Just what I needed

Yesterday's run (or as John called it "nice, leisurely jog") went really, really well. We're in the middle of a cold front so I decided to forgo the treadmill and take my chances on the 3 mile loop around the apartment. John went with me for moral support and when we headed out after dinner it was a blissful 68 degrees. I wore my compression sleeve and set off with the mindset that I was just going to take it easy, enjoy the night, and not have any expectations. I took it as a good sign that the first song to play on my ipod was Led Zepplin's "Fool in the Rain" which is my un-official theme song for White Rock.

My shin was a little bit sore when we started running but I don't know if it really was more painful than normal or if I was just hyper-aware of looking out for any little twinge. I tried to relax an just listen to the music and before I knew it we were rounding the halfway curve (which incidentally is the same spot two weeks ago where I started bawling my eyes out). I took a moment to appreciate the fact that I wasn't crying and continued grooving on through the rest of the run. Although we were running at what sometimes felt like a ridiculously slow pace we ended up finishing the loop in 28 minutes. I was pretty dang happy with that. We came back home and I did some stretching, albeit probably not as much as I should have, and iced my shin. I had forgotten to put my gel packs back in the freezer before we left so I ended up using a bag of carrots (that we ate for dinner tonight) and a bag of strawberries. I think I got the same effect and the dog was desperately sniffing around my legs the whole time!

I'm still feeling pretty good today, a little soreness but again I think it may just be because I am obsessing about it. The weather is gorgeous and I really want to run again tonight so but I am trying hard to stick to the only running every other day schedule so I am doing some reading instead. I'm still trying to remain cautiously optimistic about the whole thing but it felt so. dang. good. to be out there running again last night! Here's hoping I can continue to heal and have many more good runs in the future!

1 day!

I get to try running again tomorrow! I'm really excited to get back out there but also nervous about re-injuring my shins. The plan for tomorrow is an easy (tentative) 30 minute run to see how it goes. I'm trying not to set any goals for tomorrow other than just listening to my body and obeying what it is trying to tell me. If it starts to hurt I will stop and (try to ) not be disappointed. I'm switching to a less intense training program and starting at the beginning instead of just picking up where I left off when I got hurt. I also plan on not running on consecutive days, using my compression sleeves, and continuing to ice my legs like a crazy person. Tonight I am relaxing, reading, and being cautiously optimistic about tomorrow. I really hope it goes well and am open to any and all suggestions from any runners out there!

As an aside, we went to happy hour for dinner tonight and I definitely ate something called "the big, fat frank". I didn't even come close to eating it all but felt like if I had, I should have earned a t-shirt and a picture on the wall. It was that good...and that disgusting : )

2 days

I can run again in 2 days. I'm super nervous/ excited. But mostly excited :o)

sad news confession

Shin Splints.

Super Suck.

So I've avoided posting about running for a while because it's been pretty depressing :o(. Last Saturday I did a 10 mile long run around White Rock lake and it went really well (side note: I visited my first ever port-o-potty that day and I must say, it was surprisingly roomy on the inside. Who knew?). My left shin was twinging a bit at the beginning but a few miles in I stopped noticing it and finished strong. I purposely tried to keep my pace slower and ended up still finishing faster than I needed to (abot 9:20 miles when my long run pace should be around 10:00). I felt great when I finished, came home and took some Advil, iced my legs, and enjoyed a delish brunch at Barbec's with John and Meg. I then proceeded to have a fantastic Labor Day weekend and did not run again until Tuesday night. My shins were a little sore but I decided to head out and do the 3 mile loop around the apartment with John. My shins were screaming when we started but I thought they would stop hurting after a warm up. I was waaaaay wrong. About a mile and a half in it literally felt like my legs were going to break at my shins. And it was both of them, not just my left one. We stopped running and I literally cried in the Tom Thumb parking lot. I haven't run since then, just been doing some Bikram and today I hit up the elliptical in the gym.

So, I'm kind of at a loss. I was really into training for this marathon and doing well at aiming for my time goal. It's only three weeks into training so at this point, I'm not sure how this injury will effect everything. I emailed a friend of mine in Houston who is a physical therapist to see if she can help. I had knee problems back before the half and she fixed me right up so hopefully we can take care of my shins as well. As of right now, I'm just planning on taking about 2 weeks off to let my shins heal and then ease back into the training program, likely starting at the beginning again. I'm hoping I can still run the marathon (I've already paid for it, taken vacation days off from work and told everyone I know they have to coe to Dallas on 12/13 to watch) but I will likely stop focusing on the time so much. I think at this point my goal really should just be that when the time comes I am healthy enough to run it. And like my ever-so-supportive husband keeps reminding me, it's not like this is the last marathon I will ever want to run.

So that's the whole dirty and depressing story. Injuries are so disappointing. As a silver lining, I'm hoping that when I am healthy again and am feeling like I just don't want to run, I will remember back to this feeling of really wishing I could get out there and not being able to. Here's hoping I won't have to spend too much time on the sidelines.

epic fail

so the four margaritas followed by the two I-don't-even-know-what's last night do not bode well for marathon training. especially when there are 8 miles and a Bikram class slated for today. definite fail. i think it's time for better choices.