My friend and I went on a 15 mile run/hike to Kolob arch on the westside of Zion National Park in March. Recently a large snowstorm had visited the area which caused a snowy and muddy trail for most of the run. In addition to the mud there were also lots of stream crossings that required jumping from rocks to banks. I was using 3 year old trail shoes that were worn out and did not have much support. Early on my right arch started to hurt and throb due to the extra load from the jumping and running in the mud. My arch was not use to this stress as it was my first trail run of the season along with the difficult conditions.
I started to worry if I was going to make the trip to the arch. I started to use some mindfulness techniques that I like to use during runs specifically body scan. The body scans definitely helped. From them I knew that nothing was seriously wrong with the foot/arch so I worked on ways to distract myself as the run continued. Once we made it to Kolob arch and were looking at all the cool landscapes my foot stopped hurting. The distraction helped my pain dissipate. After hiking around the area for sometime we began the journey back.
After a mile or two of running my arch really started to hurt again. I used some distraction and mindfulness techniques and continued to push through. Even though it continued to hurt I was able to successfully complete the run. It was a great experience to be able to see such awesome sights, enjoy great company, and learn more about my body. Interestingly I have not had any other issues with arch pain since that run (I have been running in different shoes and never in that amount of mud again). #endoprhinwarrior #openairwellness
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