hikers were moving up their trail a high fiving us as we ran down, thinking we were more hardcore that we are. When we explained the loop we were doing, we did get some raised eyebrows. Maybe we are hardcore.

Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (24)
The Timp basin is at peak wildflower right now. Seriously people. Get up there!

Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (25)

About halfway down I rolled my right ankle hard. I heard an audible crunch. It ran of OK, though tender, until right at the bottom when I rolled it again. Sharp stab of pain. Oh boy…

At the trailhead I used the bathroom, drenched myself in water, refilled, and headed off for the return trails.  Those were a tough 5 miles for me. Very runnable, but not for me. It was also fun to see a few new places.

Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (26)
North Timpanogos viewed from the Snow Gauging Trail
Brenden Birthday Timpanogos Loop (27)
Looking down towards Aspen Grove from the Lame Horse Trail.

The heat, returned GI distress, and the ankle. But, we made it and it was gorgeous. I will definitely make this loop again, but hopefully in better physical conditions. Happy birthday to me!

Just Keep Moving

Just Keep Moving

Trying to put in some easy miles, keep fit, but not aggravate my sore injured hip and foot/ankle. Varied success. A couple of these felt great, a couple hurt. The last, the full Grove-Battle Creeks loop was magnificent and actually felt pretty good during and after. Thankfully, I haven’t turned my ankle any more. Hopefully things are on the mend.

Sq. Peak Overlook Trail (2)
Little Rock Canyon Overlook

 

Provo Canyon BST (1)
BST on the south side of Provo Canyon. The flowers are starting to come out, but the scrub oak is going to take some coaxing.
Grove-Battle Creeks Loop with Jeff and Cosmo (7)
Climbing up the last part to Grove Creek Springs
Grove-Battle Creeks Loop with Jeff and Cosmo (9)
Just about to crest up above Chris Flats. PC Jeff Davis
Grove-Battle Creeks Loop with Jeff and Cosmo (14)
Jeff and Cosmo coming across Chris Flats. The 1 inch of new snow was so perfect to run on.

 

 

Wasatch 100 Pacing Fail

Wasatch 100 Pacing Fail

Local legend and 17-18-time Wasatch 100 finisher and friend Phil asked me to pace him for the last 25 miles of the Wasatch. I thought that might be a bit more than I could handle, so he said, how about the 14 miles from Big Mountain to Alexander Ridge to Lambs Canyon. It is the hottest and most exposed section of trail and Phil was pushing for a sub-24 finish. This would push  me to my limit, and he knew it would be tough for me, but I thought I could do it.

I was wrong.

It was a very hot day. I kept with Phil for the first 4 miles or so. I led up through Mule’s Ear Meadow and up to Bald Mountain. Then, he started to pull ahead on climbs, and I would catch up on downhills. We yo-yo’d to Pence Point. That was fine with me.  I’m a better downhill-er than climber. That’s not news. The heat was really getting to me, but I felt that with some ice down my pack, I could continue on.  But then on our way down ball-bearing hill, I rolled my right ankle – 3 times. It has been weak for a while and I have rolled it every couple weeks or so. Quickly, the distance between Phil and me grew. Then, as I was placing more and more weight awkwardly on my good left ankle, I rolled it. It made an audible pop. My stomach was already uneasy from the heat and exertion and the burst of pain doubled me over and I puked. A second, less severe, roll on the left ankle soon followed. I limped my way to Alexander Ridge. Phil was already gone.

I felt horrible. I sat for about 5-10 minutes, cooled down and then limped out. The ankles ended up walking off a lot better than I thought they would. By the time I got to Lambs Canyon, about 20 minutes behind Phil, they were sore, but I was jogging on them. Looking back, I suspect that even without the ankles slowing me down, the heat may have forced me to tell Phil to go on with out me. I think I could have hung with him a bit through, probably dropping on the long exposed climb out of Alexander Ridge on the Sheep Trail.

You know what hurt worse? My pride. And this is saying something, because I make no pretensions at being a good runner. I’m always touting my weaknesses and blunders. So, maybe it wasn’t my pride that hurt. Maybe it was just the shame of feeling like I had really let someone down. Phil had placed some trust in me, and I had let him down. I know he did it with the hoping of boosting my running experience, and grooming me to do Wasatch myself some day. Perhaps, he asked me to pace him more as an opportunity to give me a good learning experience than to benefit from my being there.

In any case, it wasn’t the best day.

However, it WAS a lot of fun to be out on the course and see people out there. When I arrived at Lambs Canyon the Wasatch Mountain Wranglers were out in force! And, they even cheered me a bit and told me to keep my chin up as I limped in, head hanging low. Those smiling faces actually meant a lot. There I was, proving that I could NOT hang with the best of them, and they were slapping me on the back and saying it was great to see me nonetheless. Good people.

So, to Phil. Thank you and I’m sorry. It was both a great and horrible experience.

Pacing Phil Wasatch 100 (16)
Some things you may not know about Phil. He doesn’t talk on climbs, he yells “Air Assault” when jumping over obstacles, and he is prone to burst out in song – Eastern European national anthems, Handel’s Messiah, etc…
Pacing Phil Wasatch 100 (15)
Exposed Phil
Pacing Phil Wasatch 100 (9)
There were a few nice vistas, despite the exposure.
Pacing Phil Wasatch 100 (7)
Downhill Phil
Pacing Phil Wasatch 100 (6)
Post ankle-rolls and post-puke. #walkofshame
Pacing Phil Wasatch 100 (2)
On the climb out of Alexander Ridge. One friend suggested these were the bones of a racer last year whose pacer failed them. Thanks Joe. Very helpful.

 

Don’t Play Basketball

Don’t Play Basketball

After the 21+ mile President’s Day run at The Wedge I was so excited that the tibial stress fracture (left and right, yay!) did not hurt at all. Zero pain. I was excited that this might be the end of my stress fracture troubles.

Then, 2 days later, on a Wednesday night, I somehow found myself playing a little pick-up basketball on a nice hardwood court in a pair of random sneakers. An hour later, I limped home – both sets of bones throbbing.

Stupid basketball…

Treadmill Winter. Avoiding Injury and Inversion Smog

Treadmill Winter. Avoiding Injury and Inversion Smog

Last week, too lazy and unwilling to slog through a muddy local trail, I took a spare hour and put down a few miles on the paved trails in Farmington – plus a little gravel trail. That night, my right ankle started throbbed – exactly like the stress fracture I have on my left ankle.

It was one year ago – Jan/Feb 2014 – that I incurred a painful stress fracture on my left outer tibia by putting in too many miles too soon on the pavement. I was trying to avoid vert to rehab my IT bands (wow, life is cyclical) and overdid it. I don’t want to let that happen, so I’m trying something new.

Saturday:

I’m going to build my base mileage this winter on treadmills. I joined a $10 a month gym and am going to just suffer through it. I have done 2 runs so far, and no increased ankle pain.

Cons: I hate gyms. Treadmill running is pure torture. I miss the trails.

Pros: I get out of the horrendous inversion smog in the Salt Lake Valley. It is fast and convenient. It will hopefully prevent injury. I can use the other parts of the gym to do some strength training to strengthen my hip flexors and other muscles in order to rehab my IT bands and prevent them from flaring up.

Ugh. This is going to be a long few months.

Today:

Assessing the Damage from Running Ragnar

Assessing the Damage from Running Ragnar

I am now about a week removed from Ragnar and am starting to assess how the race affected my injury-plagued lower-half.  In short, some prior injuries seem fine, some seem bad.

  • IT Bands: Miraculously they didn’t hurt during the race so I am optimistic that all of my daily work on the foam roller is doing the trick.  Fingers crossed.
  • Stress Fracture on left Fibula: This didn’t hurt during the race or the day after. But, in the following week it has started to throb.  Whereas the pain had completely dissipated before – even when pressing on injured part of the bone – it is now back as a constant throb. If I press on it, I can definitely feel it. So, I think that got reinjured a bit. I was fairly certain this would happen. I bet it would have been much worse had I worn my normal street shoes. I think the max-cushioning on my Altra Olympus trial shoes saved me even worse trouble.
  • New injuries:
    • Stress fracture on my right fibula?  Maybe.  There is new pain there that is persistent and feels a lot like my left.
    • Knees. There is some occasional knee pain in places other than my IT band spots.
    • Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Oh yes – like I haven’t had in a LONG time. I haven’t been this sore for this long in well over a year.

 

The plan moving forward?  No running for another week maybe. Perhaps I’ll focus on some light conditioning and strength training and stretching around the house.

To Hell [Hole] and Back Again, Twice

To Hell [Hole] and Back Again, Twice

It was Saturday afternoon, the high was forecast to be around 70 so I couldn’t, in good conscience, not hit the trails.
I decided to try out my new trekking poles on the steep climb up the Davis Creek trail area.

4.0 Miles in 1:02:44 @ 15:46 min/mile and 1,791 ft. elevation

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I felt strong and did get a PR on the initial climb from the trail head to the split to the first waterfall, but not on the rest.  Odd.  I did stop and talk with a couple people so maybe that is what slowed me down.

I went up to the split where you can traverse over to Pretty Valley to the right, or go up to Hell Hole on the left. My plan was to do a loop. I went right, over to Pretty Valley, Up the south approach to Hell Hole and then back down to the junction. Feeling good, I turned around and did the loop in clockwise.

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Above and below Hell Hole, there is a stretch of pine trees. It almost* looks like my home mountains in Washington…just a bit drier and not enough dense undergrowth, moss and ferns. This is looking up the trail from Hell Hole (just above the campsite) on the way up to the junction with the Cattleman Trail that goes uphill and SE and the Prayer Rock loop.

On my way down from Pretty Valley I could feel my left IT band a bit, but not bad.  The ankles feel good.

I Messed with Texas (Trails)

I Messed with Texas (Trails)

They lied. Everything is not bigger in Texas.
For the last couple weeks I have been down in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, for a couple academic conferences and some research in a few archival repositories.  Fun fun fun. And, rather than sit around bored in my hotel rooms at night when I didn’t have stuff planned with colleagues and friends, I went running. These were three of the sweatiest runs of my life.  Wow.  The humidity.  Overall, it was a lot of fun to explore some new places. However, due to my IT bands and stress fracture on my left ankle…I am supposed to be only increasing my weekly mileage slowly – 10% per week, right?  Well… I kind of blew that. Instead of going 7-9 miles max for the week, I did 15+ over 6 days.  The IT bands got worse throughout, and now my left ankle stress fracture is a bit sore again – which it hasn’t been for a few weeks. It had been 100% pain-free for a while.  And…it kind of feels like an identical stress fracture is developing on my right ankle.  So… I may be taking it easy for a couple weeks now – maybe just keeping in shape on my bike until the Wasatch Back Ragnar at the end of June.

In any case – here’s where I explored.

Friday, 30 May 2014

Emma Long Metropolitan Park
4.6 miles in 52:53 @ 11:24 min/mile and 318 ft. elevation

 Trail along Turkey Creek.

Trail along Turkey Creek.

It was late about 6:30 or so when I hit the trail, which thankfully stays pretty well in the trees along Turkey Creek – so not much direct sunlight.  Nevertheless, it was so humid, so sweaty. I felt like superman bounding up the “hills” along the trail. 300 ft over 4.6 miles…I guess the Wasatch has gotten me used to a bit more climbing than that.

Monday, 2 June 2014

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge – Doeskin Ranch Trails
5.1 miles in 53:08 @ 10:24 mi/mile and 654 ft. elevation

This looked like a promising way to get out of the city, and it was way out there. Cell phone dead zone. I was expecting something a bit more dramatic when I saw the word “canyonlands,” but again I think Utah has spoiled me. The trails were nice, but a lot of it was exposed to the sun and it was hot. I went through 2 liters of water and still guzzled down a gatorade when I got back to the car. I also found it funny (didn’t get a picture! Yarg!) that on country roads, when there is a church ahead, they have yellow caution signs that say “Church.”  I don’t know if Texas gets the irony in that.  Yellow signs are for warning. Warning! Church! I didn’t realize rural Texas would be so anti-religion. 😉

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It was interesting running amidst different plants. Big prickly pear cactus, wildflowers, etc…
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This cracked me up. The Indiangrass loop of the trail was incredibly easy to follow. Nevertheless there were cairns every 20 feet or so – some of them quite large.
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They call this “Hill Country”….well, they certainly aren’t Mountains!
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Back home on the Wasatch Front, everyone has been posting picture of waterfalls. This is as close as I could get.

Thursday, 5 June 2014

Canyon Park Madrone Trail
7.5 miles in 1:28:25 @ 11:45 min/mile and 403 ft. elevation

This was about 1/2 between Austin and San Antonio (off west of San Marcos) and I decided to run it as I was driving between the two, leaving the archives in Austin and going to a conference in San Antonio. Knowing it would be the middle of the day, I packed a full 2 liters in my hydration vest and even put on sun screen. Thankfully, it was overcast. But wow – it still felt hot and humid.  The trail is on a peninsula which appears to be made of limestone. Much of the trail was exposed sharp craggly (sp? even a word?) bedrock limestone.  Sharp stuff. Oddly, it appears to be mostly used by mtn. bikers, and I could see that rock just shredding your sidewalls on the tires.  In any case, the full Madrone Trail packs 7.5 miles of trail into a pretty small area. That means constant twists and turns and doublebacks.  At one point I came upon a couple deer and they spooked – bounding off. Then, the trail doubled back on itself and I came upon the same deer again, about 60 seconds later. They bounded off…and the trail meandered back to where they had run to another 2-3 times.  Sorry guys. Around 3-4 miles my left IT band was really screaming, and as you can see on the map, there are plenty of places where I could bail and hit the west side trail back up to my car. With the north loop done, I thought I would at least do the east loops…and then maybe go back to the car.  Then, I decided I would at least do some of the big south loop…I ended up doing the whole thing. Towards the end I had that wonderful moment where you are so glad you DIDN’T turn back early, and instead pushed through for the whole thing.  My legs disagreed over the next couple days. 😉

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On the north loop, overlooking Canyon Lake
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Animal bones on the trail. This, coupled with the many turkey vultures circling overhead the entire run, proved a bit disconcerting.
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Remnants of a fire. The entire coastline was filled with these creepy looking trees. A few seconds before I took this picture, a big turkey vulture was perched right in front of me on a branch – it was like something out of a cheesy horror movie.
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With this run, I hit about 60+ miles in my new Altra Olympus shoes. While I am still struggling with some prior injuries, my feet feel great. And, I think they are helping with the injury recovery as well. Max Cushioning to the MAXXX!

Successful Dirt Test for my Stress Fracture

Successful Dirt Test for my Stress Fracture

With an official diagnosis of ankle problems, a fibula stress fracture, and a strong suspicion that running on pavement severely aggravates it, I decided to hit the dirt today and test out my theory. I started at the Farmington Pond, ran north on the BST to Shepherd Canyon, up to the Upper Terrace, and took that back to the car. Its a great loop. My left IT band hurt towards the end, but my ankle did not. Often the pain is delayed, really coming over the next two days…..and……no pain. The ankle felt great in the days after. So – I am officially swearing off pavement for now.  And good riddance! I have also started taking vitamin D and calcium supplements, which the doctor said will help promote bone healing, growth, and strength. I doubt they are kicking in this quickly, but it can’t hurt – right?

 

2014-05-10 Farmington Upper Terrace
I think its official. Utah has won me over.

4.6 miles in 55:18 @ 12:08 min/mile and 898 ft. elevation.

 

First Early Morning Run of the Season

First Early Morning Run of the Season

One of the Wasatch Mountain Wranglers organized a group run up city creek for early in the morning – something I tried out two times back in November before the winter (and injuries) really set in. I really enjoyed it then – getting an early run in, showering at work, feeling more awake at work than I usually do in the AM – it was great. My ankle was feeling ok so I decided to give it a shot. I trailed Matt Miller and Cory Hill down from Morris Resevoir and started back up the west side of City Creek. At that point – I no longer tried to keep up. I simply don’t have the climbing legs yet! I was exhausted. Moreover, my shins and right calf were really aching and the ankle was beginning to feel fatigued. I didn’t want to push it. I pushed up a ways and then turned back. Not my best run, but it felt so good to get out there. Unfortunately, my ankle has been more painful for the couple days after the run than after my last few. I probably need to cut back a bit. After the Zions Trail Ragnar in a couple weeks, I think I’ll go into the doctor and get an official diagnosis.

6.1 miles in 1:13:21 @ 11:57 min/miles with 1,199 ft. elevation

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Always share the trail with fellow mammals, unless they have big claws and are trying to eat you
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Sleepy SLC
Back on the Trails! BST-Upper Terrace

Back on the Trails! BST-Upper Terrace

 

 

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Hello Dirt. These feet have missed you terribly. Please forgive cranky old-man ankle for not letting them come play much lately.
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Trail heading up? Yes Please!

Over the past couple weeks I have been reading about active release massage and how it might be able to solve my ankle trouble. I have begun to suspect that the lasting pain on my peroneal tendon is from scar tissue that built up.  Apparently, you can break up the scar tissue by massage it and so forth.  So, along with rolling and stretching out the muscles that the tendons attach to, I have been doing it for the last couple days.  Painful, but hopefully it will do the trick.

Today is was about 60 degrees and overcast. We had nothing going on this afternoon and I just couldn’t take it anymore – staring up at those mountains by my house, know that the snow was melted from all the lower ones. They were calling to me. Beckoning. Begging me to come run them. Taunting me even.  So, I gave it a shot.  This was the first trail run since a 4 mile run on the BST south from Farmington Canyon almost exactly 1 month ago.

I parked above Farmington Pond and took the trials north up to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and took that north to the Shepherd Creek Canyon Trails. It felt great to be back on dirt, stretching my legs. I could tell that my lungs and legs were out of shape though. So, I have work to do. At Shepherd Creek I climbed up to the Upper Terrace and took that back south to Farmington Canyon. Whereas the BST was a mix of trail and dirt road, the Upper Terrace was all single-track. Delicious delicious single track. The switchbacks down into Farmington Canyon weren’t the best – lots of loose rock and gravel. I came up Farmington Creek a bit, bolder hopped over to the south Bank and then ran the Canyon pavement down to my car. All in all the ankle felt ok. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. My left knee, which I suspect is still the IT Band, flared a bit. I need to get serious about my daily stretches and rolling of the muscles. I need that under control for the Zions Ragnar Trail relay next month. About 4 weeks and counting!

4.3 miles @ 12:35 min/mile and 851 ft. elevation.

Busting my Bike Legs While Resting my Running Ankle

Busting my Bike Legs While Resting my Running Ankle

So…I have still be really nervous about my ankle.  But, equally nervous about getting out of shape. So, I have put in some miles on my mountain bike.

11 March 2014
All pavement, but first time riding the Lagoon Trail up to Farmington Pond
7.4 miles in 36:11, 12.2 mph average and 24.4 mph top speed

20 March 2014
I only have about 45 minutes, so I through my bike onto my car, parked at the bottom of Farmington Canyon and rode up to the 1st switchback where the pavement ends.  That non-stop climb burns.
3.1 miles in 23:42, 7.8 mph average and 36.7 mph top speed, 750 ft. elevation

 25 March 2014
This time I rode 4 miles up Farmington Canyon. My legs felt great and I was hoping to make it a full 5+ up to Sunset Campground, but I ran out of daylight.  Yarg!  The climb was tough, but the way down was almost just as bad. Flying down that dirt road on my hard-trail (no suspension) bike was PUNISHING on my wrists, hands, forearms, etc…  Ouch.
7.9 miles in 1:05:37, 7.3 mph average and 35.3 mph top speed, 1,661 ft elevation

 

Panorama looking south

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Injured Ankle Test Runs after 1 Month Rest

Injured Ankle Test Runs after 1 Month Rest

This last month has been incredibly frustrating.  Again, right as I was feeling good about running, an injury.  As I posted previously, I injured and reinjured and reinjured my left peroneal tendon.  So, in hopes of being able to come back 100% when the weather warmed and the trails cleared, I haven’t run for the last month.  There have been some nice days too – weatherwise – so it has been frustrating to sit at home.

I parked at the Farmington Pond and ascended the trail up to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail / Firebreak Road and took that to the Steed Creek Trailhead, which was conveniently exactly 2 miles away.  I could feel my ankle being a bit tender, but not bad.  I took it easy and didn’t push too hard.  At 2 miles, I hit finish on my GPS, thinking I would just walk back.  I ended up turning my GPS back on for the way back and walked/jogged.  IT was in the 50s, but the BST is in full sunlight, and I got surprisingly hot and sweaty.  I feel a real sense of forboding of the hot summer months to come…

When I got home I could feel some soreness, but nothing too bad.  Time will tell.  If I wake up tomorrow limping, I’ll know I hit the trails too soon.  Fingers crossed.

2 miles @ 12:08 min/mile with 402 ft. elevation

AND

2 miles @ 11:45 min/mile with 97 ft. elevation

Spring Evening Above Farmington

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Ankle Tendon Damage, Scarring

Ankle Tendon Damage, Scarring

I went to a doctor who is here on-site at work and had her look at my ankle.  She could feel some scar tissue on my tendon, indicating that it had been damaged, started healing, and then re-damaged.  Yup.  I’m an idiot.  So much for keeping on pace to hit 500 miles this year.  I’m out for a while.

Attempt to get above the Smog, ankle trouble

Attempt to get above the Smog, ankle trouble

Tonight I decided to give my ankle a try.  I hadn’t run on it for 8 days. I started partway up 400 N in Bountiful and ran up past the LDS Bountiful Temple towards Mueller Blvd., then I turned around, and bombed back down 400 N. and a ways up 400 W. I clocked some of my fasts miles going down the hill.  At about mile 2 my IT bands started hurting, but oddly enough, as I flew down the hill, the pain went away.  Nice!

My ankle was a different story.  I could feel it hurting the whole time, but oddly, it hurts most when I stop running and just walk.  In any case – it is hurting now.  This may have been a mistake.

It was nice to get above the inversion smog though – which has been really bad.

6.3 miles @ 9:15 min/mile and 378 ft. elevation.

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Above the inversion

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Flat No Vert IT Band Rehab Runs and new Ankle Injury, Jan. 1 – Jan. 20

Flat No Vert IT Band Rehab Runs and new Ankle Injury, Jan. 1 – Jan. 20

When I got back from Arizona, I decided that I would try to rehab my IT Bands. They hurt the worst going downhill, so I thought maybe staying flat – on the pavement trails around my house – would help.  Over the course of a few weeks, I did 6 flat runs. I would do stretches on the trail every 1/2 -1 mile for 20-30 seconds on each side. It actually worked pretty well and by the 6th run I was feeling very little to no IT Band pain!  Hooray! And, it was actually fun to pound the pavement and work on my speed and pace.  I posted some of my fastest paces ever. Concurrent with this was the New Year and I decided to make a resolution.  I wanted to run 500 miles this year.  This motivated me for these 3 weeks to keep on getting out there and clocking miles and was probably my most runningest (not a word, I know) month ever.

Jan. 1: 5.2 miles @ 9:10 min/mile

Jan. 4: 6.2 miles @ 8:48 min/mile

Jan. 9: 4.2 miles @ 9:35 min/mile

Jan. 11: 3.7 miles @ 9:03 min/mile

Jan 15: 5.0 miles @ 9:34 min/mile (with MVH)

At this point, my left peroneal ankle tendon began hurting.  That’s right – the right ankle was feeling fine, but now my left ankle started hurting. I think it was, again, from doing a few runs on uneven snow. Stupidly, I ran through the pain a few days later and blasted out a PR for a 10k.  I was excited about that, but woke up the next morning in extreme pain – totally limping around.

Jan 20: 6.3 miles @9:02 min/mile (10k PR)

Right Foot/Ankle Injury

Right Foot/Ankle Injury

Ok, I did something to my ankle yesterday.  The outside arch of my right foot KILLS!  Stuff online suggests that it might be a pulled peroneal tendon – which wraps around that outside part of the foot.  The ankle is sore a bit by the ankle bone – also where the tendon goes.  In any case, I bet that running on the snow is what did it.  It is not just an uneven surface (dirt and trails is always plenty uneven – and not a problem) but it is an uneven surface that unpredictably sinks or depresses under your footfall.  It is hard to gauge what its going to do for every foot fall, so I wonder if the brain has a hard time tensing up the right muscles to prepare for impact.  In any case – I’m totally limping.