I am officially on vacation and getting ready for what I hope will be an epic week of hiking in Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, I had to put “ankle brace” on my pre-vacation shopping list. Adding to my ankle injury anxiety is that I really don’t know what I’ve done to it–or even when. I just hope it gets better in the next 24 hours, or at least stays tolerable with ibuprofen and one of these.
Which one will work with my hiking shoes?
I packed a brace when we went hiking in the Grand Canyon three years ago because I was just recovering from my broken foot. Maybe my national park vacations are jinxed.
Mystery Ankle Injury
I would be less anxious about my ankle if I knew what I did to it. My calf was really tight on Tuesday, but everything felt fine when I ran with Scooby on Wednesday. My calf felt tight again Wednesday afternoon, and by Wednesday evening it was limiting my mobility–but the issue was in my calf, not my ankle. Thursday morning I noticed my ankle was tender and walking was uncomfortable. I don’t remember twisting it–could I have hurt it stumbling on an uneven sidewalk while walking Scooby? Friday morning the pain kept me from yoga. Saturday I was relieved to know cycling didn’t bother it, but walking still hurts. 🙁
Weekly Wrap
Maybe looking back on the week for the Weekly Wrap link up hosted by Holly and Wendy will help me figure out what I did?
Monday: Orange Theory Fitness
This was a tough workout with three switches. I’m wary of running any faster on the treadmill so I’ve been increasing the incline to 2.5% or even 3% to get my heart rate up. Maybe the incline strained my ankle?
I rededicated myself to my strength routine, and did my PT exercises plus a few more moves–but nothing that would have twisted or strained my ankle. I must have strained my calf, though, because it was really tight later on.
Wednesday: 5.3 Scooby Miles
Everything felt good on this run–the mystery injury must have happened later.
My calf was still a bit tight and my ankle was tender, so I did a light strength workout that focused on arms and abs.
Friday: ~rest day~
I did take Scooby for his morning walk, but since putting weight on my ankle was uncomfortable, I convinced myself to miss yoga.
Saturday: 22 mile ride
The Conte’s hill ride was out of the question–I knew standing climbs would hurt–but the Old Town store has a Saturday morning group ride on an easier route. It starts an hour earlier (7:30), but that increased our odds of beating the rain.
It was nice to ride in a small group–we were 6 with our leader from Conte’s.
After remembering my week, I think I must have twisted my ankle while walking Scooby Wednesday night. I even vaguely remember catching myself after tripping over an uneven section of sidewalk. I shrugged it off then, but I guess it did some real damage. 🙁
Have you suffered from a mystery injury?
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Oh no 🙁 I’m so sorry to hear about your ankle injury. I hope that the ankle brace will help and that you will be able to enjoy your vacation.
Thanks! I am confident it will be OK – and it’s not just wishful thinking!
Oh no! Sending some healing vibes because you must hike in Yellowstone!
Yes, we are doing a guided hiking tour, so the hikes will happen. It’s just a question of how much ibuprofen I will consume. 😉
I hope this pesky ankle thing doesn’t get in the way of your vacation
Have fun!
Oh, that’s stressful. I have a really sore arm and ribs but then I played tennis yesterday for the first time in 15 yeas so no mystery there. I did wake up on my first marathon day with inexplicable sore ankles but I think they were entirely psychological! Hope it doesn’t impact on your trip.
Oh, I’ve had race-day hypochondria, but this is for real. Hopefully it will be fine by Tuesday.
Hopefully the injury is a short-lived one! I would hate for it to affect your trip 🙁
Oh no this is not good! I’ve also had some weirdcalf Achilles rightness the last few weeks only bothers when when running not walking. Super frustrating! Maybe you just need a few days off?!
I’m trying to rest it as much as possible!
So sorry to hear about your ankle injury. Hope your Yellowstone trip goes well. Maybe don’t run for a few days?
I am hopeful. I won’t try running until we’re back. 😉
Oh no. I hope it is nothing serious and you get to fully enjoy your vacation.
I sure hope you figure out what’s going on with your ankle! Enjoy your vacation.
GLad you realized what you did. I find the left kind of brace to work better — less hot too. Heal gently and have a great trip
Oh no I’m so sorry to hear this! I hope whatever is going on with your ankle moves on quickly and you can enjoy your vacation.
I know there’s never really good timing for an injury but this timing so close to your hiking adventure is not fair! Hopefully, it gets better this week and the brace alleviates the discomfort.
Total bummer about the ankle! IS it possible you were over-compensating on your ankle due to your calf feeling so tight? That’s usually my first hunch when I have mysterious aches/pains show up following another ache/pain that was elsewhere LOL HOpe it feels better soon!
I hope the ankle brace will help and you can enjoy Yellowstone. My parents went a couple years ago, up to Yellowstone and Jackson and loved it.
I felt my ankle/foot twinge yesterday and I have no idea what I did. I think I’ll tape it up with Rocktape for my runs to add some extra support.
Sorry to hear about your ankle. I hope it’s better by now and doesn’t prevent you from having a great time on your trip!
I’m sorry to hear about your ankle. Last week, my big dog knocked me into a door and I completely forgot about it until I saw the big bruise on my kneecap. I have both of those wraps because I tweak my ankle often (usually on the bike!) on the outside just underneath the ankle bone. After a week or so, it is usually OK. Fingers crossed your issue resolves quickly. Have fun in Yellowstone. Thanks for linking!
I’m dealing with some kind of injury to my right leg at the current moment. I have some tenderness in my Achilles so I’ve been nursing it with short, flat, slow runs. It was a little better, but last week, there was a noticeable lump on the tendon. I am finally seeing a doctor on Thursday to make sure I don’t have any real damage. I hope you are feeling better soon!