I had intended to write a post sooner, but I was protesting the lack of snow. I know silly, as only you suffered the loss, but apparently it worked because it started dumping snow on December 31 and we now have a decent amount to play in.
So here is my “2016 year in review” post with somewhat related cool photos of me and Kobi.

Snowshoe fun in the tundra
To summarize 2016: basically it sucked.
Those of you who follow my sporadic posts will recall my tumultuous relationship with Wolverine the Adamantium heel spur. He showed up back in June of 2015 and the relationship was pretty much over as of January 2016, but I was stupid and did what an overly-excited runner recovering from a frustrating injury does – run too much. By mid February I could barely walk. Wolverine was back and we were in a serious relationship.

Running across a frozen lake
Then I did another smart thing, I took up another sport, but not in moderation, I went totally overboard in the indoor climbing gym and by April I had what is affectionately called “climber’s elbow” (or Medial Epicondylitis). I couldn’t even lift a cup of tea without cringing in pain. That injury hung out with me until October.
I was running again by June and I’m still running, not great mileage, but at least I’m out there. As far as Wolverine and I go, we’re tied up in an ugly divorce now. I don’t hear from him for days even weeks and then out of the blue, there he is. He doesn’t stick around long though, just long enough.

Kisses mid-ski
The icing on the cake was a swimming related injury before Christmas. I did a fancy flip turn at 700m into my swim (I had actually done about 14 of them prior to this one) and something in my neck went terribly wrong. I tried to swim it off, but that made it worse. I could barely lift my arms to get my goggles off let alone get out of the pool the pain was so bad. Two weeks later and 100’s of dollars spent on chiropractic and massage therapy, I could once again turn my head and braid my hair without crying!

Another snowshoeing in the tundra shot
There is one highlight of 2016, I bought a fat bike and love it! It’s fricken hard work, but a great alternative to running, climbing and swimming, should I get injured in one of those sports. Plus I get to wear a cool helmet and goggles – they’re purple. I’m all about the gear, purple gear preferably.

Nice helmet and goggles hey? Safety first.
My little rock star Kobi is fabulous of course. She’s been very patient with my running issues.
I’m convinced 2017 is going to be a good year.

Kobi says hi
Hope your 2017 is going well! Ever pull something bad in your neck? How much snow do you have? Isn’t Kobi the cutest? Chiropractic or massage? Have you fat-biked? Need any advice about plantar fasciitis or climber’s elbow – just ask!
January 17, 2017 at 10:49 am
Your opening sentence had me hooked! I snort laughed out loud at work. Thanks for that. You are an athletic superstar. I get injured from things like knitting and licking envelopes. No joke, i think i have tennis elbow from knitting. Your injury stories kick my stories’ butt. Although i did have an epic biking wipe out this year where I broke my tailbone and still wince when I’ve sat for too long. I’m 100% team chiro since finding the world’s best chiro ever. On the bright side, 2017 is already looking up. We have tons of snow this year so I’ve been out playing in it. I love winter 🙂 I’ll take -20 with sunny skies and powdery snow over -5, slush and gloomy skies any day. Cheers to an epic 2017 and adventures with wicked dogs and awesome friends!
January 17, 2017 at 11:10 am
Happy to have made you snort laugh out loud! That’s the ultimate compliment.
Knitting and licking envelopes are dangerous. Knitters elbow is very real and paper cuts on the tongue are serious. Nasty infections can result.
Broke tailbones are horrible injuries. Impossible to immobilize that spot.
I love chiro too and I have you to thank for introducing me to your guy.
Enjoy all your snow and enjoy winter – the best season on earth!
January 17, 2017 at 6:09 pm
So many thoughts. First off, I laughed out loud but at your “tried another sport but not in moderation”. Second – Canada sure is beautiful! Third, I think I need to start naming my injuries….your blog post sounds way more interesting then “I hurt my ankle”. Let’s hope 2017 treats us much kinder in the injury and running departments 🙂
January 17, 2017 at 8:52 pm
I think as runners we need to fill that void when injured and feel we can start where we were with our running, not from scratch like one should with a new sport. Live and learn. I totally agree with your second comment – it’s a beautiful country! Naming injuries is the way to go. Half the fun is in finding the perfect name, one you want to love and hate. I think 2017 will be good to us. We must be getting smarter about injury prevention and rehab considering how much we’ve both had to deal with!
January 17, 2017 at 7:30 pm
My fingers are so crossed that 2017 is better. It darn well better be! I’ve had many years of endless injuries. I know it can be so frustrating. I once had plantar fasciitis and was in denial for so long that I made matters far worse. We had a week of endless snow here. We had well over 30 inches. It actually makes running outside a bit impossible here. But it has be raining all day and I am honestly so happy to see it go down.
January 17, 2017 at 8:55 pm
Denial, I can relate to that one! It’s just another way of being sure you’re really injured and it’s not just a little passing ache. By the time we accept the injury, we’re really injured.
30 inches of snow! That’s crazy! And now rain, that’s going to make a mess I’m sure. Stay safe out there and thanks for reading and commenting!!
January 18, 2017 at 6:51 am
Kobi is adorable! I’ve got a messed up neck from being in three rear-end collisions in my car over a 5 year span. I started going to a chiropractor but switched to massage therapy after a few years. I prefer massage therapy because they take care of not only my neck but also my back, legs, feet, arms, well you get it- practically my whole body. Just get deep tissue therapy and you’ll be good to go.
January 18, 2017 at 8:02 am
I agree that Kobi is adorable. She’s the best adventure companion ever!!! Neck injuries are bad. 3 collisions!? That’s awful. I do like that massage therapy works everywhere too. I have a great chiropractor who does a lot of deep tissue stuff as well. Just not as long. I do hope your neck improves! Thanks so much for commenting!!
January 18, 2017 at 8:06 am
Thanks! I hope your neck pain gets better too!
January 18, 2017 at 3:13 pm
Just had massage therapy today!! It’s making improvements!!
January 18, 2017 at 12:43 pm
Aw, Angie, what a year of injuries! Hopefully you got them all out of the way for this year. I haven’t ever ridden a fat tire bike, but they look like fun. Seen a few of them in CO.
January 18, 2017 at 3:15 pm
I think I’ve covered off most of the possible injuries. I had better be over this or all I’m going to be able to do is knit. Although I’d probably hurt myself doing that.
Fat bikes are fun. I dislike going very fast – unless I’m on a road bike – so I’m quite enjoying it!
January 19, 2017 at 2:26 am
The only sport I try when I’m injured is eating, no moderation about it lol
January 19, 2017 at 8:08 am
That’s a fairly safe sport to take up when injured except for the potential weight gain part – you probably don’t have to worry about that.
January 19, 2017 at 3:07 am
Most of our snow arrived here in Ontario during December while I was in New Zealand and has settled into a base of about a half a metre. Love your fat tire bike. I can imagine it would really be a workout.
When I read of what you have had to deal with Angie I realize how fortunate I am, 2017 will be a much better year for you.
Answering your question about pulling something in your neck, I have had severe whiplash that took months to fully recover. Think it was 7 years ago I cartwheeled my mountain bike. (was in my 50’s and still trying to shred trails like I was in my 20’s) Broke my wrist but my neck was the scariest as I felt all the weight against it when I was rolling downhill. It scared me in that I could have easily snapped my neck.
No more hard core mountain biking after that and actually the same route is where I do a lot of my training of trail running. If I do crash it is not 20-30kph of momentum behind it like on a mountain bike! 🙂
January 19, 2017 at 8:13 am
Always love your comments! You have a great base of snow! I love when there’s lots of snow in winter.
Whiplash is bad. What a scary crash Carl! That would’ve been terrifying. So happy you didn’t snap your neck. I prefer to run extreme trails vs biking them for the same reason. Crashing at slower speed doesn’t cause as much damage – usually. That’s why I like the fat bike. Slow and steady.
I’m looking forward to 2017!!
January 22, 2017 at 7:55 am
lol…well said. My crash occurred in September and I did not get on the bike until next spring. After thinking things over during the winter months I realized I am not getting any younger and I need to slow down. Trail running has been awesome, and I must look into fat bikes. Except I already have 5 bikes for different purposes. Not sure if my wife would appreciate another one…haha. 🙂
January 22, 2017 at 8:02 am
I love that you have 5 bikes! Not everyone understands that they’re all for different purposes! I find as I am getting older, I don’t recover as fast from crashes. Best to slow down! Trail running is the perfect substitute!
January 23, 2017 at 4:15 am
Trail running indeed is the perfect substitute! 🙂