Still holding on

So far so good. I successfully completed 3 runs last week, pain free!! We continued running along the grassy section of the Waterfront, to be safe, but upped our mileage to ~3 miles/run. Here’s a quick recap:

Monday
2.91 miles
10:52 min/mi

Tuesday
3.01 miles
11:28 min/mi (not sure about this one…outlier!)

Wednesday
3.15 miles
10:41 min/mi

As you can see, not only did the distance increase, but so did the pace! It didn’t even feel like I was pushing it too far or too fast, but I still tried to hold back, a little…kinda. I didn’t experience any calf cramping this week, but I did experience a tiny, itty-bitty bit of “sensitivity” in my shin yesterday during work, but before we even ran. It was weird. It didn’t hurt when I was weight bearing. It only hurt when I was sitting down. I hadn’t run since Wednesday (a day and a half previously), so it didn’t seem to be connected to my running. It wasn’t a full on “pain”, either, it was just a mini-ache. Weird. It didn’t bother me really at all during yesterday’s run. About halfway through I felt…something…in my shins, but it didn’t get any worse, and I don’t feel it today, so I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.

That’s what I’ve noticed. I’ve been benched for so long with this stupid self-inflicted injury, that I read into any little tweak as potential injury. I got shin splints from over-doing it and pushing through the pain for 2 weeks. I’m a very goal driven person. I was 2 weeks from finishing this 10-week-plan and 2 weeks from my very first official running race. I was so focused on finishing the ride, that I didn’t stop and take care of myself. It is infinitely more idiotic since I should know better. I mean I’m a PT for goodness sakes!

I am definitely going to try to be smarter now. Any real pain (“bad” pain) and it is an automatic 2 day rest and a prescription for ice. Random knee pain during the middle of the run that goes away after half-a-mile, yeah, not “bad” pain, just weird (random yesterday’s-run happenstance). I just need to be better about listening to my body, and not pushing myself beyond my own limits.

So, now that I have a plan…You (Who? J? I realize no one else is reading this. ;) may have noticed some additions to the race calendar. Next Sunday, is, of course, the Shamrock Run. Originally, I was planning on running the 8K race, increasing our distance, trying something new, but we all know I don’t have the base for that, so 5K it is!

One month after Shamrock, there is a local run that looks really fun. (aka Beer at the end, you will soon notice a trend!) Bridge to Brews can be either an 8K or a 10K. I will try to decide on the distance once I successfully complete the Shamrock run. Successful completion = Pain-free. Once that has been accomplished, we’ll sign up for our April race.

Yesterday, at dinner, J and I started eyeballing something a little bigger, and I’m not talking about our meal. I’m talking about a Half Marathon. Before my shin splint set-back, I had already been contemplating this possibility, with the same race actually. The Helvetia Half is scheduled in June. I found a 10 week plan (which I hope we can successfully complete) that would have us start our Half Marathon training on April 5th. The schedule seems do-able. (That’s what she said?) Of course it’s hard to estimate what will be or won’t be “do-able” in the future, but I really think we can do it. And worse case scenario, Helvetia Half is supposed to be a great marathon for walkers as well. And the Drop Top 10K is run right alongside the Half, and both races end with a nice brew (see!) and a burger. And to top it all off (enough with the “ands!”) Drop Top is our favorite beer! How could we not participate in some way!

Thus far, the half is still tentative. First and foremost, I have to be successful with the upcoming Shamrock 5K. Once that happens, we’ll start really planning on these races (i.e.. signing up!) Today we had our packet/shirt pick-up. (By signing up with a large team we each saved $5 on registration; WIN!) I’m really excited (and not just about the beer at the end! I <3 beer!)

So far so good

*fingers crossed*

I ran 3 days last week, all over 2 miles, and no worse for the wear! (YAY!) Here's a wrap-up:

Monday
2.2 miles
11:59 min/mi

Tuesday
2.19 miles
12:20 min/mi

Wednesday
2.52 miles
11:40 min/mi

The paces are pretty slow, but I'm trying to hold back a little, so I don't injure myself. I'm trying to build up the miles to at least 3 at a time, then I'll hopefully be able to pick up the pace. (I also like to blame the pace on the fact that we're running on muddy grass :P)

I've kept up with my post-run ritual (pictures to follow at the end of the post, please excuse my pastiness), and it seems to be holding me together, pretty well (*fingers crossed*).

Step 1: Stretch calves with a straight knee, towel roll to add more stretch.


Step 2: Arch supported soleus stretch (knee bent).


Step 3: Roll out my calves, one leg at a time.


Step 4: Roll out my inner-calves.

Slow progress

Well, its been awhile. Ok, 1 week, but still, I've got some catching up to do...Let's see. Last I checked in was a week ago today, when I experienced only minimal pain during my run. Well I noticed on Tuesday that I had some lingering pain, so we took Wednesday off (which worked out ok, since we were fasting anyway) and started up again on Friday. Friday was even more pain-less than Monday. There may have been a few twinges, but overall, it was the least amount of pain I can remember having during a run. We managed 1.93 miles, at an unknown pace. (I forgot to stop my watch...Oops!) So, slowly, but surely I am upping the length of my runs!

The weather here has been amazing over the past week. There's been clear skies and it's been pretty warm (60° in February is warm!). It has been so nice, in fact, that trees have begun blossoming...It's only February guys! J and I took advantage of the weather on Saturday and went exploring further into Forest Park. There were a lot of people out enjoying the weather on the trails that day. It was kind of fun to people watch while climbing through the trees.

I completed my second relatively pain-free run today. I wouldn't say my calves/shins felt "painful", they just felt "tight". We've kept to the grass along the waterfront and today completed 2.20 miles at about a 12:00 min/mi pace. I've been purposely keeping it pretty slow to ease my lower legs into running again, hopefully a little better than I did before.

I've really been babying the lower legs after each run (and after the hike on Saturday). I start by going through my Yoga stretches. Since I've been having so much trouble with my shins, I have added some calf stretches to the end of this routine. I stretch 2x on each leg with a towel roll under my arch for at least 30 seconds. I stretch a little bit with the knee extended, but then focus on stretching with my knee bent as well. I am starting to believe that this muscle (namely the soleus muscle) is what has been giving me the most trouble. Since I've begun focusing on stretching this way, I've noticed a lot of improvement in pain. I've read out in the internet world that they believe the soleus is one of the muscles most culpable for shin splints, and thus far it appears to be the biggest troublemaker in my case.

The culprit. Soleus. Look at him, just sitting there behind the Gastroc all nonchalantly. "Who me?"


After I am all stretched out, I get the foam roller out and roll out my calves. I start by rolling on the back of each calve (one at a time) than turn my leg inward to roll out the innermost calf/shin, where I've had the most tightness and pain over the course of my injury.

After the foam roller, I rub out my shins (over the bone in front as well as the innermost portion) to try and keep my muscles from forming knots and causing pain. After all the torture, I reward my shins with ice (20 minutes for each leg). After the ice, I'm done. So far (you know...the last 4 days) it's been working pretty well for me. We'll see how my legs feel going into Wednesday's run. (I'm hoping I continue to be pain-free, and am able to complete the planned run!)

**After reading through all that, I notice that it may be easier to understand what I am doing if I post pictures vs. write out confusing directions. I'll try to have J take pics of my hot legs when I go through my routine next, so I can post them to lessen the confusing words...***

In other news, we have officially signed up for our second 5K, at the Shamrock Run! Originally, I had wanted to run the 8K, but since we haven't been able to up our mileage thus far, we're sticking with the 5K. Hopefully my legs continue to feel ok, and we can go for a PR! *Fingers crossed!*

Hesitant return

Well (knock on wood!) I think I am easing back into the running game. Friday we started with an EASY run along the grass at the waterfront. We went 1.79 miles at a whopping 13:03 pace. It was slow, but my shins felt ok during the run, and more importantly, ok the day after the run. They didn't exactly feel great or even pain-free, but they do appear to be much better than they were before the hiatus.

We ran again today (Monday) with similar results, at a slightly quicker pace (1.84 miles, 11:21 pace). Again, not quite pain-free but pretty close, and we did a lot of walking afterward without any increase in pain, so I'm hopeful this will keep up! (*fingers crossed*)

I've formulated a new post-run ritual: 1) rub out my inner shin muscles (which always seem to bunch up terribly, but may actually be getting better...wishful thinking?) 2) ice! Thus far this has helped immensely, hopefully the results continue!

In other news, we had a 25% off coupon at a local running store (Fit Right NW), and we made good use out of it. (Well I did at least...) First, I got some new capri pants (Adidas Supernova Glide 3/4 Tights). I have a pair of running pants (they're probably more yoga pants, really) that I've used up until this point, but I wanted something tighter that would stop dragging along the ground behind me. I tried on some full running tights, but they seemed a bit too warm for the weather at this point, so I held off on purchasing them for now.



I also got 2 new pairs of shorts (Nike Tempo Track Shorts and Puma shorts in Kelly Green that I can't find anywhere online). I didn't previously own any "running" shorts, so I was wanting to stock up in preparation for warmer weather.

I tried to find a top to buy, too, but I couldn't find anything that drew my interest, so that will have to wait for another day.

I'm really looking forward to trying out my new gear on Wednesday, and I'm very hopeful that my shins will continue to hold out. I'm going to continue at this distance and pace through Friday, and if my shins continue to be symptoms free, we'll start increasing the distance next week. Here's hoping my plans work out!

Sidelined

Well, week one of "Operation Fix Shins" is over. That means I have (at least) one week left. So far, my shins don't seem to be much better. For the first part of the week, I was starting to think that I may have caused myself some stress fractures, which I was none too pleased about... But I decided to try massaging the posterior tibialis muscles, and I found both sets to be quite tender and bumpy! I worked them out quite a bit on Wednesday and Thursday. I also had J work on both sets of calves. (Those guys were also quite tender and bumpy!)

I had been good about taking ibuprofen and wearing my orthotics, but I stopped doing both by the middle of the week. I stopped taking the ibuprofen since it inhibits bone healing. This became important, not only as I grew more and more concerned about stress fractures, but because I'm pretty sure the damage is at the muscle to bone interface. I stopped wearing the orthotics because I was getting sore from wearing them. It might have been too much, too soon, as far as they go. I'm still wearing them in my rain boots, when walking around town. My work shoes are easy spirits, so they are fairly supportive and comfortable throughout the day.

I continued the cross-training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Monday and Friday were done on the recumbent bike. Unfortunately, on Wednesday, some lady was on the recumbent bike...forever. So I attempted the elliptical trainer. I was afraid...of gravity. This was the day I was most worried about possibly having stress fractures. My shins didn't really hurt too bad, but there were definite twinges. I ended up stopping only about 25 minutes in because I was so worried I might be causing more damage. Tuesday, Thursday, and today (Saturday) we continued with our strength training: planks, wall sits, hip abduction (leg lifts in sidelying), hip extension (leg lifts while prone), and the 100 Pushup Challenge. Here's the stat wrap up:

Monday:
10.1 miles, 16-17 mph averaged over middle 30 minutes

Wednesday:
25 minutes on the elliptical (Blech!)

Friday:
10.7 miles, 17 mph averaged over middle 30 minutes

The running break will continue through at least Thursday. If I'm still feeling twinges then, I will extend the break at least another week. :( I hope I don't feel any twinges...

M.I.A.

And not just from blogging. As if not blogging for 10 days weren't enough, I haven't run since the 5K. I feel lazy. I feel like I'm missing out. I just started to like running, and now I have to stop? You may have surmised by now that my shins have not improved. Not that the past week or so hasn't been productive.

Last Thursday we flew down to sunny (and hot!) Southern California (Huntington Beach, not Disneyland) to visit J's family. We haven't seen them in a few months, and it was too expensive to fly during the holidays, so this was our "Holiday" in more ways than one! :)

We flew back into town on Monday, the same day J's brother and girlfriend flew into Portland for a visit and to see the sights! We took them to Powells (multiple times!), Kells, Multnomah Falls, Widmer Brothers Brewery, Bridgeport Brewery, Voodoo Donuts, Pioneer Square, The Waterfront, Pizza Schmizza, and Deschutes Brewery. Are you noticing a theme? In case you haven't guessed, I love beer. Beer and food. And over the past week we have gorged on both! That, in addition to my running-less-ness has left me feeling...lazy.

So now that the "Holiday" is over, we will slowly be easing back into our good eating habits...next week... ;) Also, we're planning on making some fairly large purchases this weekend (drum roll, please!).....NEW RUNNING SHOES!! We determined this was necessary when the one attempt we made at running last Saturday (when we were still down in Cali, for those of you keeping track!) was a disaster. I made it about 50 feet before I quit. My shins hurt really bad. And J wasn't doing much better (stupid knees) so we walked for 30 minutes and called it a day (exercise-wise anyway). And thus, we made an executive decision; to purchase new running shoes! I'm hoping and praying this purchase will be the answer to my running prayers! (Please, oh, please!!!)

If all goes according to my dastardly plans, we will be hitting the road next Monday, back on the right track (oh, puns!) I'll try to update after our (hopefully) "epic" purchases. (I hope it's a good experience.)

Below are some pictures taken during my brother in law + gf's trip; indiscreetly stolen from gf's Facebook...oops!:

Pioneer Square
Powell's Books
Multnomah Falls
Voodoo Donuts

Cross Training...?

Although my legs felt ok during the First Run, afterward they felt a little less than pleasant. In fact, the next couple of days my lower legs were quite sore. Even today, 4 days after the run, my legs were somewhat painful to walk on, let alone run on. So, I've decided to take it easy this week. I don't really want to, but I do want to run pain-free. And I want to run pain-free without having to take an extended break due to stress fractures. (I'm paranoid!)

So today, I've started "cross training" (well...sort of). The recumbent bike...yeah. Not really my favorite thing in the world. Pretty boring, and way tough on my legs. As with running, I've never really been very good on the bike. I would even say I'm worse at the bike then I am with running; especially now! But after the first 20 minutes, the burning started to dissipate. I managed to stay over 16 mph, but boy did my butt hurt! (from the seat...)

5 minute Warm Up
30 minutes at 16+ mph
5 minute Cool Down

I plan on doing about the same thing on Wednesday. Thursday we're flying down to Orange County to visit J's family, which should be fun! I really wanted to run while we're down there, and I'm not counting it out! Friday will be 1 week since the run; maybe my shins will be all healed and stuff! Maybe... :(

Week 10: Run 2

Run 30 minutes

Run stats:
Distance: 2.50 miles
Pace: 12:00/mile

Run Review: Well, we will never run on treadmills again. I hate treadmills!! (and so does J) My lower legs never warmed up. My run never felt "right". And it was sooo boring. I like talking to J during our run; that's one of the best parts! While on the treadmill, there's no way we could talk (way too loud).

Anyway, my shins kinda hurt. Honestly...they've kinda hurt since Monday's run. I've been icing them 3x/day and stretching my calves like crazy! But now they kinda hurt when I'm walking; not a lot, but its definitely there.

So here's the plan. I'm running the 5K tomorrow. It will be fine. I hope. If it doesn't go well, I'm taking at least a week off from running. I'll elliptical or bike for a week. I'm totally bummed as I'm sure that is how it's gonna go. I love running so much now. I don't want to stop. I feel like I just started! But I don't want a stress fracture (or two), because then I would be out for even longer (and I'm sure have worse pain!)

On a brighter note...I'm running a 5K tomorrow! My first 5K! Here are my goals:

1. Primary Goal: Finish (this one I just added due to my "injury")
2. Secondary Goal: Run the whole way (this used to be my "primary" goal)
3. Secret Goal: Finish in close to 30 minutes (this one seems to be less realistic than a week ago...)

Anyway I'll update hopefully tomorrow (well sometime on New Year's Day, we are running at midnight tomorrow). I was unable to post the pictures I promised last night because it took me 5 hours to get home from work last night (yes, 12 whole miles! Portland snow storm :) so I went to bed almost immediately when I got home. My goal for the new year, post some pics!

Week 10: Run 1

Run 30 minutes

Run stats:
Distance: 2.71 miles
Pace: 11:05/mile

Run Review: @#!@&!!!!! That's what I was muttering under my breath pretty much every step of this run, plus the walk home. This was definitely the worst run ever. Was it the distance? I mean 30 minutes of running straight without walking can be intimidating... NOPE! That was the least of my problems.

My shins hurt SOOOO bad. They can typically be a little sore when we start up, but within 2 minutes, everything is usually warmed up. Not this time. They hurt THE WHOLE TIME!! In fact, the pain may have even gotten worse! I was so angry and frustrated. I want to run this 5K on Friday so bad. I ran through the pain, which was probably stupid of me, but I just want to keep running. I'm a PT, I should be telling myself to stop so I don't hurt myself worse, and have to take even more time off!

So what went wrong? Here's a list I made in my head while trying to distract myself from the horrendous pain:

1. Lack of ice for my shins over the weekend.
2. Lack of stretching my calves over several weeks.
3. Five+ hour car ride. We got back about 30 minutes before we went out for the run.
4. Fast food for lunch. We hadn't eaten anything all day, except from the drive-thru.
5. Inadequate water. Does Dr. Pepper count?
6. Christmas Treats.

I took an ice bath after the run because my entire right leg was painful (my hip as well as my shin). This helped to at least numb the pain. The worst part of the bath was getting in. After I was in about 30 seconds, though, the burning from the ice went away. I had to keep my toes out, though. They just can't handle that kind of cold for some reason.

My leg soreness (except my shin pain) is much better today, so the ice bath probably helped that. My shins were still really sore when I woke up. I iced them before I headed into work, and I managed to rub out most of the soreness using soft tissue mobilization techniques (boy were my shins lumpy!) I'm also planning on icing during lunch (with the ice massage technique) and when I get home tonight. I'm also gonna have J massage my calves, so they loosen up a bit (which I think will help my shins, too).

At this point, I'm still gun-ho about running the 5K on Friday. I hope to feel better during my run on Wednesday, so that I don't feel guilty about running my 5K. Regardless, I'll probably take it easy next week, and see if I can't get my shins to calm down a bit. I might also see if we can run on some better surfaces. Maybe concrete wasn't the BEST choice... :(

P.S. On a brighter note, we took some pictures of where we ran last Saturday, so I'll try to put those up while I'm icing my shins tonight!

Week 7: Run 2

Run 9 minutes
Walk 1 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.59 miles
Pace: 11:35/mile

Run Review: I felt good! Maybe it helped that it was 26°, and I couldn't feel my extremities. Whatever it was, I had so much fun, and so did J.

Confession: I have a bit of a confession....So you know how my "calves" have been hurting for awhile. Well, I'm pretty sure it's actually "shin splints". Yes, the dreaded Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome. I denied the truth for awhile, but after my shins was "burning" after the run on Monday, I was kind of clued in. I've been ice massaging them for the last 2 days, and stretching my calves like crazy. For today's run, I stretched my calves beforehand (and afterward!), and also taped my arches to prevent overpronation (which I'm not entirely positive I do). This seemed to stave off any pain (although it was really cold out there...).

I really don't want to stop running now. We've just gotten into such a good flow, and I'm afraid we'll never get back into the groove if we stop now. So the plan is to keep plugging along, and keep stretching my calves!!!