Dealing with shin splints

Just got back to NYU from an 8 mile run. I ran out to West Side Highway, then up the runners' path to the middle of Trump's condo towers on the West Side, where the path is then underneath the beginning of the Hudson River Parkway, then came back downtown. I cut down through the village via West 4th street, which beginnins by intersection West 14th, then West 12th, etc. Odd way to have a street. This is the first time I've seen the whole thing and it has some nice little tucked away blocks.

I took HEED with me, though not enough. I'd gulped my 20 ounces before my turnaround point and wish I'd brought a full fuel belt. However, the two Hammer gels and the 20 ounces of HEED really did their stuff and I never tired the whole run, even though it was 70+ degrees and on the way back, I was running into a headwind.

I actually appreciated the headwind; it helped keep me cool, though it slowed me down some. By the time I got into the more-protected West 4th street, I was going at a pretty good clip.

I don't think my stride-lengthening run downhill two days ago was so smart. It felt good at the time, but I may have damaged my whatnot over my left tibia. Yesterday and today, I've been dealing with shin splints. I thought this morning that the pain might be gone because I didn't have any twinges (shins, ankles, anywhere) coming downstairs. But the first mile of today's run really had me worried because the pain was coming back pretty strong. I decided to run through it, knowing at which point I would voluntarily cut the run short, painwise. But I never reached that point as the pain localized itself and settled down to a dull roar.

After my run, I grabbed a Gatorade and ice pack from a Duane Reade then took a good twenty minutes to stretch. Then the cold pack. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but will have to investigage the possibility of bringing a towel and taking a quick shower here, if I continue to squeeze runs in while in tech.