So it’s been 11 days since i went on a run... which feels like an eternity to me. And if you think that’s dramatic... just wait. After my marathon i took a whole week off from running. That’s right. A WHOLE 7 day’s! What?!
So i started back in my running routine slowly. 2 miles here 3 miles there. Slow and easy. After about 2 weeks of that boring crap, i figured it would be a good idea to start working on shaving time off my mile splits (how fast i run each mile). I started jumping back up in mileage to about 8-10 mile runs once a week. I was feeling awesome. Legs were great and times were surprisingly great. It was actually easier than i thought to get those times down. Since I was feeling good, i figured my legs were fine. I took rest days still (if you knew me growing up you know this is a huge deal). I set out for a 6 mile run about 3 weeks ago. At mile 4 my shin suddenly started to hurt but i was already almost done with my run so i kept going. I finished the run and rested for 2 days. No running. Something just didn’t feel right. But I couldn’t handle not running. Then I started back on my same ole routine the next week. Each time I ran, the pain in my shin would start sooner and sooner. Fast forward to 11 days ago when i couldnt even run a mile. If I’m being honest, the pain struck at a quarter of a mile, but i thought i could run through it for at least 2 miles. I was WAY wrong.
I’ve always been a runner so shin splints are nothing new to me. I’ve had shin splints more times than i can even remember. This pain was something else. Nothing I’ve ever felt before. I thought maybe i was just getting shin splints in a weird place. I googled my symptoms (i know i know. Worst thing someone could do) and i found that everything i read pointed toward a stress fracture. Which sucks because i have two races ( 5k and half marathon) coming up in the very near future that i can’t participate in now. (Well I’m going to walk the 5k but walking a half is just ridiculous for me)
Long story short, i get it checked out and it is, indeed, a stress fracture. BUT the good news is I listened to my body and rested instead of trying to push through the pain. For me, pushing through pain is something I’ve always done. I couldn’t stand sitting on the side lines or missing a day of workouts/runs. I thought if I took time off to rest i was just getting weaker. Which is probably why i broke my neck 4 years ago but that story is for another day.
Seriously though, the most important thing we can do as athletes, runners, cyclists, human beings is to listen to our bodies when something doesn’t feel right. Rest does NOT make you weak. It does NOT set you back. It does NOT mean you are a quitter. It DOES mean that you care more about your own well-being than you do your ego. Because quality of life is WAY more important than getting the extra run in or that extra lift in or that extra yoga session in. When our bodies are telling us to rest, they aren’t kidding. They don’t even know how to kid?
And the ONLY reason I’m able to rationally say this is because Chris once told me (when i broke my neck and tried to go back to working out too soon) that holding our kids should be more important than trying to go back to working out before I was ready. Or something along those lines. And that was before kids were even a thought. That was four years ago when i thought i was invinceable. And I’m SO glad he was reasonable enough to say that to me. I have never forgotten that lesson. My quality of life consists of my family and being able to play with my son. And if that means taking a few weeks off from running so i don’t have to try chasing Caden around on crutches then that’s what I have to do. Besides, toddlers are way too fast to chase on crutches. Dammit.
So i started back in my running routine slowly. 2 miles here 3 miles there. Slow and easy. After about 2 weeks of that boring crap, i figured it would be a good idea to start working on shaving time off my mile splits (how fast i run each mile). I started jumping back up in mileage to about 8-10 mile runs once a week. I was feeling awesome. Legs were great and times were surprisingly great. It was actually easier than i thought to get those times down. Since I was feeling good, i figured my legs were fine. I took rest days still (if you knew me growing up you know this is a huge deal). I set out for a 6 mile run about 3 weeks ago. At mile 4 my shin suddenly started to hurt but i was already almost done with my run so i kept going. I finished the run and rested for 2 days. No running. Something just didn’t feel right. But I couldn’t handle not running. Then I started back on my same ole routine the next week. Each time I ran, the pain in my shin would start sooner and sooner. Fast forward to 11 days ago when i couldnt even run a mile. If I’m being honest, the pain struck at a quarter of a mile, but i thought i could run through it for at least 2 miles. I was WAY wrong.
I’ve always been a runner so shin splints are nothing new to me. I’ve had shin splints more times than i can even remember. This pain was something else. Nothing I’ve ever felt before. I thought maybe i was just getting shin splints in a weird place. I googled my symptoms (i know i know. Worst thing someone could do) and i found that everything i read pointed toward a stress fracture. Which sucks because i have two races ( 5k and half marathon) coming up in the very near future that i can’t participate in now. (Well I’m going to walk the 5k but walking a half is just ridiculous for me)
Long story short, i get it checked out and it is, indeed, a stress fracture. BUT the good news is I listened to my body and rested instead of trying to push through the pain. For me, pushing through pain is something I’ve always done. I couldn’t stand sitting on the side lines or missing a day of workouts/runs. I thought if I took time off to rest i was just getting weaker. Which is probably why i broke my neck 4 years ago but that story is for another day.
Seriously though, the most important thing we can do as athletes, runners, cyclists, human beings is to listen to our bodies when something doesn’t feel right. Rest does NOT make you weak. It does NOT set you back. It does NOT mean you are a quitter. It DOES mean that you care more about your own well-being than you do your ego. Because quality of life is WAY more important than getting the extra run in or that extra lift in or that extra yoga session in. When our bodies are telling us to rest, they aren’t kidding. They don’t even know how to kid?
And the ONLY reason I’m able to rationally say this is because Chris once told me (when i broke my neck and tried to go back to working out too soon) that holding our kids should be more important than trying to go back to working out before I was ready. Or something along those lines. And that was before kids were even a thought. That was four years ago when i thought i was invinceable. And I’m SO glad he was reasonable enough to say that to me. I have never forgotten that lesson. My quality of life consists of my family and being able to play with my son. And if that means taking a few weeks off from running so i don’t have to try chasing Caden around on crutches then that’s what I have to do. Besides, toddlers are way too fast to chase on crutches. Dammit.
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