The Big Sur International Marathion is taking place this weekend. Local runners are raving about it in different blogs, the media coverage is increasing, and the excitement is big.
Not for me though. I was supposed to run the 21 miles as a long trainings run in preparation for the Rock'n'Roll Marathon in San Diego in the end of May. But I haven't run in almost five weeks after spraining my ankle on a trail run in Wunderlich Park. The rehab is taking longer than expected. Cycling, climbing, walking are fine, but running is still a no-no.
So no 21 miles in Big Sur and consequently no marathon in San Diego...
Quite the change of plans for the spring...
I hope to be able to get back in shape for a fall marathon.
Showing posts with label injuries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injuries. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Wunderlich Park Trail Run
It was about time to get some serious mileage in before the San Diego RnR Marathon end of May.
The idea was to run bout 12 miles at Wunderlich County Park. I met up with Dan at 9:15AM in the parking lot off HW84. We started out on Bear Gulch trail up to the meadows. Since Dan dropped back a little I turned around once I reached the meadows and ran back down to meet up with her.
She decided that she didn't want to run up to Skyline as I had planned, so we parted ways. While she headed back down to the parking lot I continued on to Skyline. The climb was more than I expected. Well, I was aware that I was looking at a total of six miles climbing, but it dragged out longer than expected. The downhill afterwards was pretty fun though, lots of cruising on wide soft trails. To my surprise I bumped into Daniela, making her way up the hill. She had gotten a second wind and decided to add a second loop to her run. Together we continued down the hill, happily chatting along. This ended up being a problem... About three miles from the parking lot I twisted my ankle. I don't exactly know how I did it, I ight have stepped in a hole, on a root, a rock, or something else. All I know is that I sprained my ankle pretty bad, and that I could not walk for a few days. The training for San Diego has taken a big hit! I hope I manage to recover soon!
The idea was to run bout 12 miles at Wunderlich County Park. I met up with Dan at 9:15AM in the parking lot off HW84. We started out on Bear Gulch trail up to the meadows. Since Dan dropped back a little I turned around once I reached the meadows and ran back down to meet up with her.
She decided that she didn't want to run up to Skyline as I had planned, so we parted ways. While she headed back down to the parking lot I continued on to Skyline. The climb was more than I expected. Well, I was aware that I was looking at a total of six miles climbing, but it dragged out longer than expected. The downhill afterwards was pretty fun though, lots of cruising on wide soft trails. To my surprise I bumped into Daniela, making her way up the hill. She had gotten a second wind and decided to add a second loop to her run. Together we continued down the hill, happily chatting along. This ended up being a problem... About three miles from the parking lot I twisted my ankle. I don't exactly know how I did it, I ight have stepped in a hole, on a root, a rock, or something else. All I know is that I sprained my ankle pretty bad, and that I could not walk for a few days. The training for San Diego has taken a big hit! I hope I manage to recover soon!
Monday, March 2, 2009
AAAAHHHHHH!
With the spring climbing season just about to start and a trip to Red Rocks planned for the end of the week things seem fine... Until the gym climbing session at PG SF yesterday, where I pulled a tendon in the first digit of my left index finger. Bummer!
At them moment I rest and pop some anti-inflamatories. By Wednesday I'll decide if I go to Red Rocks or not... Given the rain during the weekend, the conditions in the Sierras should be awesome for skiing. That would be an alternative.
At them moment I rest and pop some anti-inflamatories. By Wednesday I'll decide if I go to Red Rocks or not... Given the rain during the weekend, the conditions in the Sierras should be awesome for skiing. That would be an alternative.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Sometimes...
...Things end up different than planned.
After picking up the remaining gear for our attempt on the South Face of Washington Coloum on Thursday night things seemed good and going smoothly.
I had the haul bag, food, all the climbing gear, ready to go.
One more day of work though... Ben, Wendy and I wanted to leave to Yosemite Friday at 5pm...
Friday morning things were still great...
Come noon though, people in the office started to talk about lunch, but I didn't have much of an appetite. Very weird! By 2pm I feel absolutely crappy and decide to go home...By 4pm I'm in bed with a fever and bail from the trip :-(
Spent the weekend in bed...which SUCKED!
Ok..Next attempt: Memorial Day weekend...
Until then... Mt. Shasta in a day & a SAC class.
After picking up the remaining gear for our attempt on the South Face of Washington Coloum on Thursday night things seemed good and going smoothly.
I had the haul bag, food, all the climbing gear, ready to go.
One more day of work though... Ben, Wendy and I wanted to leave to Yosemite Friday at 5pm...
Friday morning things were still great...
Come noon though, people in the office started to talk about lunch, but I didn't have much of an appetite. Very weird! By 2pm I feel absolutely crappy and decide to go home...By 4pm I'm in bed with a fever and bail from the trip :-(
Spent the weekend in bed...which SUCKED!
Ok..Next attempt: Memorial Day weekend...
Until then... Mt. Shasta in a day & a SAC class.
Friday, April 25, 2008
This is going to be tough!
Alright, just got back from another run...
It was a tough one, and made me wonder if I am up for the 25k trail run in 6 weeks.
The temps were slightlt higher than in the last few days, which seemed to be quite a problem...
I ran 6.3 miles in about 56minutes...a 9 min/mile pace...Not very happy about that. What's worse is that I really felt my legs afterwards, since it was on a perfectly flat course.
Since my shoulder keeps me from climbing this weekend :-(, I will try and hit the trails and get a long, hilly run in. I'll probably give it a shot at the PG&E trail.
It was a tough one, and made me wonder if I am up for the 25k trail run in 6 weeks.
The temps were slightlt higher than in the last few days, which seemed to be quite a problem...
I ran 6.3 miles in about 56minutes...a 9 min/mile pace...Not very happy about that. What's worse is that I really felt my legs afterwards, since it was on a perfectly flat course.
Since my shoulder keeps me from climbing this weekend :-(, I will try and hit the trails and get a long, hilly run in. I'll probably give it a shot at the PG&E trail.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Poison Oak and blown footholds...
...or adventures at the Pinnacles off the beaten path.
As a preparation for our climbs on Washington Couloumn and Half Dome Ben and I had planned to do some aid climbing on Machete Ridge on the west side of the Pinnacles. There is one thing though, which makes climbing at the Pinns tricky in spring: Nesting closures. Machete Ridge was closed due to raptor nesting. The actual climbing options were pretty small, especially since we wanted to avoid Discovery Wall and The Monolith. We decided to check out Marmot Rock. The guide book promised 'clean and solid rock', so we were looking for a nice climbing experience.
It turned out that the approach was quite hideous...an hour (I don't have a clue how long it actually took...this is 'felt' time) uphill hiking and bushwaking brought us to a spot from where we could finally see the formation. A few minutes walk took us to the base of the climbs. We had gained quite some elevation and had a nice view of Discovery Wall.
We started out with me leading Dead on the Shoulder, a 5.8. While the lower part of the climb was fun and enjoyable, the upper part turned out to be pretty loose and scary. Following Ben blew the first foothold of the day, near the bottom. After rapping off, Ben led The Heretic (5.10b). This climb is pretty run out in the upper (traversing) part. The topo shows a bolt here, but neither of us could find it. Also, the second bolt does not look very solid...
Anyway, following up this route I blew the second foothold of the day, just below the first bolt.
My next lead was another 5.8, Marmot with a Hand Grenade. The distances between the bolts seemed to be pretty large, but it felt not too run out. While I was looking for the second bolt, shifting my weight around slightly, the next foothold broke... Well, we were getting used to it by now... Ben followed up, we did an other rappell of some slightly sketchy looking webbing, and started up Furry Marmot Substitude on the backside of the formation. Now this was choss heaven...every decent hold was wiggling, plenty of scars from broken off holds, lots of moss and lichen...pretty freaky. But with finishing this climb we had completed all climbs on Marmot Rock and we don't "have to" come back :-)
Moving over to the next formation, Upper Marmot Wall, Ben lead Making Puppies (5.10a). To our surprise he didn't find an anchor on top of the formation, but he found a gully which we could climb down. We had to skirt around the back of teh rock, and climb the next Pinnacle to rappell off from there. This sounded easier than it was, since it took us through some huge bushes of poison oak. At some point I found myself holding a branch of it in my left hand. Fortunately I did not come down with any rashes!
After getting back to the base we climbed Misty Mountain Hop and On a Pale Horse, and found solid rock for the first time this day...
We goofed around on top of the rock for a bit, before rappelling, walking back to the car (the descent still felt like an hour) and driving back.
With five miles to go, I had a cramp in my left leg. I have no idea what triggered it. I am pretty sure that I had enough liquid during the day... I have to get in a better shape for the planned trips up WC, Shasta, and HD!
As a preparation for our climbs on Washington Couloumn and Half Dome Ben and I had planned to do some aid climbing on Machete Ridge on the west side of the Pinnacles. There is one thing though, which makes climbing at the Pinns tricky in spring: Nesting closures. Machete Ridge was closed due to raptor nesting. The actual climbing options were pretty small, especially since we wanted to avoid Discovery Wall and The Monolith. We decided to check out Marmot Rock. The guide book promised 'clean and solid rock', so we were looking for a nice climbing experience.
It turned out that the approach was quite hideous...an hour (I don't have a clue how long it actually took...this is 'felt' time) uphill hiking and bushwaking brought us to a spot from where we could finally see the formation. A few minutes walk took us to the base of the climbs. We had gained quite some elevation and had a nice view of Discovery Wall.
We started out with me leading Dead on the Shoulder, a 5.8. While the lower part of the climb was fun and enjoyable, the upper part turned out to be pretty loose and scary. Following Ben blew the first foothold of the day, near the bottom. After rapping off, Ben led The Heretic (5.10b). This climb is pretty run out in the upper (traversing) part. The topo shows a bolt here, but neither of us could find it. Also, the second bolt does not look very solid...
Anyway, following up this route I blew the second foothold of the day, just below the first bolt.
My next lead was another 5.8, Marmot with a Hand Grenade. The distances between the bolts seemed to be pretty large, but it felt not too run out. While I was looking for the second bolt, shifting my weight around slightly, the next foothold broke... Well, we were getting used to it by now... Ben followed up, we did an other rappell of some slightly sketchy looking webbing, and started up Furry Marmot Substitude on the backside of the formation. Now this was choss heaven...every decent hold was wiggling, plenty of scars from broken off holds, lots of moss and lichen...pretty freaky. But with finishing this climb we had completed all climbs on Marmot Rock and we don't "have to" come back :-)
Moving over to the next formation, Upper Marmot Wall, Ben lead Making Puppies (5.10a). To our surprise he didn't find an anchor on top of the formation, but he found a gully which we could climb down. We had to skirt around the back of teh rock, and climb the next Pinnacle to rappell off from there. This sounded easier than it was, since it took us through some huge bushes of poison oak. At some point I found myself holding a branch of it in my left hand. Fortunately I did not come down with any rashes!
After getting back to the base we climbed Misty Mountain Hop and On a Pale Horse, and found solid rock for the first time this day...
We goofed around on top of the rock for a bit, before rappelling, walking back to the car (the descent still felt like an hour) and driving back.
With five miles to go, I had a cramp in my left leg. I have no idea what triggered it. I am pretty sure that I had enough liquid during the day... I have to get in a better shape for the planned trips up WC, Shasta, and HD!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Anchors
30% Chance of rain for Saturday and 80% for Sunday, the weather forecast for Yosemite Valley did not look to good by the end of last week. Despite those dull perspectives we decided to pull of the scheduled Anchors class in the Valley. After arriving at Church Bowl around 10:30 Saturday morning I headed out to the Five Open Books area, where I climbed 'The Caverns' with Brian and Grit. It was the first time climbing on granite for both of them, and especially Grit had a hard time getting used to the cracks and the sustained liebacking. I definitely could feel with her, since it reminded me of my first times climbing in Yosemite. But never the less we made good time on the climb and got back to the car way before dark.
During the night the rain set in, so that there was no way we could do any climbing on Sunday.
We spent the morning placing gear at Swan Slabs instead.
On an other note: I did not feel my hamstring during the whole weekend. A good sign!
I did a 4.5 mile run on Friday, where I had to walk a few stretches because my left thigh was tightening up, but no problems since...
Going for another run tomorrow...
During the night the rain set in, so that there was no way we could do any climbing on Sunday.
We spent the morning placing gear at Swan Slabs instead.
On an other note: I did not feel my hamstring during the whole weekend. A good sign!
I did a 4.5 mile run on Friday, where I had to walk a few stretches because my left thigh was tightening up, but no problems since...
Going for another run tomorrow...
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Not too bad...
1.5 km...that's the distance I ran today.
Without any pain in my hamstring...I think I can get back on track...I'll bring in a 4 mile run tomorrow, namely a Campus Loop, and then we'll go from there next week.
Talking of distances I really like this tool provided by USA Track & Field:
http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/. It allows you to track your route on Google Maps and gives you the distance and the elevation profile.
I won't be running this coming weekend, since I am headed to Yosemite with a group of SAC people...It has been a while since I climbed outside, so it will be fun!
Without any pain in my hamstring...I think I can get back on track...I'll bring in a 4 mile run tomorrow, namely a Campus Loop, and then we'll go from there next week.
Talking of distances I really like this tool provided by USA Track & Field:
http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/. It allows you to track your route on Google Maps and gives you the distance and the elevation profile.
I won't be running this coming weekend, since I am headed to Yosemite with a group of SAC people...It has been a while since I climbed outside, so it will be fun!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
DAAAANG!
Ok...There goes the plan of the two hour half marathon...
I pulled my left hamstring yesterday. It happened playing touch football...going for a deep pass.
Bummer! I hope I'll be able to actually do the race though, but my training will be way off anyway. In my experience I should be able to jog very lightly within a few days. I also stashed up on Mg-pills and some protein supplements to accelerate the recovery...
I pulled my left hamstring yesterday. It happened playing touch football...going for a deep pass.
Bummer! I hope I'll be able to actually do the race though, but my training will be way off anyway. In my experience I should be able to jog very lightly within a few days. I also stashed up on Mg-pills and some protein supplements to accelerate the recovery...
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