Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Shin splints

So apparently I have developed shin splints. I'm just assuming that's what it is, I've never had them before. Now I don't want to be overly dramatic and say that the pain is crippling or anthing, but, it hurts really bad! It feels like my freakin' tibia is going to snap in half. They do feel better as I run, but it takes a while. I ran 10 on Saturday and it took the whole first half for them to loosen up, and I ran 3 last night and they never did. Sigh.

I dont know what I did to cause this, I haven't really been doing anything that different. Unless the bit of lifting I've been doing has been enough to jack me up. It shouldnt be an overuse injury, because I haven't gotten my mileage back up very high yet. But it's not like I took a major break from running either. So who knows.

I guess the best treatment for it is rest. Well, I have a marathon coming up in a month, so I dont really have time for much rest. So I guess I will just have to ice after I run. Does anybody have any other tricks to help this feel better?

While reading fellow running blogger Oz Runner's latest post, I was reminded that I need to get a light for ET next month. They say you are required to run with a flash light or head lamp, and I know I'm not going to want to carry a flashlight in my hand for 26 miles. So I need to look into getting a head lamp. I am really looking forward to this race, it should be a total blast. I mean, when else do you get to run through the high desert in the middle of the night and watch the sun come up? Probably never! So it should be a good experience. One month from today!

Speaking of which, I asked Eladio what I should do about my long runs, since I'm following a training plan for Chicago which only gets me up to 18 miles before ET. He said I should be fine with that being my longest run. I dont know if I believe him. Seems like I should get up to at least 20! But he's the expert, so I'll trust him on this one. And I'm not planning to run it for time, so I should be fine.

5 comments:

Chic Runner said...

Ugh! I hate shin splints and I'm sorry you are experiencing that. They are such a downer. I hope you feel better soon and resting does help a ton!

Kim said...

How many miles do you have on your shoes? That would be my first guess. When my body starts hurting, that's the first place I look.

Your marathon looks soooo fun! I want to go!

And 18 miles for your longest run before ET will be just fine. Trust your coach!

Sarah said...

Other than the shoes being the problem, have you been running a lot on the same paths in the same direction? I've found that the trail I run on has a slight bank to it--nothing I even really noticed--but then after running a lot of miles in the same direction I started having some joint problems. Once I switched it up every once in a while it helped.
It could be the running surface, too. If you can run on a softer surface that could help out.

To help treat in high school we would ice, massage the area, and do a lot of heel raises and heel drops to make sure the calves and achilles were well stretched.

Hope you feel better soon!

Simone said...

Hi There,

I was doing a search for shin splints through blogs because I want to see how other women are getting over them. I rested my legs for literally one month (only swimming for exercise) and they still aren't gone. So I am desperate now to figure out how to get rid of them...let me know how it goes. My e-mail address is simone.drucker@gmail.com

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