Two months ago I injured my lower back. It started as a niggle about a month before the injury. A niggle is what runners call an injury that is not so bad that it makes you quit running. For smart and experienced runners a niggle should be a warning to be somewhat careful. Being experienced, but not very smart I proceeded to run a 55 mile week and a couple days later I thought it would be a good idea to do a speed workout consisting of five 1-mile repeats fast. Since I was on my lunch break, I ended up doing a sixth mile fast instead of using that distance to cool down. I then went straight to a three hour meeting where I was hunched over my computer. When I tried to get up after the meeting, my back seized up and didn’t let go for several weeks.

What I Was Doing Right

2024 was the first year of my running career that I did not miss a single run due to injury. Not surprisingly, it was also the year I ran the most miles. Through many years of trial and error, and plantar fasciitis, and IT band tendonitis, and calf and hamstring and hip flexor strains, I stumbled onto a list of best practices that I’ll share here.

Careful Cross Training

When I first got into trail running, I loved it so much that I gave up all other forms of exercise and promptly got hurt from over-use injuries. Now at least 25% of my exercise time is doing things other than running. Much of my cross training is just adding in some walking miles. This is also the most applicable since any trail run longer than a half marathon typically includes a lot of hiking. This is also one of the favorite activities of the first mutt, who is now mostly retired from trail running at age 13. These extra steps and time on your feet can increase fitness without the impact of running. At worst, walking miles are just as effective as slogging through a couple junk miles just to hit a weekly target.

The author and the First Mutt doing some easy hiking in Goblin Valley State Park, UT

I also try to get to the gym to do strength training a couple times per week, but during trail season I skip leg day. When you think about how many lunges, calf raises, etc you do when trail running in the mountains, doing more in the gym is not cross training at that point, it’s just adding more stress to already over-stressed muscle groups. I hate stretching, but do enjoy yoga, but didn’t go for a few months before the back injury, which is probably not a coincidence. Cross country skiing and paddleboarding are my personal favorite forms of cross training, both of which really work your stabilizers. Lastly, cycling is of course a great way to build endurance without impact, but remember that it still tires out your legs so a big day on a bike doesn’t count as a rest day. Speaking of…

Rest Days are Overrated

Previously, running dogma indicated we should all take at least one rest day per week to prevent injury. Then we started seeing people with amazingly long running streaks not getting hurt. Long-time DRC member Matt Sheldon is currently on 4-year + running streak. I asked my buddy and fellow DRC member Cole Peterson during his nearly 500 day running streak, how he did it. His answer was surprisingly simple: if he didn’t have a good reason not to run, he would go for a run that day. What I took from that was that advice is sometimes life gives you a rest day. Otherwise, get out there. I’ve found my body feels better after a “recovery day” (slow easy run or cross training day) than after a day completely off.

The exception to this would be the day(s) after a race. I find it takes my body at least two full weeks to feel back to normal after a race. During this time, the body is in a state of sustained inflammation, and I’ve suffered some of my worst injuries not during the race, but a few days later when I thought I was ready to resume my normal running regime, but wasn’t.

Baby Your Feet

Despite what you may have read in “Born to Run”, I can say with 100% certainty that I don’t have a single ancestor that ran as much as I do at my age and size (given life expectancy didn’t exceed 40 until the 1940s and that the average height of people in industrialized countries has increased by four inches since then).

After suffering from plantar fasciitis, reading “Born to Run” and being exposed to marketing from the minimalist shoe brands, I was convinced that my upbringing in cushioned western shoes instead of wearing sandals or going barefoot all day was the problem. So I switched to minimalist, zero drop shoes and got a Mobo Board with the intention of making my feet stronger. Didn’t work. I now believe the answer is more cushion, not less. No person that averages 20,000 steps a day has “weak feet”. They just are more susceptible to foot inflammation. So now every one of my 20,000 steps is in cushioned running shoes or recovery sandals (even the first steps of the day from my bed to the bathroom in the morning). The result was a gradual reduction in foot inflammation and healing of my plantar fasciitis.

Things to Avoid

The biggest thing I’ve learned is to not do speed work or hill workouts when also trying to increase mileage. This is what caused my current back injury. Combining mileage increases with speed work is like drunk driving while speeding. Both activities are risky enough. Don’t stack one risk on top of another risk as it often ends in disaster.

I also try not to run twice in the same day. After the first run, even if it’s not a huge run, your body will still be in a state of inflammation until adequately rested. Doing a repetitive motion like running while in that state of inflammation is another way I’ve gotten over-use injuries. I ignored this advice to myself recently and my back instantly felt worse after weeks of steady improvement. If you have time for a second workout that day, cross train.

I got Injured Anyway, Now What?

A significant injury can be pretty devastating for a runner. Not only do we lose our favorite activity, but we risk losing our community, which is often centered around running. First remember that this too shall pass. Whether it's a few days, weeks or months, you will most likely get healthy enough to resume running again and all the trails and mountains will still be there when you are ready. Second, stay socially connected to the community. At almost every Wednesday run there's a group of people that either walk, bike or just come for the post-run socializing. This is also a good reminder to make and keep friends that aren’t runners. Lastly, without running you are going to have more time for other things. Even if the other things are stretching, strength training or other physical therapy to make you an even stronger runner when you get back. Everybody has things they wish they had time to do. This is that time.

Trail season kickoff run in 2025. Not pictured are another 10-20 people that came to the event but didn’t run.

So How’s the Back? (You probably didn’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway)

All in all, this has been a fairly minor injury compared to others I’ve had. I missed about a week of running before I discovered that short, slow runs didn’t feel worse than not running. But since my back still hurts and I’m still running slower than I otherwise would, I would still say that I’m injured. I’ve gradually been able to build up my miles, culminating in joining the Club for the 14.5-mile run to Piedra Hot Springs and back. I wrote most of this blog while camping in Goblin Valley State Park in Utah during a spring break trip where I was able to run and hike about 60 miles. So life is pretty good. Now I just need to remember the things I’ve written in this blog or I’ll likely re-injure myself before fully healing.

Entry #4 Injury (OH NO!!)