The Other Woman
Here she is. Very refined and well mannered. Much more so than I. (I'm talking about the bike!) She is a Giant OCR c3 dressed in (my favorite!) nude carbon fiber! It was love at first sight. The geometry is pretty relaxed, which I'm thinking will suit my cycling needs long after I'm done with triathlons. And even though I am a little stretched out when in the aero position, I'm very comfortable. She doesn't have a name... maybe someday.
Today was suppose to be my "mental" run. This 10 mile run was not necessarily to build fitness and endurance, but just to prove to myself that I could do it. I was looking forward to the discomfort, knowing that afterward, another milestone would be accomplished.
After my swim on Friday, I felt that old and too often present, stabbing pain in the front of my right shin. I've felt this pain on and off ever since spraining my ankle last year. (The two are probably not related.) My self diagnosis has always been that I am on the verge of developing shin splints, which could really put a damper on my races this summer. Several days rest has always seemed to resolve the problem.
So here I am, with a painful shin, and a 10 mile run planned. And not just any ten mile run, but The One that would prove that I can measure up. While the run was as important to me as any paid race would have been, I chose to DNS... that would be, Did Not Start.
I know it was the smart decision, but it just drives me Crazy to not be able to do this run. My overly orderly Virgo mind had this one planned and written in the training log, exactly two weeks prior to the Coeur d' Alene Half Marathon. Perfect timing for some confidence building, some recovery and then the real test. I think the thing to do now is just bag it, heal for a few more days, and be happy with some 5 or 6 mile runs, alternating between road and treadmill.
Any advice from anyone regarding care and feeding of a nagging shin? (Besides not to up your mileage too fast. I would Never do that!) :-P
posted by Barb at 5:51 PM
7 Comments:
Nice post !
Barb, did you put the tri bars on yourself? I assume it didnt come with the bike. Are they actually considered "tri bars" or "aero bars" (i don't know if there is any real difference. or whether "shorties" are along the same lines.)
Ok, the shin thing. I am no expert here, but I have known shin splints alot. I got them all the damn time when I first started running.
First rule is the 10% rule. Don't increase your total mileage by more than 10% per week. We all fudge it a little, and I did for the jump from 9 to 12, but its generally not a good idea.
Secodnd, I think you are almost making it worse for yourself by spending your runs on treadmills. While running on a treadmill is a great way to recover from shin splints, you may not be giving your body enough time on the actual road to acclimate, such that when you do take to the actual streets, your body just isn't used to the pounding. I'd say try not to be all or nothing treadmill. You might want to use now as a time to ease yourself off the treadmill more gradually. So go back to the amount you were on the treadmill and then slowly take some miles from that run and add them (per week) into an outdoor run, so that you are incrementally increasing your bodys acclimation to the road. You can't expect that because you can do 5 miles on a treadmill that your legs are conditioned for 5 miles on pavement. I remember having that problem when I first tried to transition from treadmills to outdoors many many years ago, which created shin splints aplenty for me. (which later turned into a stress fracture because i am an idiot and thought i would run through it.)
how many weeks until the half?
also, heating pad on your shins at night helps alot.
The Half is in two weeks. I;ll be walking a portion of it, and while it will be a long one for me, it will be my one and only long run of the year. (It was my gift to myself for "walking" Bloomsday with my friend.) I'll be going slow, and I think a realistic goal is about 2:30.
If I can get through this run, I'll be back to 6 miles or less for the rest of the year. I think I'll only be doing Sprints this year, so short runs with speed work will be on the menu.
Ok... I'm going to try just running on the road, just short 3-4 milers and see how the shin feels. It felt fine after the 7.5 and 6.5 milers, and I only get a twinge of pain here and there... so there is hope of getting through the half if I take it easy now.
I had the LBS put them on when I bought the bike.. traded the Shimano clipless pedals for bars. They are really easy to install. They are an inexpensive Profile Design aero bar. I think "mini's" aren't suppose to extend beyond the shifters?
I Love the aero position! I get another 1-1 1/2 mph in that position. Took me some time to find a saddle that was comfy in both the upright and aero position, but I think I've got one now that works well.
A friend of mine didn't have time for longer runs while training for a half marathon so she just stuck to a 6 mile loop that had two big hills.... she ran 3-4 times/week at various tempos and never went longer - and PRed her half marathon. While it's good to have the LSD built into your training, it's not necessarily required.
I like to mix up my running between treadmill, dirt/gravel trails, grass and pavement. That seems to provide enough variation to keep things equally stressed/strong. Also, another friend of mine learned from her soccer coach that if, after every run, you lie on your back with your legs straight up in the air and "write" each letter of the alphabet with your toes, you'll go a long way to warding off shin splints. I myself find that dixie cups with ice massaged up and down my shins after running works wonders... hang in there!!!
"...looking forward to the discomfort..." Wow!! you are an ironwoman! I hope someday I can write those words, and mean them!
I think you were very smart to DNS.
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