Monday, April 16, 2007
Difficult Choice
Andy and I decided not to run the Santa Cruz Half Marathon next weekend. Though we've been putting in quite a few miles, we've run only one 10 mile run a couple of weeks ago, and nothing of any distance since. Lack of preparation alone would probably not have stopped us, but in addition, the shin splint in my left leg has been threatening for the past week, and Andy's ankles have been acting up as well. Yesterday, on a 6 mile run through the park to the beach, the pain in my shin grew from a dull ache to a sharper nagging. The pain eventually went away, but it eased the decision not to run the half next week. While we had both looked forward to the race, we had to admit that at this point, we would be lucky to finish, and that's not the kind of running I like to do. I'm going to continue to run easy this week, then work toward building a more consistent base of medium long runs (10-12 mile distances). There are still something like 13 weeks until the marathon -- plenty of time.
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7 comments:
Sorry you won't be able to run the half marathon. That must of been a hard decision. I hope your shin heals quickly! Dixie cups filled with ice and frozen peas used to be a staple in my house for the shins. Take care!
That's a tough decision to make. When you plan on an event, then have to back off. Even if you have good reasons, it still feels like you're letting yourself down.
I'm also struggling with whether or not to do the next ride in the local brevet series this Sunday. It's 100km longer than the last one and I don't know if I can "fake" my way through this one too. I've only DNF'ed once a couple years ago and hope I never do it again. Like you, my training mileage hasn't been up to snuff quite enough for the magnitude of the event. Tough decisions--but it sounds like YOU made a wise choice.
Shin splints and sore ankels are often caused by ramping up mileage too quickly. They can also be caused by suddenly jacking up your speed. Finally, shin splints can be caused by over-pronation. If you haven't had your shoes fitted at a running shoe speciality store, you should. If your're wearing worn out shoes, or the wrong type of shoe, your running mechanics could be leading to the problem. This is very easy to fix with the right shoe.
Good luck.
Ohhh, bummer!
I have to say, shin splints started to kick my butt around mile 11... and became a real reason to slow things down thereafter. It's probably a wise idea that you skip that race, and just keep preparing for the final goal.
Thanks for the email by the way!
xo
C
i won't be running EITHER! and i just told everyone to cheer for you this weekend!!
it must be something in the air around here!
rest up, and heal up chica. you have the right attitude about running smart.
Shin splints suck! Bummer you won't be able to make the 1/2 marathon. Ice those suckers down and take some anti-inflammatories. Best of luck.
Sorry to read about the shins. I know that pain well too. You've made the right decision though as you can pay the price later by not to not listening to the body now. I'm another fan of iceing them plus make sure you're doing some regular stretching.
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