Training Update: Shin Splints!

Well, unfortunately, I’ve gotten one of the most common runner’s injuries… SHIN SPLINTS!  Have any of you had these?  They suck!  I have been training really well for the past month, but every run has just been painful.  The bottom halves of my legs just hurt really bad during every run.  I’m almost at a shuffling pace just trying to get through the run.

At first, I thought that maybe I was just sore from picking up my pace a bit and then I thought that maybe I was just still really out of shape and I just had to get through this hump, but the past few runs have been excruciating! I finally decided, it may be something more serious and I should get it checked out, so I did.

This next week, I can’t run at all (which is sad, because I was planning on doing a 10K this weekend), so I’m icing and stretching THREE times a day!  Then next Tuesday, I can try to run ONE mile… did you read that correctly? ONE MILE! at a very slow pace (12:00-15:00 minute pace!) around the TRACK (not outside in the beautiful weather… but INSIDE, on the track!)  Then Wednesday, I will do stretches and icing again, then if I’m feeling ok, I can try the mile again on Thursday and build my way up from there.

There are a few reasons why I probably got shin splints.  First, I haven’t been stretching enough, so I’m upping my stretching, even when my shin splints go away, I’ll try to stretch every morning and night and before and after every run.  I also think I pushed myself too hard there for a while, increasing my running because I was running with a more advanced group than myself, and so I pushed myself really hard to keep up with them.  Thirdly, I have been taking Tennis at school and I never bought real tennis shoes, I’ve been wearing my old running shoes, and I think that may have something to do with it, so this weekend when I go home, I’m DEFINITELY buying a pair of tennis shoes so I can get back on the tennis court and get back to my running!

This is my inspiring picture! I have this picture frame that holds 3 pictures and it’s from the first race I ever did.  One picture is me running to the finish line, the other is my race bib, and the last one is the one below with the two people I did the race with, my now boyfriend and my best friend!! That was such a great time in my life because I had become a runner and I felt empowered, so when I’m trying to get back in the spirit, I look at this picture and think to myself that I can get back to that point where I loved running and I looked good doing it! haha So I wanted to share the picture of me and my friends and show you what my inspiration is to get to healing and to continue bettering myself and my health! 🙂  Happy Wednesday everyone!!