Goat Lake Hiking, Cross-Training, and Running Shoes
Happy Thursday, everyone! I’ve come to embrace Thursdays even more since opting to make them my rest day for now. They’re like a prelude to the weekend, you know? Or like mile 12 of a half marathon, where you know you need just one more push and then you can rest.
This weekend Ryan and I returned to one of our favorite trails from last year, Goat Lake in the Cascades. The Goat Lake trail is a 10.4 trail that follows along a alpine stream (if you opt for the lower Elliott trail, which we did both ways) with a gentle incline before climbing a bit over the final couple miles to deliver views of a breathtaking alpine lake. Since my right foot and left calf were giving me some trouble (more on that in a moment), we wanted to avoid any steep climbs, and Goat Lake offered exactly that. Plus, it was finally snow-free!
We arrived a bit later than desired on Saturday morning since the movie got out late on Friday night (so worth it – go see Captain America: Civil War now) and the trailhead was packed. We ended up parking about a tenth of a mile away from the trailhead, which actually worked well since Charlie always has to stop approximately twenty times in the first quarter mile to mark, sniff, and repeatedly do his puggle bathroom business.
For a 10+ mile hike, the ascent and descent both go by fast. You feel as if you just have warmed up and found a steady rhythm and before you know it, you’re greeted by the glistening blue water. We climbed for 2 and a half hours (which included a snack break) and took just about two hours to climb down.
The sweetest and most adorable thing is how much Charlie loves hiking and running outdoors. Even though he hates baths and swimming, he loves splashing in running water and he got very excited as we hiked along the rushing creek. He started to howl with happiness (that’s a beagle mix for you!). So cute!
We spent about 30 or 40 minutes at Goat Lake, basking in the warm Washington sun. We may get grey skies for weeks during rainy season, but spring and summer in the Seattle area is undeniably beautiful.
Hopefully we can camp soon at Goat Lake! Our hiking plans over the next few weeks hinge on how my foot feels.
So what exactly is going on with my foot? If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen how the past couple days I’ve opted for the elliptical trainer over running. Although nothing will be known with certainty until my podiatrist appointment on Monday, my symptoms match those of extensor tendonitis trigged by overuse and tight calf muscles. The ache on the outside top of my right foot goes away with rest but arises with any flexing (like running), and then my calf just has a nasty knot that goes away temporarily with foam rolling and massage but then returns. The issue with my left calf is probably triggered by a slight alteration in my gait to ease up on my right foot. I can run, but not comfortably, so why aggravate something into a worse injury?
So I’m forcing myself to rest, since a few days off are running usually prove as a reliable fix for minor aches. Two days off (one on the elliptical, one rest) last week did the trick temporarily, but Monday’s run brought on a significant amount of discomfort in my foot, so I ordered no running for myself until any ache or discomfort alleviates.
After analyzing over everything with Ryan and Meredith (who had similar issues with her feet a few years ago), I’m fairly certain it is just an overuse issue. I’m a bit worried my running shoes could be the issue, since I switched recently to the Kinvaras, but I wore the shoes for a good 6 or 7 weeks before I experienced any issues. Of course, because I’m running shoe obsessed, I’ve been searching for other options for long distance running. The Kinvaras work fantastically for easy runs, but maybe I’ll try something different for long runs/races/tempos.
I honestly feel like I’m weird when it comes to running shoes. I ran my first half marathon in minimal zero-drop running shoes (Merrells, which I still love for long walks/strength training), and only switched out of them because I needed a tiny bit more cushioning. Snugger, lower profile shoes seems to work better for me, as in the Kinvaras feel cushiony. I blame it on the fact I have big feet (size 10 in women’s) and traditional running shoes feel heavy on me.
Although no matter what shoe I’m in, I habitually tie my shoes very tight – which can irritate the extensor tendons. More likely than not, the problem emerged from getting overzealous in my running by upping my frequency right at the same time we increased the duration of our hikes. I simply can’t handle six days of running plus hiking – the balance for me, I know clearly now, is five days of running. Sometimes you try a new training stimulus, just to see what happens – and your body lets you know whether it works or not in a loud and clear manner.
Fingers crossed all this rest, cross-training, icing, compression sleeves, and KT tape pays off soon. I may not run until next week and we’re likely to skip hiking this week, but it will be worth it to avoid exacerbating this into full-blown tendonitis or worse. I’d rather not run and avoid a several week hiatus due to injury than run and risk a long time off for injury.
A few days or even weeks of cross-training aren’t that bad in the grand scheme. I’m willing to adjust my training, goals, or even the race if I need to. I still can walk, I still am healthy, and I still have far many blessings in life including a loving husband and family, snuggly puggle, a job, food on my plate, and a roof over my head. So many people in the world go without those that it’s not worth self-pitying over a minor setback in marathon training.
[Tweet “Alpine lake hiking and backing off to prevent injury #cascadiaexplored #running #fitfluential via @thisrunrecipes”]
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32 Responses
Sorry that your foot is bothering you again! I was wondering if you thought it might be from the different shoes, but like you said you have been wearing them for over a month already. My first half-marathon was in Brooks, but a more supportive model than the Pure line (I can’t remember what model, it was a long time ago!) Hopefully some rest will clear things up quickly!
Thank you! Who knows with the shoes – I did increase my long runs in them recently, so I’m going to try my PureConnects for long runs again. I really wish they hadn’t discontinued the Pure connects!
now that you said you tie your shoes too tight, I bet that adds to it! for sure! I mean, I think it’s a perfect storm of things that combined to cause the foot issue, and yeah, the calf issue is from adjusting how you run to compensate for your foot, but you are being smart to rest it until it relaxes. I was tying my shoes too tight too! always! I have gotten much better at making them looser. It is so possible too that you need a more supportive shoe for some of your runs. our feet and needs change so that could help. hopefully it just goes away!
I’m wondering if what you said about the sock-like fit being best would work for me then since we both had the same problems and overtightened. My connects have that snug sock fit, but the Kinvaras don’t so maybe I over-tightened them to get that snugger fit? I switched them to ladder lacing to help relieve the pressure. I really like them but they may need to be easy runs shoes and I’m looking at possible other long/tempo shoes.
Fingers crossed for us both, chickadee.
ANd why do such beautiful places have such hilariously unenticing names?
I kept looking for mountain goats the first time we went there! There’s one out here called Rattlesnake Ledge, I’m still working up the courage to tackle that one just based on the name…even though we barely have any snakes out here. And fingers crossed for you! You feel better soon, mmk?
I think I’m having a similar problem but with my achilles. I favor my right leg because of a bad left knee. After recently climbing a very big mountain, I noticed that my right calf/achilles felt over-used compared to my left. Maybe I need a break from big descents! Hope your rest helps!
Oh no, I hope your Achilles feels better! Tendon problems are not fun. I’m definitely upping the amount of prehab work/single leg work/arch mobility to help with this, because I don’t want to give up hiking or running! thank you!
Good luck with figuring out the shoe issues! Did you rotate your Kinvara in or go cold turkey with the Brooks? That could have something to do with it, I dunno? I’m curious bc I want to try the Kinvara myself. 5 days of running is probably enough during marathon training too because you do hiking and cross training along with that, and the runs and workouts are so much longer when training for a marathon. Hopefully some extra rest will do the trick and you won’t have tendonitis or something bad!
I rotated them up, but I was bad and wore my old Connects because I wanted to save my newer ones for the peak of marathon training since they’re discontinued – not smart! Overall I really like the Kinvaras especially for easy runs and my footstrike is quieter in them (which is good). Finding the right running shoes is a constant experiment! And thank you!
Fingers crossed for you! After my first half marathon I had a similar pain on the outer top of my right foot. It was so weird. It hurt to even walk on it. I took it pretty easy with my recovery so I don’t know what I did. But I never figured out what it was, after taking about 5 days off running and stretching a lot it went away and never came back. *shrug*
Sucks that this is happening but at least it’s earlier on in your training. You won’t really lose any fitness, especially if you keep XTing. I took 9 days off in the middle of my training (more than that if you count the fact that the week before that I only ran 2 times) and I was fine!
Feet are so weird! Mine hurt for a couple days when I walked but that’s gone away. That’s good you were smart on recovery and it went away! And that’s a good point! I’m not worried about the last week of low volume/low intensity and this week off, but any longer and I’ll probably re-evaluated goals/adjust training. There’s only so much time I can take on the elliptical!
Ah, crap. I was hoping this was going to resolve last week really quick! If your legs are used to zero drop shoes then the Kinvaras (4mm) should be fine for your calves. I remember tying my shoelaces so tight once and having major issues on the top of my right foot for weeks. It’s so funny how just a small thing like that can wreak havoc on the whole system. Hope you feel better soon.
Thank you! From yours and Meredith’s comment it really seems like tying laces tight is the problem! And I did tie my Kinvaras tight since they’re not a glove-like fit like Brooks. It is funny (and frustrating) how something so small can make sure a big mess.
Ugh….Laura, sorry to hear about the nagging foot, but love your positive outlook on everything. It WILL get better soon and the unscheduled rest days from running will just be a blip on the radar when looking at the big picture!
I have found that 3-4 days of running/week keeps my body (& mind happy). My favorite form of cross-training has becoming spin class (and/or getting outside to ride our bikes). As you know, I have also thrown (back) in a couple days of weight training this year and that, I think, has made a HUGE difference in my running!
Enjoy your Thursday rest day! Enjoy the sunshine (sadly, I see some rain coming back into the area this weekend)! And, as always…keep smiling! 🙂
Thank you! No point in being negative! It’s feeling better as I rest so I’m hoping a day or two more will do the trick. That’s great that you’ve found the combination that works for you! Enjoy the sunshine – at least we don’t have tons of rain like the rest of the country! 🙂
Haha did you write this post specifically for me?! I feel your pain when it comes to this. I ran my first race in Newton Gravity’s, but those did not work well for me at all (I transitioned into them midway through my training cycle from higher drop shoes) and I had a nasty case of peroneal tendonitis. The more I think about it and look through previous race pics, I think my right foot overpronates more than my left and I may need more stability than I realized. I think the 8mm drop range is my sweet spot, and I’m excited to play around with some new shoes 🙂 Hope you feel better soon!
We’re going through such similar issues with our feet right now! I’ve heard that Newtons can lead to injury when coming from higher drop shoes. It is so exciting to play around with new shoes – you’ll have to let me know what you choose! 🙂 Hope you’re feeling better as well – and thank you!
I ran my first race in Nikes, and my first half too (third race ever). I can’t believe it now since Nikes do NOT work for me as running shoes! I had no idea about anything running or shoe related then, but a hip injury and lots of struggles later I’ve found much better options.
Those photos are breathtaking. I MUST get out there 🙂
I used to run in Nikes also – and they did not work for me either as running shoes! I’m glad you’ve found better options – good shoes make all of the difference. And yes, you must get out here! So much to see! 🙂
That lake is absolutely beautiful, and you had the cutest little hiking companion! I hope that your body heals quickly, and it sounds like you are wisely taking off time in order to let it mend.
Awww thank you! Yes, Ryan and I love our sweet little furry hiking buddy!
Have you ever tried Altras? It sounds like they might be the type of shoe you’re looking for – they are zero drop but have models for every cushioning level. They’re also the only shoes I have that I can tie as tight as I’d like because of the wide toe box (with my other running shoes lacing them tight causes my feet to fall asleep).
And hiking is the best cross-training, obviously 😉
I haven’t tried Altras, but I’ve been looking into them – thanks for the suggestion! I’ve definitely interested in the wide toe box because that’s one thing I really like about my old Merrells and my Kinvaras. And yes, hiking is the best cross-training – unfortunately with Seattle traffic it’s hard to get into the mountains on week days though!
Sending you tonnes of healing vibes for your feet! I was suffering from some really weird issues at the beginning of the year, and I’m pretty sure they were caused by tying my shoelaces way too tight and possibly running too many days per week. After I loosened up the shoes and took an extra day off, the issues disappeared as well. And right now, I’m seriously loving cycling.
Also — is Charlie a puggle?!?!
Thank you! It seems like tight lacing/too many days running really can cause this issue – I’d never want anyone else to have an ache, but it is good to hear that I’m not completely weird in this happening. And yes, Charlie is a puggle! We think he’s a second generation puggle, meaning a beagle breed with a puggle, since he has such long beagle legs and howls. But then he certainly has pug behaviors and traits as well!
Cycling is definitely my favorite cross-training, but I think I’m a bit biased 🙂 This hike looks amazing – thanks for sharing! I will add it to my list 🙂 I hope you recover quickly!
You should definitely do Goat Lake! It’s so beautiful and a faster hike for the distance. Just get there early – the trailhead was packed by the time we arrived around 10 AM! 🙂 And thank you!
So smart to recognize that your body needs a break! I ignored my body’s warning signs and ended up with severe tendinitis in my foot from overuse. I had to wear a walking boot for 6 weeks and was sidelined from all activity except swimming. Thankfully I swam competitively for 10 years growing up so I actually enjoy swimming but running is my fave so it was really hard to not be able to run. But, like you said, there are far worse things. Good for you for focusing on the positives in your life aside from running! Really hope that some rest and time off from training do the trick and you’re back to running soon!
Thank you! And yikes, that’s a rough injury to have! At least you were able to swim and enjoyed swimming! I can’t swim so I would probably just be out, which is why I’m hoping to get this better and fix the cause before it becomes full blown tendonitis. I hope you’re back to running now and enjoying it! 🙂
Laura, That place looks beautiful! I have some of the same issues with shoes feeling clunky as I wear a 9.5 or 10 also. My latest pair I got from New Balance (the Fresh Foam Zante) and they’ve been some of my favorites. Very light, stylish, and cushioned well. I had several pair of Saucony prior to these and they just didn’t seem as light, or if I went minimalist, as cushiony. Best of luck with healing the foot!
Thank you! I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels that way – the shoes just feel so big in those sizes! I’ve actually been reading online about the New Balance Zante and Vazee Pace online as alternatives to my Pure Connects. They look really nice, and it’s good to hear that you enjoy them!