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Annual Winter Injuries

Annual Winter Injuries

As is my custom, in the winter I start running lots of flat pavement in the name of convenience and trying to rest recurrent IT band problems (vert makes that worse). With some IT issues stemming from my New Years Revolution Run, I decided to hit the pavement. In previous years that is what CAUSED my IT band pain and also what caused stress fractures on my ankles. This time, it let to hip bursitis (I think). Woot woot! So… that means resting and not running as much + stretching and strength training.

I am considering dropping my yearly mileage goals and focusing on strength training more so I can run injury free. I sometimes feel like the push for weekly miles leads me to run when I have a free hour rather than hitting the gym. With little free time, I think “I can’t waste this hour at the gym, I need to get in my miles!” I wonder if more gym time (especially during the winter when getting time on the trails, which don’t seem to cause these injuries, is harder anyways). Plus, I don’t have to run in the inversion smog in the gym. Hmmm.

Its a bummer too, because I have increasingly been enjoying evening runs on the pavement. It is also so convenient to just pop out my front door and run for an hour with minimal gearing-up or driving to/from a trailhead. I am also getting hooked on the exhilaration of running flat and “fast.” Fast for me, at least. However, I looked back at when I started running in 2013 and my average pavement pace actually IS a lot faster than it used to be. Progress! Now I just need to learn how to prep my body to be able to do it injury-free.

Some fun (and freezing) road runs.

Some trails, which didn’t seem to aggravate the hip!

I was stranded in Springville for 2 hours while a kid was at a birthday party, so I hit the BST. It reminded me of the BST above Farmington and Fruits Heights.

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Springville BST was crawling with deer and carpeting in SO MUCH of their droppings. Also, a lost comrade.

Having seen some recent pictures of Grove Creek Canyon in the snow, I just had to hit it. Before work I trudged up to the bridge before work. Gorgeous.

Grove Creek morning snow run (2)
Gotta get above that inversion smog!
Grove Creek morning snow run (7)
Cliff-cicles
Grove Creek morning snow run (8)
The morning light bouncing off of North Timpanogos was breathtaking, but the pictures couldn’t capture it very well. So, black and white.
Pavement Boredom and More Fun in the Snow

Pavement Boredom and More Fun in the Snow

In hopes of rehabbing my IT Bands and increasing my flat-terrain endurance and speed, I have stayed off the trails for a couple weeks. (I want to be injury-free and flat-fast for my fundraiser on January 1 – read about it here to help Syrian refugees). One treadmill run and 3 on paved trails around my house. The treadmill was horrible. The ones around my house were convenient and actually somewhat enjoyable…but I missed the mountains. It is entertaining to chase strava segment PRs when on the pavement. See the Strava links for all of them below.

Today, however, I just couldn’t resist. It had snowed an inch or two over night and then snowed another few during the morning and early-afternoon. I just had to get up in the snow. I started at the equestrian trailhead in Lindon, went up the squiggles to the swinging bench overlook, dropped down to Dry Canyon and across the BST, then looped the lower BST back to the car. For most of it I could tell that people had been up in the morning, a clear trail being broken already, but another 2-4 inches had fallen on top of their tracks. It was the best of both worlds. I had a trail broken and packed but a nice soft layer of fluff on top to play in. I overheated pretty quick, stripped off some layers, ate lots of snow, and bumbled about. It was glorious.

Snow Run Lindon (1)
The lower squiggles
Snow Run Lindon (5)
In the first patch of trees you cross through at the top of the lower squiggles
Snow Run Lindon (2)
South of Dry Canyon on the BST

 

Exploring the Provo Foothills

Exploring the Provo Foothills

I have done a number of runs in the Orem/Lindon foothills on the side of the mouth of Provo Canyon, but not much on the south side of the canyon mouth. I remedied that this last week with 2 runs.

Starting at the Indian Hills trailhead I headed up the first mile climb and then another couple miles along the BST that travers up-canyon. The was ice in a few spots, but not bad.  It felt great to be out. Once I turned around, my right IT Band flared up pretty quick and didn’t let up – getting especially bad on the last mile descent.  More time on I the foam roller, I guess. Lots of tread mill.  No hills.

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Looking down-canyon towards the mouth of Provo Canyon

On Saturday I planned to try out my new snowshoes for the first time up at Aspen Grove, if the snow was deep enough.  Unfortunately, the anyone road was closed.  About 10-15 minutes earlier, a oil tanker overturned, spilling 1,000 gallons of crude oil into the Provo a River. Very sad.  Nobody was hurt. I’m glad I wasn’t a few minutes earlier or I could have been in the middle of it.

I wasn’t planning to run because of my knee, but decided to give it a try. I ran up the Sq*** Peak Road a bit, then dropped onto the Cactus Hill Connector and then to the top of Cactus Hill. The trail was untouched by human feet until the top of the hill.  Just animal tracks on about 2 inches of fresh snow. So perfect.  Down the west side of the hill there were a bunch of tracks from earlier in the morning, but once I headed back up canyon on the Smith Ditch a then BST I had taken on Monday, it was fresh tracked again. So beautiful. I bombed back down the road to my car.  The knee felt *ok and it was so fun to be out on the fresh snow.  But, for the next bit I need to keep it flat. Treadmill, I assume.

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An Altar at the top of Cactus Hill. Mt. Timpanogos shrouded in clouds in the background.

 

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Fresh snow, fresh tracks on the trail.