A few days ago I was running at my favorite cathedral of pain, White Ranch, on a section of trail that I’ve run dozens of times before. It’s a steep downhill section with a few roots but mostly buffed out single track through pine trees. It’s one of my favorite sections in the entire park.
Well, maybe it’s not anymore.
I was running just ahead of my friend when I rolled my ankle so hard that I heard the telltale POP that signals an ankle sprain. Just how badly it was injured remained to be seen. I stretched it out until I could walk on it and eventually run on it again, though it was very tight. Since we were 6 miles from the trailhead, we finished the 6 mile loop and it seemed to hold up ok, just tight and painful.
By the time I got home, my right ankle was the size of a baseball. I’m using the RICE technique (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and the swelling has started to die down, but it’s still sore and stiff. My ankle bones are not painful to the touch, so nothing seems to be broken or torn off a bone, but it’s going to take some time.
Unfortunately, there are only two weeks until Wasatch 100. Just guessing here, but I think two healthy ankles would be nice.
And yet, maybe this is a felix culpa. Yesterday, I rode my mountain bike for the first time in months. Cody ran behind me while I rode and she had the biggest smile on her face the whole time. I was pretty happy too.
As it turns out, it’s really fun to ride a bike again! So I went for a second ride that day up in south Boulder on the Flatirons Vista trails, which are relatively flat with only a few rocky technical sections. It was beautiful and there were hardly any other riders out there. I got my heart rate up and my legs got a great workout too.
I started thinking about riding my tri bike and my cyclocross bike again and got excited for the adventures I could plan. I remembered that I’ve been wanting to ride the peak to peak highway this summer, and maybe I’ll actually do it. I liked covering long distances quickly, with my head up to the horizon and eyes not always glued to the trail.
Today we even rode up Lookout Mountain in Golden for the first time, and I got a chance to watch the pro peloton ride up in the last stage of the USA Pro Challenge. It was awesome to see Jens Voigt race for the last time in his career and to see CO rider Tejay Van Garderen win the race.
So maybe something good will come out of a sprained ankle. Maybe cross training will be fun again, like it was when I was racing triathlon. Maybe I’ll sign up for Leadman next year and do the bike races along with the runs in Leadville.
And maybe I won’t go completely crazy tapering for Wasatch 100 with a bum ankle.
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