I have done a number of runs in the Orem/Lindon foothills on the side of the mouth of Provo Canyon, but not much on the south side of the canyon mouth. I remedied that this last week with 2 runs.

Starting at the Indian Hills trailhead I headed up the first mile climb and then another couple miles along the BST that travers up-canyon. The was ice in a few spots, but not bad.  It felt great to be out. Once I turned around, my right IT Band flared up pretty quick and didn’t let up – getting especially bad on the last mile descent.  More time on I the foam roller, I guess. Lots of tread mill.  No hills.

On Saturday I planned to try out my new snowshoes for the first time up at Aspen Grove, if the snow was deep enough.  Unfortunately, the anyone road was closed.  About 10-15 minutes earlier, a oil tanker overturned, spilling 1,000 gallons of crude oil into the Provo a River. Very sad.  Nobody was hurt. I’m glad I wasn’t a few minutes earlier or I could have been in the middle of it.

I wasn’t planning to run because of my knee, but decided to give it a try. I ran up the Sq*** Peak Road a bit, then dropped onto the Cactus Hill Connector and then to the top of Cactus Hill. The trail was untouched by human feet until the top of the hill.  Just animal tracks on about 2 inches of fresh snow. So perfect.  Down the west side of the hill there were a bunch of tracks from earlier in the morning, but once I headed back up canyon on the Smith Ditch a then BST I had taken on Monday, it was fresh tracked again. So beautiful. I bombed back down the road to my car.  The knee felt *ok and it was so fun to be out on the fresh snow.  But, for the next bit I need to keep it flat. Treadmill, I assume.