Bummer!

As you might already know, I have been having all kinds of lower leg pain for the past couple of months. In May, I did what I always do when I begin to feel shin splints - I bought new shoes. In the past, that normally solves the problem and I can run pain free once more. This time, the pain just kept getting worse.

I know shin splints aren't terribly serious, but they hurt like hell and can make a run pure torture! Well, I finally broke down and saw a dr today. Her advice....no running for a minimum of FIVE DAYS! Okay, so it could be worse, but that seems like a lifetime to me. Especially when the mileage is increasing so quickly (8 miles last week, 10 this week, 12 next week!) Doesn't she know I am in training???? Doesn't she know how much I enjoy eating my WW "activity points"???

I had never seen this particular Dr before, but I really liked her (despite her advice). She asked lots of questions and I felt that she was actually listening to me. (I've had several experiences with drs lately where I felt like my visit was a total waste of time.) And, she is also a runner, which is a plus. She was very nice about the news and gave me the "I know you don't want to hear this..." speech. She said she wanted to be aggressive about getting the inflammation down, so she prescribed a super, duper anti-inflammatory and gave me some print-outs of info about shin splints. I am supposed to ice for 20 minutes every 3-4 hours (or as close to that as possible). After a few days of that, I am supposed to add some stretches to the routine. After 5 days, she said to try to run a short, easy run. If I feel pain, I am supposed to call her and let her know. If there's no pain, I can gradually add more running.

Honestly, I went in knowing exactly what my diagnosis was. I just wanted reassurance that there wasn't a stress fracture or anything. It's amazing what medical information you can find on the internet, because even the information she gave me looked vaguely familar. (Hmmm...do you think one day we won't even need drs for our little aches and pains?) I also knew that the best cure would be rest, but I just needed a "professional" to tell me. That, and I didn't want to give myself permission to not run. I could totally disregard her advice and run anyway, but deep down, I know it's what's best. I could not run for 5 days now and finish training for Chicago with fewer aches and pains. Or, I could push myself to run anyway and risk making things worse and not being able to run Chicago at all. The choice is obvious.

So...no 10-miler tomorrow and no 5K on the 4th. Guess I better dust off my pilates and buns od steel dvds for now. And, since I don't have to get up at 5 am tomorrow morning to run, I am doing what normal people do on Friday nights....I am having a big glass of wine! Pino Grigio...it's all I have in the house at the moment, but it is quite yummy!

Drink, ummm, I mean Run long and Livestrong!