2 x 15 min. at threshold

? miles
Med- 30 min.
Felt like (1-10): 6.5

Tuesday track workout. Shins are still bothering me, but not as much as before. Still going to the chiropractor. I think it's helping. I was able to do the whole workout without walking. I'm hoping eventually my shins will stop bothering me all together. Felt good to finally have that heart rate up continuously though. It's been a while.

San Marcos Trails

? miles
Hard-2 hours
Felt like (1-10): 6.5

Forgot to post yesterday so this is for Saturdays long run. Beautiful run. The weather was perfect, cold but sunny. The rain from the day before made everything felt clean and the scenery wonderful to look at. When I read "trail" I was assuming we would be running on dirt so I put on old shoes. It was really just asphalt through the canyons, almost like miramar lake, but a different scene. I even saw a mini waterfall rapid! It was nice to listen to. We were right up against the green hills in San Marcos. They are nice trails for the people who live there. I would have really been able to enjoy it if I could run the whole way. The orthodics DID help but I dont think Im completely better yet. I have another appointment tomorrow. This so sucks. My lungs havent had a good quality workout in weeks.

Orthotics?

? miles
Track run, run for 5 min, 30 sec breaks in between
Felt like (1-10): 6

So I went to a chiropractor today. He advertises himself as a running doctor. He did just check out my problem leg and I felt good about his explanation of orthotics. So I have flat feet. The pain on my leg corresponds to the overpronating of my foot. I got some things to put into my shoes and best part is that my insurance covers everything. Yay. I dont have a copay and they cover a good amount on orthotics.

Ran around the track for the Tuesday workout. My first time with those things in my shoes. It was weird. I still felt the pain in my leg but hopefully itll go away now that I have it somewhat corrected. I just have not had a good quality workout in a while and I miss running where I actually get tired. My legs need to work so I can go faster!

1.5 hour run Mission Bay

? miles
Med- 1.5 hr
Felt like (1-10): 6

Yup...still not feeling good. I have a doctors appointment to get checked out Monday, so we will see if things improve next week. I took it easy and walked when I had too. Felt better the last half when I met Nikki who helped me push farther than I had planned. Overall, I'm glad I got it done one way or another cuz I still need to run.

8 x 400's + calisthenics

2 miles
Med- 30 min.
Felt like (1-10): 6

1 lap around the track, then do an exercise x 8. Continuous movement and heart rate up. Good track workout... not so good on my left leg. bleh. Went slow and easy even though we were supposed to be on anaerobic threshold. I gotta get my left ankle, shin, and knee checked out.

First run in a week!

3 miles
Easy-45 min
Felt like (1-10): 6

Man that was tough. I'm talking about running yesterday...I just forgot to post. I kept putting it off and putting it off all week to run. That was horrible, but I also wasn't feeling well. I finally called uyen up, and we made plans to run sunday morning at Miramar lake. It already got pretty hot at 8am, which made it tougher. My shins and knees were feeling it. I made the decision that I couldn't wait anymore to get new shoes. So we headed over to Road Runner Sports afterwards and I got new shoes! yippee! I hope that helps, otherwise it might be time to schedule a consultation with a foot or running doctor to make sure things are ok. I feel like I've run enough for my shins to not be a problem cuz I remember them being a problem in the beginning way back in 2006. Then they got strong but recently it's like i'm a newbie again. ehhhh.

Surf City 5k

I look outside right now, and it's a gorgeous beautiful sunny day. Saturday was quite the same. Yesterday, sunday...was the complete opposite! What a crazy run that was. There were enough crazy people who showed up so the event went on. I could hear the rain all night. I got detoured as I was heading over to Huntington from Long Beach (from Ana and Nelson's place..Thanks guys!). Had to find the 405 freeway and take the longer route...my original plan was just to take PCH all the way...so I was fortunate to have left so early so I could account for the rain and detour. I was not at all prepared. I didn't have a trash bag or poncho or rain gear like everyone else. I was wearing my normal skort and running tech tee. It was freezing and windy. The things I do for a surfboard medal..i tell ya! haha. The wet look is not a good look on me. I don't like how my shirt stuck to my body. Huntington Beach is sooo pretty. Going to the expo saturday really showed that off. If the weather is sunny, I'd really like to do the half marathon next year. All those people who ran in the rain for the full and half marathon are brave!

As soon as I got over the coldness and I could feel my blood flowing in the first mile, things were ok. At the turn around, however, it was a head on wind. That really slowed me down. Rain and wind is no fun. My chip time for this 5k was 39:04 with a 12:35 min/mile pace. My worst time yet. Oh well. I'm sooo happy Ana and Nelson met me at the finish. They took pictures! I never had candid pictures and friends (who didn't run) watch me cross the finish line! That was sooo cool.

I thought I didn't get a good PR for the Super Run 10k but I checked my official chip time results and I actually did PR. woohoo! 10k time: 1:11:51 and pace: 11:34 min/mile.

South Shores Super Run 10k

6 miles
Med- 1 hr 13 min
Felt like (1-10): 7

My felt like rating would be much higher except for what happened when I was picking up my shirt and bag before the race. If you're going to volunteer, please have a good attitude about it. Don't be rude to people trying pick up their stuff. He pretty much soured my morning. I politely asked if there were bags, because gee sometimes there aren't and by the way he turned away from me, I almost walked away thinking they were only handing out shirts. He snapped back with a "Can you wait?" in a mean tone. That pissed me off because I wasn't being impatient or asking him to hurry up. I simply asked if he was handing out bags as well. Grrrrrrrr.

Anyways..the run itself was fine. The first half was tough because of my shins. I thought I picked it up in the 2nd half as I was passing people and I felt like my stride was stronger, but I pretty much kept the same pace as the first half. Go figure. I didn't set any PR's..it was pretty much the same as my best time. Oh well. Nothing else about the run stands out. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's 5k in Huntington Beach...it's all about that surf board medal baby!

WebMD article on shin splits

Treating and Preventing Shin Splints

Shin splints can be caused by sudden increases in mileage, walking uphill, overtraining, walking faster than normal, jumping, running stairs, or just too much distance. They can occur on the medial, or inside of the shin, or on the lateral, or outside of your shin. Medial shin splints are usually caused by excessive pronation or flat feet, and often by pounding from running, or sports like tennis, volleyball, and other weight-bearing activities. If you have medial shin splints and flat feet or excessive pronation, an orthotic device or over-the-counter arch support like Powerfeet or Spenco can sometimes be helpful. Make sure it's a full-length insert.

Lateral shin splints (sometimes called anterior shin splints) are usually due to overuse and inflammation of the anterior tibialis muscle and the muscle compartment in the front of the leg, along the outside front of your shin. The anterior tibialis muscle flexes your foot upward. People frequently get anterior shin splints from the repetition of flexing the muscle. For instance, on the treadmill, if you walk fast enough, and for long enough, or if you've suddenly increased the speed, or you're walking on an elevation, the muscle gets overworked and starts to cramp. It would be like doing hundreds of biceps curls until your arm started to cramp. Plus, on the treadmill, there's no letup since the mill just keeps going. You could potentially have the same problem if you walked or ran briskly outdoors for a long period of time at a speed faster than you're used to.

Treatment for shin splints includes rest, massage, ice, stretching, and strengthening. Rest and ice is sometimes the best treatment. You should also be stretching your calves and Achilles tendon real well. If you have the problem during running or walking, try warming up more and don't increase the speed too quickly. You can also try varying the speed and elevation of the treadmill if you use one instead of keeping it the same.

To stretch your calves:

1. Lean against a wall with one leg forward and the knee bent.
2. Keep the rear leg straight, heel on the floor.
3. Keep your back straight and lean your hips forward until you feel a stretch in your calf. If you don't feel it too much, put your toe of the rear leg up on a tree limb, or a dumbbell, or any other small object, so that you bend the ankle more. Your heel always remains on the floor. That will increase the stretch.
4. To stretch the soleus muscle and Achilles (very important for shin splints), do the same calf stretch but bend the back knee slightly and you will feel the pull on your Achilles tendon.

When you stretch, make sure to hold the stretch until you feel looser and not just for 10-15 seconds. The point to stretching is to stretch the muscle, so hold it until you feel stretched.

Also make sure your shoes are sturdy and give you lots of support, particularly in the arch. If your shins hurt you should gently massage them and then ice them after you work out.

Published Jan. 26, 2004.