11 days 'til Houston. 11 days 'til Houston. 11 days 'til Houston. That's what keeps echoing in my head. I felt prepared a month ago; I felt prepared three weeks ago. But now...not so much. I worry that taking it easy due to the shin splints has detrained me and Houston is going to turn into a Nashville-like nightmare, though the lack of hills should help. Ironically, I chose Houston for its lack of hills, but running hills lately has not been a problem. In fact, it's going uphill that seems to keep the shin splints at bay!
I am getting a little better. Since I last posted, I've put in three runs of two miles or so. Each time, the shin splints didn't hit 'til later than the last time, even given the downhills I have to travel to get home. In fact, yesterday's 2.25 mile run wasn't bad at all. I had a few moments of pausing at traffic lights, but other than that, it was a steady, productive run - "productive" in two senses: training-wise and phelgm-wise. Heh. Anyway, I didn't get any shin splints yesterday! Woo-hoo! I had only some twinges in the ankle toward the end of the run. Downhills are brutal on my ankles sometimes.
So I'm hoping to keep upping the mileage 1/4-mile at a time and see how things go. I don't think I'm so detrained I can't keep jogging for 13 miles - but I'm afraid a PR isn't on the radar. And I hate to depend on my body's ability to step up when asked to, as it has in most races so far...but I am. I trust that given this long rest on the shins and after adjusting to the tweaked orthotics, that my muscles will remember how to go the distance without quitting at mile 9. I'll of course be taking Endurolytes with me to help prevent cramps. I'm also going to take Sustained Energy instead of HEED on the course. It just seems to result in smoother energy supply and better hydration.
In other fitness news, I got my Christmas-present-to-me, a climber's fingerboard, mounted above my doorway on New Year's Eve. I have been doing some pullups and am dismayed to find I can't do the 25 in a row I could do when I was 18 years younger and 18 lbs lighter. (Yeah, I was 105 lbs when I was 17; suck it, Ana.) Meh. I'm able to do nine pullups, though the last two are a struggle. Good stuff. I have terrific pain in my right shoulder today, but I don't think it's from the pullups, as it's that typical "I slept on it wrong" kind of pain. Weird.
Outside of all that, I am preparing for Houston by eating myself silly. I'm doing my therapy regularly, the pills, good food, all of it. If nothing else, I will get to Houston well-rested and with plenty of energy.
Finally, I'm considering a Bowflex machine or a YMCA membership. The YMCA is a decent bike ride or jog or subway ride away, but not too far. And I could swim again, too, though the sight of me in speedos makes women swoon, children cry, and blindness in grown men. Point is: I need to keep working with weights or resistance training of some kind. I don't really have room for a bowflex, tho it would be more convenient.
2 comments:
Being able to do any pull-ups at all is quite a feat. I have never done one single pull-up in my entire life. I envy you.
The YMCA makes more sense than a Bowflex if you have no room for it.
I am sure you will be just fine at the Houston half marathon. Prerace jitters are normal.
I used to suffer from shin splint a lot.
make sure you're wearing the right shoes and icing is really helpful after every run!!!!
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