Shin Splints Again

Wednesday, August 14, 2013:

Or not - I’m not sure. Last night something happened in my sleep, and I woke with a pain in the right tibia, maybe three inches below the top of the bone and at least an inch toward the medial side. Location is approximate, because the pain is internal to the bone and cannot be located by palpation. The pain is significant, even causing me to limp a little at first, though it got better.

Oddly, though, it doesn’t hurt to run, leading me to suspect that this injury is not the same as the one which I first noticed on July 10, though it does seem to be in the same place. Anyway I ran 3 miles in 34:48 for a pace of 11:34. I’m a little surprised that the pace wasn’t better, because I did run up most of the hills, but of course I also walked down the other side of them.

Whining: None during the run - only the shin splints before and after.

Tuesday, August 13:

Five-mile Recovery Run. I determined to take it easy and almost did so, but I felt great so I did run up a lot of the hills. 5.2 miles in one hour and six seconds, for a pace of 11:33.

Sunday, August 11:

Half Marathon Run. This is officially a "long run" for me. Our next marathon race is eight weeks away, so it’s time to build up to a 20 mile long run. 13 miles today, 15 next week, you get the picture. Running in the morning is just wonderful these days, usually about 60 degrees, and today was no exception. I ran one loop of 6.88 miles and another of 6.33. I carried water, and took two Clif Shot gels along the way.

I am SO impressed by the boost that the gels gave me. I use the mocha flavor with 50 mg of caffeine, and that combination really helped today. 13.2 miles in 2:30:52, pace 11:26, a bit faster than last week’s 11-mile run. I doubt I could have kept the same pace going for another half marathon, but if I could it would be very close to a 5-hour marathon, on a rather difficult, hilly, grass/dirt/sand trail.

Whining: The left-foot sprain, right-leg shin splints, and right-knee PFS all showed up, but only briefly. Most of the time the run was pain-free and very enjoyable.

Friday, August 9:
 
Thirty-mile Week. We were in the park again today, where I ran four miles in about 45 minutes. I didn’t record the time, so it’s a guess. No problems. I ran into Mike the park director and we had a short chat. He convinced me that the sand the is on the trails in spots is natural, a result of erosion. The soil is very sandy, and I suppose the dirt part just washes away, leaving the sand, or vice-versa.

Thursday, August 8:

Five Miles in the Sun, 58:51, pace 11:19.

Wednesday, August 7:

Tartan Terrible 2013. I run this funny little 4.3-mile race every year. It’s sort of a steeplechase-ish race, over hill and dale, mostly trails, some smooth and some rough, even through a water hazard. I don’t know why I like it, but I do. About sixty runners this year, raising a little money for the 3M Club Running Club. This year I ran/walked a 60/20 ratio and finished in 46:25 or so, about 40 seconds slower than last year. The race was almost that much longer, though, with the finish line moved a couple of hundred feet, and I was particularly careful to avoid injury this year, so maybe I wasn’t really any slower. But I wasn’t any faster, either.

Whining: Zip. Pace was 10:48.

Tuesday, August 6:

Two days after the 11-mile run we went back to the park, where I ran 5.05 miles in 1:11:37, for a pace of 11:50. Good enough. No whining to speak of.