I said a week or two ago that I was in two minds about whether I should keep running or take another lay off to rest and recover from my ongoing shin splint troubles. I decided on giving myself three weeks to see if I could shake of the shin splints with some light running over short distances, in addition to my ongoing stretching.
This last week the shin made my mind up for me and now I'm facing the reality of another lay off. This time I'm thinking I'll just take an extended break of maybe six to eight weeks rest, while at the same time continuing with other forms of cross training and strengthening work to hopefully enable me to come back fitter and stronger.
The week started with a 7.7 km (4.8 mile) easy run at around 5:30 pace. Right from early on the shin was feeling a little sorer than it has been in the recent outings. The other common nuisance of mine, the numb foot, also reappeared at about the 30 minute stage again to add to my problems.
Two days later I was taking to the roads again, but I pulled the pin within minutes as the shin was just too sore. I could not imagine that I would be doing myself any favours by continuing on. I new then and there that my time was up and that I would again be confined to the pool or the bike.
I need to figure out some sort of training routine over the next few days or week, that will get me back onto the roads by September. As much as I find swimming to be a drag, I'll fit in one swim a week, one session aqua running, one or two bike rides. I would also like to start some weight training again (weights have been sitting untouched in the garage for months). I keep reading that Yoga is good for assisting runners with their flexibility, so I need to look into that as well.
On the family front, we have all been crook this weekend, Jack as had a cold for several days now, then yesterday Sam , Michelle and I all come down with a stomach bug. Fortunately while we were still not 100% today the worst is over.
It also seems to be the season for birthday parties. I took Sam to a friends 4th birthday this morning and Jack to his mate's 6th birthday this afternoon. Next weekend they are both off to another party each. Theirs come up in July and August and the planning has already started. A bouncy castle on the front lawn apparently?
Jack's soccer is going well. The team has a record from their eight games so far this season of two wins, three draws and four losses. Yesterdays result was a 0-1 loss with the opposition scoring in the final minute of the game. Our team is a mixture of kids who have good amount of skill to those that just want to get their foot on the ball no matter what direction it goes, to some that show little interest and spend half the game in a day dream. Jack is not our most skilled player, but he tries hard and he enjoys it. The challenge is to get the kids to play in some sort of formation and think about playing as a team and looking for a fellow team member to pass to if they are in a better position. We keep on practicing this and slowly we are getting there.
Finally, well done to the Canadian Rugby team who put on a brave showing against the All Blacks last night in Hamilton. The All Blacks were the victors by 64-13 but given many in the media were predicting a 100 point spread Canada did well to limit it to half that.
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Running Shin Splints
Sunday, 17 June 2007
Facing Reality, Kids Soccer, Well done Canada
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8 comments:
Sorry to hear about the continued shin problems. I hope you can find a routine that works in the meantime.
hope a nice rest will do the trick.
That must be frustrating Bruce. Having a plan will help the running comeback when it happens. Lots of low HR cross-training would be helpful.
woohoo all blacks!
hang in there with the shins. the rest is smart and the cross training you've listed will keep you fit and continue to work some of the same muscle groups. good to hear that you're planning some aqua-jogging...that's exactly what i was thinking before i read what you'd had planned.
good luck!
It's a hard decision, but from the pain you've had it looks like the right one. Hope you find some cross training you can live with, I hated cycling!
All the best to the family in getting over the bugs.
Andy
Getting the kids to play as a team is the tough part; although they do eventually get it.
Best of luck with shins. In the mean time, keep the cardio-vascular system in shape with other aerobic exercise (biking, swiming, eliptical, etc). I know it's frustrating, but you'll get there.
bounce house rocks!!!!!!
cross training will be your best friend in the coming weeks. and when you can bget back into running you'll think, gee this is soooo easy :)
have fun with the break from running!
Glad they put on a good show! Must be tough to get trounced like that at that level. Glad to see you're coping with not running for a bit. Take care.
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