The beauty of the Pacific Northwest trail running

After my 6-week recovery (micro fracture on fibula) I just got back in shape, hit the trails again and shot a short video depicting the beauty of the Pacific Northwest trail running.

Enjoy !

I am running again

It has been over six weeks since the injury happened so I decided to slowly start running again.

I ran 2.5 miles last night on pavement, very slow run (10min/mile) and it felt good.

I still feel the spot on fibula when striking forefoot but midfoot strike is fine.

My next run (planning in two days) is going to be on a trail.

It feels so great to be able to run again !


I am still puzzled by what actually caused the injury. In my last month of running I was not increasing my mileage and my speed was the same. I was just comfortably doing 15-20 trail miles a week running every other day and felt great and relaxed.
It probably was not the transition back to pavement. The only thing I can think of is not taking my usual one day off between runs.



A side note about my partial tarsal coalition

As long as I can remember (from my twenties) my right ankle has been always clicking when walking. Step-click, step-click. It was not causing me any problems and I got used to it.

Some 3 years ago (still in shoes) I started jogging, doing 1-2 miles in the morning. My right ankle always got a little swollen but I did not mind because there was never any pain or discomfort and it always went away in a day. I only lasted 2 months anyway and than quit running for a while.

In June 2010 I started BFR. Taking it really slowly. Right ankle - the swelling is back. Again, no pain, no discomfort, just clicking. And it's gone in a day.
My wife convinces me to see a podiatrist just to "make sure". I get x-rays done and the doctor tells me I have a Partial Tarsal Coalition (condition in which 2 bones in the hind-foot are partially joined) in my both ankles. He is a BFR advocate so he encourages me to keep running barefoot with the idea the natural way of running will make things stronger and eventually fix the fused bones.

And as far as I can tell it has worked. In the following 5 months of running strictly barefoot after the diagnosis my ankles got stronger and there was no swelling anymore. Just the occasional clicking.
I strongly believe that will disappear too given more time.

Improvement !

As of today (4 weeks minus two days since the injury) I feel a great improvement, the ankle is not swollen anymore, I can even walk more relaxed, there is only a very slight pain (soreness) when I push directly on the spot.

I stopped using the compression stocking since I do not feel any swelling there anymore and when I put something that compresses it on it actually hurts more. To maintain the plantar skin conditioning I at least walk a mile every other evening.

Interesting side note about the bone scan results:
Although there was nothing indicating a stress fracture on fibula, my doctor pointed out two spots on both my tibias (circled yellow) saying those indicate the bones are a bit stressed in those areas trying to repair themselves and grow stronger  (which I think is TMTS in other words )

Still not running...

It has been exactly three weeks since the injury happened.

I have not done any running except of one (painful) 1 mile trail run 10 days after the injury which apparently only made things worse.

There is still the pain in that area (now almost constant), there is no way I could run on it right now and it hurts even when walking (especially down hill). The swelling got worse, my whole ankle is swollen now and there is a lot of fluid. I am slightly limping when walking because the whole ankle is really stiff.

I am icing it twice a day and wearing compression stocking.

Went to see the doc yesterday since it is not improving. He confirms there is a lot of swelling around the ankle which was not there initially and he locates "the spot" (a small lump) on my fibula which is still (after three weeks) really painful when pressed.

He eliminates the shin splint and now thinks it is probably a stress reaction. The plan is two more weeks with no running, R.I.C.E. and some pool activities. If it is not gone in two weeks, then getting MRI to find out what's actually going on inside.

Fingers crossed.

The pain is not going away

Well, it has been 10 days now without running since the injury happened. I can walk just fine but the sore spot is still there, sensitive to touch. I start worrying about a stress fracture on my fibula and go to see my doctor. I get both x-rays and a bone scan done. The doc says it does not look like a stress fracture (BIG relieve) but more like a shin splint. He tells me to run just 1 mile and slowly get back to my previous mileage.

The spot is still sensitive to touch but no real pain so I decide to run that one mile. The pain is back almost immediately.
I am basically back where I was 10 days ago, the same burning pain, I am not able to run anymore, walking with a limp and walking stairs quite hurts.

I know shin splints usually happen on tibia but the burning pain I am having is just on fibula right above my ankle.
I believe it is not a stress fracture based on the bone scan results. The doc says if there is a stress fracture x-ray does not show much but on the bone scan they should definitely see an increased blood flow in that area (the bone is repairing itself) and there was nothing like that on my slides.

My plan is R.I.C.E. for a couple more days to see if things are going to improve.

My first injury

I have been running BF for 7 months now.

I started on pavement and slowly worked up my mileage with no major issues (just the usual blisters, tight calves, occasional ankle swelling in the first couple of months).

Back in November my mileage was around 25 miles a week. My long runs on weekends were just 10 milers. No injuries, good form and felt great.

In mid December 2010 I switched to trail running which is much more rewarding to me. I have been  running trails exclusively for 3 weeks now doing about 15 miles a week.

Yesterday I decided to try a run back on pavement to train for a half-marathon I am planning to do at the end of February. 

I run my usual 6 mile route on concrete and something does not feel right. No pain but my lower legs feel really tired after the run which never happened to me before.

And this is the time where I think I made a huge mistake. I do not take the usual day off and run 4 mile trail run today.

At the end of those 4 miles I get this weird pinching localized pain on my fibula right above the ankle.

I stop immediately and just walk back to the car.

The next day the pain is still there, a little swelling. Applying R.I.C.E. I do not run the next five days, I can walk just fine but the sore spot is still there, sensitive to touch. I start worrying about a stress fracture on my fibula and go to see my doctor. I get both x-rays and a bone scan done. The doc says it does not look like a stress fracture (BIG relieve) but more like a shin splint. He tells me to run just 1 mile tomorrow and slowly get back to my previous mileage.

Well, it has been 10 days now without running since the injury happened. The spot is still sensitive to touch but no real pain so I decide to run that one mile. The pain is back almost immediately.
I am basically back where I was 10 days ago, the same burning pain, I am not able to run anymore, walking with a limp and walking stairs quite hurts.

It just does not seem to be going away. I know shin splints usually happen on tibia but the burning pain I am having is just on fibula right above my ankle.
I believe it is not a stress fracture based on the bone scan results. The doc says if there is a stress fracture x-ray does not show much but on the bone scan they should definitely see an increased blood flow in that area (the bone is repairing itself) and there was nothing like that on my slides.

My plan is R.I.C.E. for a couple more days to see if things are going to improve.

The ineffable joy of NW winter trail running

The recipe:

Mix a nice hilly trail in the woods with 2 weeks of rain, cover with well aged fall leaves. Make sure the mud is splashy and slippery. Sprinkle with just a bit of snow. Cool down to 35 F and run on it as fast as you can. Enjoy. Tastes like heaven.

First half a mile on forest road

Leaving gravel, starting on the trail

White powder

Soft and squishy

Slippery when wet

This section of the trail is always giving me a couple of arch bruises, working on more relaxation...

Happy feet

Happy me

Post Scriptum

For 6 months I thought asphalt was the best. Wrong. After my first run on this trail some two weeks ago I got immediately addicted to trail running. I am a total BF trail runner convert now.