Shin Splints

I mentioned in my last post that I got really bad anterior shin splints in my right leg. But after more research, thinking that it wasn't a normal shin splint, I believe I may have injured by extensor digitorum longus. This is the muscle that helps you push off the ground with your feet. So when I walk or run and my foot comes off the round, the outside of my shin below my knee is where all the pain is. The best way to describe where is hurts is if you point your toes, which flexes your calf muscle and the shin muscles, the area below your knee on the outside of your leg that bulges out, is what hurts.

I didn't run for over a week to let it heal. I took an Aleve when I woke up and before I went to bed to be sure I had constant anti-inflammatory. Every other day before bed I would soak in a hot bath with Epson Salt. During the day when I'd get off work I would elevate my leg on some pillows and put ice on it for about 20 minutes. This helped it a ton!

Yesterday, I noticed my leg felt the best since the injury. So I decided to test it out and went for an easy run. I taped my leg to be sure I wouldn't overdue it. I taped it using the Anterior Method B, but only used two strips across my leg instead of three. I made sure to have the upper part end over on the side where my leg hurts the most rather than end in the front.

I didn't want to overdue it, so I went about 5.5 mph for a little over 3 miles. The last .5 mile was starting to be a little painful so I walked it. Immediately after getting home I stretched the muscles as usual, then elevated it and iced it. Before bed I did a Epson Salt bath then had my boyfriend massage my leg. I woke up expecting all sorts of pain, and to my surprise, hardly anything. I'm still babying it and will take today off as I usually do on Mondays. If tomorrow goes well (cross your fingers), I want to give it another shot :)

Only 89 days left until my first half marathon!!!!

Carlsbad Half Marathon

A couple weeks ago, I decided that I need a goal to look forward to. Something that will challenge me, make me feel better about myself, and will relieve the stress of my busy life. Years ago I used to be a sprinter, and loved the idea of racing and competing, and most of all I loved how my body looked and felt. So I decided to register for the Carlsbad Half Marathon. I figured it would push me to work out and also give me something to look forward to. I did some research online as to what would be a good training schedule and came up with something that would easily work with my schedule.

I also got excited once I officially registered, so I went out and bought some cool gadgets and new shoes. I went to the Carlsbad Runner's World store to check out shoes and do a fitting. After looking at their pricing, I knew I could find something cheaper. So after I found out what shoe fit best, I went home and looked online. I came across runningwarehouse.com that has a great selection with very good pricing. Besides the pricing, there are several things that I like about their website that made me comfortable with going through them of all the other places online. They have this "shoefitr" that compares shoes on fit. So since I went to Runner's World and found the perfect shoe, I was able to not only find it there, but also use the "shoefitr" to see what other shoes would fit the same way to see what all my options were across all brands. I also liked their return policy in case I didn't like what I bought. Did I mention free shipping? They also include a UPS return label in case you want to return it, which is great so I wouldn't have to pay for shipping for returns.

I ended up purchasing the shoe that I found at Roadrunner, Asics Gen Neo33 in the purple and hot pink (which Runner's World didn't carry this color). The price from Roadrunner was on sale for $74.96 and Running Warehouse was $79.96 before tax. But I got a Running Warehouse 10% off discount code from runblogger.com so the price came out to 71.96. You're probably thinking "so what's $3, big whoop!" But the color at Roadrunner for this shoe only came in the black and purple...and I don't like black running shoes for many reasons. So I got a little off, plus the color I wanted. I also bought a phone arm band holder thing so I wouldn't have to keep carrying my phone while I ran. I got one for $32 but it was the nice one that fits any phone, has a protection cover in case it rains, and also a secret pouch to put your keys in. BUT, I got to use the 10% off for that as well. It only took a couple days for my entire order to ship to me. So it was totally worth it!

Here's what I got:

These shoes are awesome!! I love them love 'em love 'em! Within the first week of having them, I put on 19 miles, and my feet did not kill me! No blisters, no rubbing, no discomfort. The arm band thing is great too and works over the plastic protector.

After a great experience altogether, I wanted to get a lighter shoe for the actual half marathon. The Neo33s are great, but I don't know how it'll be once I get to over 10 mile runs since they are 10 oz. So I went back to Running Warehouse and found a racing shoe meant for half marathons and marathons and found a shoe that matched up with the fit of the Neo33. I found New Balance WR1400 which only weigh 5 oz. The "shoefitr" said it would fit perfect and even converted the size that would fit best based upon the Neo33s I have. I wore a 7.5 in the Neo33s and 8.5 in the WR1400s. So I bought em! Here's how cute they are:

Sooooo after I ordered them and was waiting anxiously to get them in the mail, four days ago I overexerted my anterior muscle in my shin. It feels like shin splints x 5. Ouch!! So I haven't ran in 5 days!! Ahhhh! Going from 5 days a week training to no training has really been a biotch! I'm so pissed because I finally got these cute babies in the mail and I can even test them out :(

Anyways I'm recovering and just waiting to get back on the road/trail.

xoxo Britney