SCALPEL!!!

The scene opens in the operating room.  A surgeon is working on the lower legs of a young man.

Doctor: NURSE, I need the scalpel!
Nurse: Right away doctor.  Here.
Doctor:  Thank you.  More suction.
Nurse:  Suction.
Doctor:  Scissors!
Nurse:  Scissors.
Doctor:  Ok, I've almost got it.  Just a little more and the muscle will be gone.
Nurse:  You've detached the upper tendon.  Be careful of the lower ligaments.
Doctor: Ah, yes.  There we go.  One more snip...  Just have to keep from clipping any of the ankle's ligaments and we're good.  Viola!  Do we have a pan for this?
Nurse:  Yes, right here.
Doctor:  Very good.  Now let me just sew this guys legs back up and we're good to go. 


I'm just about ready to ask a doctor to remove my tibialis anterior.  It's not necessary, right?  It's just there to annoy run-a-muck runners.  That's right...

Shin Splints Strike Again!

I knew I had them when I went out today, but I was hopeful that an extra long warm up and some stretching would diminish them so I could run.  Wrong!  Of course, it would only be helpful if my legs did what they were supposed to (according to my version of reality); we wouldn't want that! 

Since meeting with Mona (Chelsea's aunt) to try and figure out why my shins are hurting, I thought it might be my lack of a warm up and subsequently running with tight calves and hamstrings.  My warms ups have helped make my legs feel more relaxed prior to a run, but the splints still came back.

While my previous bet as to the culprit (my shoes) still stands, the fact that I had splints last fall with my old New Balance shoes puts a hole in that theory.  Therefore, I'm left with the idea of needing MORE of a warmup and stretching, the fact that I run mostly on roads/sidewalks, running too much too soon, my form (though Mona said it looked fine), or something else I haven't thought of.  After an extended walk today and short bursts of a light jogging pace, my next target to knock off my list is the road.  I'll check out some parks and see if they're clear enough to run at.  Maybe some softer (more forgiving) terrain will help.

Questions

1.  Has anyone else dealt with recurring shin splints?
Please tell me I'm not the only one (lie to me if you have to).

2.  Any other thoughts on possible causes?  I'm open to ANY suggestions no matter how off-the-wall.
Icing helps with the pain, but they don't go away.  I'm doing exercises to strengthen the muscle, but I know that will take time (if that's even the issue).


Stay fit.  Stay healthy.

Sunday Rest

Hey guys and gals!  Today is my rest day, which I am honestly finding it harder and harder to take, but I guess it's "necessary" so I force it. 

If you didn't see yesterday's post HERE, I am still looking for help with the shin splints.  I spent a lot of time reading up on it (again) today and I've got a few ideas as well as a friend willing to let me borrow his running shoes to compare.  However, I'm always willing to listen to more advice. 

I wrote about shin splints in the past, HERE, so I must have had them more than I can remember.  (It's nice to be able to forget the bad moments in some ways).  I'll be updating this previous entry in the next week or so with what new ideas and approaches I've found, used, or have been told of.  Hopefully I'll find something that will make this my last real entry on the topic (*crossing fingers*).

Again, thank you for the help!

On a related note, during yesterday's run, I tested out running with my hydration pack.  As I mentioned before, I have a high sweat rate, so once I get up to marathon distance run training (I'm guessing in about a month and a half) I am going to need to carry water with me on runs.  Since I am not a fan of holding a water bottle in my hand or the fuel belt bottles, I figured the hydration pack is my next option.  I know a few people who use it in that way, so I tried it (this time without water in it).  At first, it was annoying.  I could hear my keys jingling and the straps were a bit restrictive, but once I was a mile or two in, the only complaint would be it made me sweat more.  I can't say what adding water in it will change, but it remains a possibility for my longer runs thus far.  

Switching gears, like to take a second and thank Austin over at Enjoy The Ride for being such an awesome example of the triathlon family.  He held a quick little giveaway a bit ago and I was lucky enough to get a profile design aero water bottle from him.

 It even came with some AUTHENTIC New Orleans Mardi Gras beads, which he explains in his post HERE are now littered all over the streets he runs on now.  But this way he gets to spread the joy and clean up his running routes all at once. 

 Yes, I need to shave.  But it's my rest day, so I was lazy.  

So a big THANK YOU goes out to him for helping support newcomers to the sport and being so generous!  I guess now is when I should start looking at some aero bars for my bike, huh? 


Lastly, since I've been encouraging food posts, I figured I'd share my own meal.  In between writing yesterday's post I made asparagus, rice, and Swai (a fish very similar to Tilapia).  I boil the asparagus in water (the tops cook faster, so add the bottoms first), remove the water, fry them for a couple minutes, melt butter over them, and sprinkle on parmesan cheese.  The rice was the lazy Rice-A-Roni (just follow the directions).  The Swai I pan fry on medium heat for about a couple minutes per side with a light sprinkle of Cajun seasoning.

I've become quite a fan of Swai, so I tend to have some on hand most days.  It's even cheaper than Tilapia!


Questions:
1.  On your rest days, do you struggle withe the urge to workout or is it a relief to not have to?
Working out is my form of destressing and I genuinely enjoy the post-workout soreness, so I find it hard to take a full day and purposefully avoid the gym

2.  For those of you who bring water with you on runs, how do you do so?  
I've never carried water with me on runs, so I'm open to any ideas or thoughts on your experiences

3.  What are you looking forward to this week?
I'm looking forward to a full week of workouts and no required rest until next Sunday.  Yay!!


Stay fit.  Stay healthy.  

Runners! Please Help Me!

I am officially asking for the advice and help of any runner out there.  As of about 6:00pm EST, I decided I could not deal with my recurrent shin splints anymore.  I need your help figuring how how to fix this!

I headed out of the apartment at 5:45pm for a 4-6 mile run and 100 feet down the road, my shins were already in pain.  What does that tell you?  You need to rest and take the day off.  What did I do?  I continued on and ran 4.26 miles through the constant pain.  

I sometimes wonder about where I fall in the realm of sanity.  On the up side, I sure can put up with pain come race day.  I just hope I end up making it to that day. 

Anyways, I am asking anyone with the slightest bit of information (trivial, basic, advanced, or anything inbetween), to let me know what can cause shin splints and how to avoid and/or treat them. 


I seem to come down with shin splints every other week or even every week and I am at a loss as to what is causing it.  Ok, that's not true.  My personal guess is that it is my shoes, but I have no conclusive evidence so I don't want to place blame without reason.  I am going to try and borrow someone else's running shoes for a test, but until then I can't say anything. 

Here are the facts...
1.  I have recurring shin splints.  I can't seem to go a week or two without having them.
2.  I spend a lot of focus making sure I am landing flat footed and not heal striking (though I have not video taped myself to verify).  It has seemed to help, but obviously not enough. 
3.  I run 2-4 miles a day four to five days a week
4.  I rarely stretch prior to a run; only if my muscles are noticeably tight.
5.  I stretch after a run about half of the time; I know I should do it more though.
6.  At this point I don't do any interval, speed, or hill work, just building up distance so far.
7.  I bought a new pair of Asics at the end of December.  They are much stiffer than I was used to.  They are supposed to correct my slight overprotonation. 
8.  In training for my half-marathon last October, I don't recall this continual issue.  I had splints every so often, but not this repetitive.  I was also able to run 8-10 miles at a time with no issue. 
9.  For treatment, I use both ice and heat; ice if just one.  Lately it seems biking (even right after a painful run) can dramatically remove any pain. 
10.  I've been running 12+ miles a week for 5 weeks and haven't increased distance OR frequency much. 
11.  This IS the first time I've trained in the cold.  Does that have a differential effect?
12.  My run paths have slight hills, but nothing major.
13.  When I run outdoors, it is on sidewalks and road.  The trails are not open yet to run on. 
14.  I seem to get the shin splints whether I run on a treadmill or outdoors. 


If there is anything else you think might be relevant, but I haven't included here, let me know.  I'll add it as soon as I know what you need to know.

I am being extremely serious.  Tell me the most basic thing you know, even if you think I already know it.  This is my first real year training as a runner and I will certainly not admit any high level of knowledge.  I have so much more running in my future and I don't want something so simple to ruin me.  If I can't figure it out in a week or two, I might just look for a professional running coach. 

Please, and Thank You!

I hope your training is going better than my own!

Stay fit.  Stay healthy. 

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Today was my day off, but I decided that the weather was so nice that I should go do some hiking.  I started hiking a lot this past Spring, but stopped when I got into triathlons in June.  So I headed out to Penwood State Park in Simsbury, CT and that certainly was not the smartest idea I've had.  haha

I walked a total of about 3.6 miles; the yellow trail up to Lake Louise and then back south down the Metacomet (blue) trail.  By the time I was up to Lake Loise, my left big toe was already beginning to bother me.  I opted to head back to the car instead of continuing on up the orange trail.  Thank God I did that because not more than 5 minutes onto the blue trail, my toe REALLY started bothering me.  It may feel ok during gym workouts and walking around in short bursts, but I can't walk that far all at one time.

Stupid is as stupid does, but at least stupid learns.  I noticed something while walking.  The shin splint in my right leg started bothering me at one point and I realized that I was leaning on that foot.  My curiosity led me to remember that the majority of times I end up with shin splints, they are only in my right foot, rarely my left.  Therefore, I am wondering if I run unbalanced; do I lean on my right foot for some reason or do I tend to let my right foot hit harder than my left?  I'll have to keep an eye out for that when I get back out on the road.

After getting back home I checked out the toe and some blood is back underneath the nail; not the best sign.  It's really small, but I'll be staying away from extended walking for awhile.  Let this be a lesson if even just to myself - if you push yourself to the point of injury, it better be worth the recovery time.

Back to the gym tomorrow.  Ciao!