Ok... I bonked on my run yesterday!

Murdog

Hey everybody. I went out for my four miler yesterday. Going out, everything felt pretty good--controling my breathing; keeping my pace controled. I just used my first mile as my warm-up; then stopped and stretched out for a little bit, then cranked it back up.

However, in the middle of mile two, the muscle in my left shin felt really tight. It felt like I had done a 100 or so foot lifts--or something like that!!! It was only my left, my right felt strong. This really jacked with my form. It forced me to tighten my shoulders, and I just couldn't focus. But, me being the eternal stubborn one, I kept at it. The body of the run was decent for me. But the last mile, I hit a wall. My time for mile four was 2 minutes slower than my fastest time.

I finished the run, but it hurt bad. I thought it was that the temp was around 67 or so--some 20 degrees warmer than on my last run two days ago. I figured I needed to compensate for that. However, when I checked my heart rate it was at 156. My HR for my last run was around 170, and I felt stronger! What the heck, man!?

It just seems like I just lost it mentally, y'know? But, I'd like some input from anyone willing to share some wisdom.

Thanks much!

mlv333

Sounds like the infamous wretched chin splint. It's going to stick around for sometime, and you have to run through it. It sucks to put it plainly. The only stretch that remotely helped me was pointing my toes. The good news is after this is over you probably won't ever feel it again, and they probably will be over in a short 1-2 runs. I can't explain why, but everyone I know has only experienced them once. So just take it slow and steady. Be mindful of your form, try not to drag your leg like I'm sure you want to. Good luck!

AnneElise

Had you had enough water? Usually if I get leg pains like the one you described on my runs I havn't had enough water...

mlv333

BTW, I can't spell to save my life. shin not chin......Geesh

Murdog

Ok, everybody. Thanks so much for the imput.

-AnneElise, y'know--I had about 20--30oz. of water yesterday. Probably not enough.

-mlv333, I've fell on my 'chin' a couple of times--didn't feel good.:noway:

Thanks again, y'all. Have a good day.

ldarter

As a former marathon runner I can tell you that bad running days are just a fact of the runner's life. Everyone, even elite runners have them. There isn't really any way to know why they happen because they may result from so many factors. I had days where I really felt strong and motivated only to have a horrible run. And I also had days when I didn't even want to run but forced myself out the door and had one of the best runs ever. The great thing about running is that the longer you are a runner the fewer of those bad days you have. That for me was a good motivator to continue. Anyway, put that one behind you as I'm sure your next run will be great.

AwMyLoLo

As a former marathon runner I can tell you that bad running days are just a fact of the runner's life. Everyone, even elite runners have them. There isn't really any way to know why they happen because they may result from so many factors. I had days where I really felt strong and motivated only to have a horrible run. And I also had days when I didn't even want to run but forced myself out the door and had one of the best runs ever. The great thing about running is that the longer you are a runner the fewer of those bad days you have. That for me was a good motivator to continue. Anyway, put that one behind you as I'm sure your next run will be great.

That's nice advice.

And about shin splints, if you are running quite a bit like you seem to be doing you will probably continue to have shin splints. I had them all through 5 years of track. Try writing the alphabet with your toes every day. Balance on one leg and lift the other up off the floor a little bit and imagine you are writing each letter of the alphabet with your toe, switch and do the other leg. This will stretch and strengthen the muscle. ICE, ICE, ICE!! I used to stand in the ice tub for 20 minutes every day after track and usually iced more when I got home. I would make large ice packs and saran wrap them to my legs so I didn't have to just sit around while icing. 20 min on 20 min off. I am trying to become a runner again and actually look forward to icing... I'm weird. :happy: