Rants of an Injured Runner

I hate it when I get hurt and it interferes with my running!

While injuries to runners are not inevitable, it seems everyone I know who runs has been sidelined once or twice to recover from an injury.  According to an article in Runner’s World dated 2/3/2011, the top seven injuries to runners all involve the legs and feet, and about 40% of running injuries are knee injuries.

Never having been part of the in crowd, I tend to injure my back, specifically, my middle back.  Huh?  How does that happen?  I’m not really sure how it happens, but I’m sure that when it does happen I can really feel the pounding of running.  And it hurts.  And I hate it.

This time I felt it after my dress rehearsal for the Lake Powell Half Marathon.  When I tried running five days later it hadn’t gotten better.  So I stopped running.  For twelve days.  Ouch.  I followed my friend Sue’s advice and went to see the chiropractor.  He directed me to stop running entirely during treatment.  About a week later he gave me the green light to try running again, but encouraged me to start slowly and not to run too many miles.  I was still somewhat weak, he noted.

Every article I’ve read about returning to training after an injury concurs with the doctor’s advice.  Take it easy.  Build back gradually.  Don’t try to get right back into the schedule and/or mileage you were doing before you were injured.  

What?!?  I have a race in less than a week!  On Monday I ran two miles.  I still had some residual soreness but it was manageable.  So I checked the first aid aisles of my local grocery store to see if I could find some sort of brace or patch or something that would help minimize the soreness. 

I found KT Tape.  I read the instructions and watched the videos for proper use.  FYI – the videos are really well done and quite informative.

On Wednesday I ran 3.75 miles with the tape placed as directed for mid-back pain.  (It was supposed to be 3.1 but we got off course.  Oh, well.)  Again, I felt it but it was manageable.  I noted that I was feeling pain in an area I hadn’t taped.  Note to self:  need a piece of tape stretched across the bottom of the bra strap.  I tried it for a short run the next day.  It helped a little.  2^nd note to self:  One more piece of tape right above the pain area – taping for rib pain as directed in the KT Tape video.   At this point I’m going on faith that it will help.  Argghhh!

According to runnersconnect.net, “Even if you need to stop running for ten to fourteen days, the amount of fitness you lose is insignificant – as little as 3-4%.”  This is encouraging.  The downside of course, is that you do lose that 3-4%. 

Thankfully, I had already made the decision not to go for a new PR at the Lake Powell Half Marathon so I could enjoy the run and the scenery.  It may be more than 3-4% slower, but I’ll finish the race.

Dress Rehearsal

The Lake Powell Half Marathon is now less than a month away.  Running coaches everywhere admonish us, “nothing new on race day,” so it was time to practice.  My dress rehearsal run – 13 miles – was Friday, September 25.  I put on the shoes (Altra Torins), socks (Feetures), and skirt (Pearl Izumi) I plan to wear for the race.  And I put on my Camelbak vest – fully loaded.

I ate peanut butter and jelly on a single slice of bread 1 hour and 15 minutes before I took off.  Most running coaches say to eat no sooner than 2 hours before the race, but for this race I won’t have two hours.  The race starts at 6:30 AM, and there’s no way I’m getting up at 3:30 AM just to make the two-hour mark.  If it doesn’t work I’ll have to rethink the decision.  That’s why we practice, right?

At about mile 3 I started to feel a bit of a twinge in my mid-back, left side.  I made a conscious effort to keep my posture straight and to keep the vest tight (the lower clip kept slipping) but by the end of the run my back hurt.  While I wanted to blame the vest, I’d run 11 miles with the vest fully-loaded with no problem.  Fully loaded, the vest weighs only 2 ½ pounds.  And in reality, I need the vest fully loaded.  Thirteen miles is a long way, especially in a desert climate.

At about mile 4 I started to feel a little bit of rumbling in my lower abdomen.  Thankfully it stopped within a few minutes.  The same thing happened at about mile 7.5 – after I’d eaten a Gu at mile 7.  Again it stopped quickly. 

At mile 9.35 the music stopped.  My running playlist had ended.  Yes, I still use an old-fashioned I-Pod Nano in an old-fashioned armband.  Why don’t I use my smart phone?  My smart phone is huge and my arm is tiny.  Besides, I want to keep my phone available for more important tasks – like taking pictures of the beautiful scenery at Lake Powell.

Two hours and 15 minutes later I pulled in.  I’d used most of the water in the vest.  My back hurt, but otherwise I was fine.  Here’s what I learned:

1.  It is safe to eat an hour and 15 minutes before the race, and one Gu midway through the race worked well.

2.  I can’t let my back get any worse.  Time to visit the chiropractor! 

3.  I need to add more music to my running playlist.

4.  Mentally I’m ready for this race.   Hoping the training I’ve done all summer will carry me through a couple of weeks of rehab.  Lake Powell, here I come!

Cool Running Gear

 Now that I can officially call myself a serious runner, I’m always looking for serious gear.  My three “now that I have them I will never be without them” new running gear items, in alphabetical order are:

1.  Altra running shoes.  I had seen them advertised in running magazines.  The advertisement features words to the effect of “large toe box” and “designed for runners’ feet.”  The words spoke to me.  I’ve always had trouble with finding shoes that don’t hurt after about seven miles.  I’m pretty sure my friend Sue diagnosed my problem.  I strike forefoot, so after pounding the pavement for a while my feet start to swell.  If there’s no place for them to expand, they hurt. 

Altras are designed for the way I run.  The instruction card in the box even says so.  I’ve run in my 

Altra Torin 2.0s most of the summer and have had no foot pain.  All I can say is “Wow.”  Wish I had discovered them sooner. www.altrarunning.com

2.  Camelbak hydration vest.  My decision to purchase the Camelbak Circuit hydration vest was actually driven by two separate events, one of which was not related to running.  When I ran the Las Vegas Half Marathon last year, I felt great and had the lower altitude working in my favor, yet still finished two minutes slower than my PR.  I attributed the lost time to having to slow way down and maneuver in and out of traffic at the water stops.  Next time, I thought, I’m carrying water.

I already owned a water belt with a pouch and space for four small bottles, of which I usually carried two.  When I upgraded my cell phone, the new phone wouldn’t fit in the pouch.  I looked for a replacement pouch.  They don’t make them.  I looked at belts with large enough pouches to fit my cell phone.  The water bottles interfered with my arm swing. 

The vest is an ideal solution.  The Camelbak Circuit is the smallest of the Camelbak vests.  It holds 1.5 liters of water and has pouches for chapstick, tissues, Gus and Sport Beans, and yes, that huge cell phone.  www.camelbak.com

3.  My final “must have” running item is one I hope to never have to use.  It’s called a Road ID, and its purpose is to speak for me if I can’t speak for myself.  It’s a lightweight bracelet that gives my name, the year of my birth, and phone numbers for people to call if I’m found collapsed on the side of the road.  Again, I hope to never have to use it, but the fact that I have it gives me a sense of security, especially when I’m running alone.  www.roadid.com

Oh, and if you happen to find me collapsed on the side of the road, please pause my Garmin.

Running at 10,000 Feet

According to our very old GPS, Washington Lake sits at 10,016 feet.  According to my Garmin, once around the campground is .43 miles.  And for the first run at Washington Lake, that was all I could do.  Welcome – once again – to the world of high altitude running. 

My first experience in high altitude running was at Hoop Lake in the summer of 2012.  At that time I was training for my first 10K.  Three years, several pairs of running shoes, and many miles later, I was still a wheezing slug on my first run at Washington Lake.  Blame the thinner air.  According to renowned running coach Dr. Jack Daniels, at an elevation of 6,500 feet you lose 10 percent to 12 percent in VO2 max (the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during exercise) and at 7,500 feet you lose 12 percent to 15 percent.  By my rudimentary calculations, at 10,000 feet I was likely losing 16 – 20 percent.  The good news – at least that thinner air was clean! 

I built up distance over time, adding the surrounding area – including some trail running off the Crystal Lake Trailhead.  And I challenged myself – before I left Washington Lake I would make it to the Bald Mountain summit:  10, 759 feet.  I made it on August 20.  The distance, round-trip, was 9.5 miles.

Averages are so average.  When I calculated the slope of the route I ran regularly, I was dismayed with the result: 5% uphill grade.  That doesn’t seem like much.  But wait!  While the road is pretty much all uphill, there are a few relatively flat sections.  There are also a few really steep sections. Great practice for running both uphill and downhill.  Once I had acclimated to the altitude, I found that my pace was similar to what I normally ran – 11 to 12 minute miles on the uphills; 9 and under on the downhills. 

I had to refer to my original post, Running at 9200 Feet, to remind myself of one of the benefits of running in high altitudes.  In high altitudes the amount of oxygen in the blood is reduced because there's less oxygen in the air. To compensate for reduction of oxygen in the air, the kidneys secrete more of a hormone called erythropoietin, which causes the body to create more red blood cells.

The average life span of a red blood cell is 90 to 120 days. Runners are often able to train harder and perform better for several weeks after they return from about a month-long stay at altitude because their blood still contains the extra blood cells that were produced when they were training at high altitudes. 

It’s just over four weeks to the Lake Powell Half Marathon.  Hang in there, red blood cells!  

Washington Lake Group Areas

I know.  This post is out of order.  I just couldn’t leave my series on Washington Lake without writing about our group areas. 

Washington Lake has five group areas.  Four of the five group areas accommodate groups up to 50 people; the largest group area accommodates 100 people.  The group areas are named after former U.S. presidents:  Lincoln, Jefferson, Hoover, Roosevelt, and Kennedy.  These sites are available by reservation only at www.recreation.gov.

So why were these particular five presidents chosen?  Roosevelt – that’s Teddy, not Franklin – was President when the U.S. Forest Service was created.  Per http://www.fs.fed.us/learn/our-history, “Federal forest management dates back to 1876 when Congress created the office of Special

Roosevelt Group Area

Agent in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assess the quality and conditions of forests in the United States. In 1881 the Department expanded the office into the Division of Forestry. A decade later Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 authorizing the President to designate public lands in the West into what were then called ‘forest reserves.’ Responsibility for these reserves fell under the Department of the Interior until 1905 when President Theodore Roosevelt transferred their care to the Department of Agriculture’s new U.S. Forest Service. Gifford Pinchot led this new agency as its first Chief, charged with caring for the newly renamed national forests.”

President Herbert Hoover also had an influence over the National Forests.  “During his presidency, Herbert Hoover added 3 million acres to the National Park Service (expanding it by 40%), oversaw the National Park Service Reorganization of 1933, and added 2.3 million acres to the U.S. Forest Service.” (www.nps.gov)

Early in his presidency, John F. Kennedy issued seven Executive Orders concerning the National Forests.   Per www.americanforests.org, “Even though President Kennedy never designated new forestlands, he did enhance and add to the forests already in existence when he assumed office in 1961. Even without a new designation, and having less than one term in office, President Kennedy made his mark upon numerous national forests throughout the southeast and the Midwest.” 

Kennedy Group Area

What about Jefferson and Lincoln?  Both pre-date the National Forest Service.  Maybe they were just the favorite presidents of the builders of the Washington Lake Group Areas. 

The group areas are about ½ mile away from the main campground, so the groups can have their privacy.  Well, for the most part.  A lot of people drive into the group areas looking for either the trailhead or for fisherman parking.  I have to laugh.  What part of “Reservations Only” don’t they understand?  We also get legitimate visitors – people who are investigating the group areas for a future reservation.  We’ve tried to encourage the groups to work together to keep the lower gates closed so they are minimally disturbed.

Each group area features multiple picnic tables, two grills and two Dutch oven tables, and a large fire pit.  Restrooms are a short walk from each group area.  A trail at the top of the loop (in the Kennedy parking lot) leads to the Washington Lake Dam and to the Haystack Lake trailhead.  The Washington Lake shoreline trail is less than ¼ mile from the entrance to the group area and leads directly to the Crystal Lake trailhead. 

All in all, the Washington Lake Group Areas are a great place to spend a few days with 50 – 100 of your closest friends.  Make your reservations early – they fill up fast.

Farewell to Washington Lake

…or what’s left of it.  The lake has been draining since the beginning of August to irrigate the farms in the nearby Summit County valleys.  We left Washington Lake on Tuesday, September 8, after closing the campground.

That’s right – the campground is closed.  This is unusual.  Normally Washington Lake is kept open until October 31, weather permitting.  This year, the Forest Service decided to bring in a logging contractor to remove the beetle-killed trees.  They will close the main road to the Crystal Lake Trailhead on the weekdays through September and open it for weekend hikers.  Fishermen can still park outside the campground and walk in, but the campground is closed for the season.

Labor Day weekend was also unusual.  We expected to be full by Wednesday, but found ourselves actually having people arrive after dark on Friday and get campsites.  Perhaps it was the late Labor Day; perhaps the cold weather forecast scared people away, but Labor Day weekend was relatively quiet.  Labor Day itself, a beautiful day, was more work than we had expected.  We had to turn dozens of people away so we could lock the gates by 1:00 PM. 

Just a couple of weeks before we left, I checked in a camper that looked familiar.  A little later he asked me if we had hosted in other places.  “Yes,” I said.  “Warm River?” he countered.  Wow – a camper who remembered us from Warm River.  Actually I remember his family group quite well – they were the ones who accused us of being too nice.  That was the thing about Warm River – they could have hired Attila the Hun as camp host and people would have still come.

Looking back on our experience at Washington Lake, it has a lot in common with Warm River. 

      Regular campers who come year after year.

·         The shuffle – campers who arrive early in the morning and wait for a particular site to be vacated.

·         Transfers from reservation sites to more desirable first-come, first-served sites.

·         Lots and lots and lots of people – all the time.  With Warm River it was floating the river.  With Washington Lake it was hiking the trails.

·         No place for fishermen to park – at least, not for free. 

·         A busy group area – or in the case of Washington Lake – multiple group areas.

·         Very few mice – we actually caught only two all summer.  At Warm River we attributed this to our co-host’s cat, John Wayne.  Not sure why there are so few mice at Washington.  Maybe they can’t take the altitude.

·         We were busy most of the time.  No rest for the wicked – or the good – camp hosts. 

We are home now.  The trailer is unloaded and packed away in storage, waiting for its next adventure.  Where will that be?  Keep tuned.

One Car - That's All

The graded road that starts at the entrance to our campground and ends at the Crystal Lake Trailhead parking lot is less than two tenths of a mile long.  On the east side there are five “No Parking” signs.  On the west side there are four.  I think the Forest Service is quite clear on the fact that they don’t want anyone parking along that short stretch of road.

Wikipedia’s entry on “herd mentality” (also known as crowd mentality or mob mentality) reads, “describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items.”  The term often has a negative connotation, and the case of the Crystal Lake Trailhead is no exception.  On busy weekends, when there is absolutely positively no parking to be had at the main trailhead, eventually one car will park illegally.  Maybe just in front of the “No Parking” sign.  Then another will park just behind it.  And another.  And another.  And the fact that they are parking directly in front of one of the nine “No Parking” signs just doesn’t seem to matter.  It takes only one car to start the whole mess.

Every weekend the Forest Service has a heyday writing tickets to these people who are very blatantly parking illegally.  It’s not a cheap ticket.  The fine is $125.  So why do people do it?  I guess when crowd mentality kicks in, common sense gets kicked out.  Sometimes we see a car parked directly behind a car that has a ticket.  What are they thinking?  Apparently they’re not thinking.

If we actually catch someone parking on the road, we let them know.  “I know it’s none of my business, but the fine for parking here is $125 and the Forest Service will be here today.”  Usually they move.  We got a laugh out of one young man that we had advised of the fine only seconds before the Forest Service arrived.  He pulled out in front of them and made a quick escape.

When we first arrived in camp, we had a few cars sneak into the campground and park along the road.  This is a bad thing.  We have to be able to get large trailers in and out, and we have to be able to get emergency vehicles in and out.  While the Forest Service has expressly told us that cars cannot be parked along the road, they won’t ticket in the campground.  It’s our job to enforce that parking regulation – and all we can do is charge a fee.  So we’ve had to do all we can to keep that one car out. 

The number one thing we’ve done is to take away the visual temptation.  There are orange cones on the road leading into our campground, and we insist that our campers park all their vehicles in their camp spots.  Nobody parks on the road – not even our campers.  We also just happen to be out in front of our trailer on busy weekends.  If our cones don’t deter the would-be illegal parker, our presence often does.  And if they stop to ask, we’ll gladly direct them to the overflow parking.  We’ll even give them a trail map.

So when you come to the trailhead, remember that “but Mom – everybody’s doing it” just doesn’t fly.  There’s lots of parking at the overflow area.