matt is a runner: February 2011

Run Review

Date: Tues 22/02/2011

Time: Midday

Weather: Cloudy. 6c.

Pace/Type: Easy
Course: Work course. Trail/Road.
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 (Meduim, Support, D Width)
Clothes: Puma long sleeve zip neck top with training top underneath. Shorts.
Health: Good
Distance: 5.5 miles
Time: Not timed
Comments:

Date: Thurs 24/02/2011

Time: Midday

Weather: Cloudy. 6c.

Date: Sun 27/02/2011

Time: 7pm

Weather: Cloudy. 6c.

Pace/Type: Easy
Course: Home course. Road.
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 (Meduim, Support, D Width)
Clothes: Puma long sleeve zip neck top with training top underneath. Shorts.
Health: Good
Distance: 2.4 miles
Time: Not timed
Comments:

Run Review

Date: Fri 18/02/2011

Time: 7pm

Weather: Cloudy. 6c.

Pace/Type: Easy
Course: Home Course. Road.
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 (Meduim, Support, D Width)
Clothes: Puma long sleeve zip neck top with training top underneath. Shorts.
Health: Good
Distance: 2.4 miles
Time: Not timed
Comments:

Date: Sun 20/02/2011

Time: 7pm

Weather: Cloudy. 3c.

Pace/Type: Easy
Course: Home Course. Road.
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 (Meduim, Support, D Width)
Clothes: Adidas Response long sleeve zip neck top, plus puma training top underneath. Adidas tights.
Health: Good
Distance: 5 miles
Time: Not timed
Comments: Man it's nice to do some real mileage for a change. It seems to make a real difference if during my stride, I don't let my legs come into the middle of my stride. If I keep them straight as I land my foot, my whole leg seems to take the strain, which feels right. I feel a bit bandy doing it, but hey what ever works!

I stopped for a 1 min walk between mile 3-4, but cranked it up again to see out the 5 miles. Which went really well.

Dumped the legs in a cold bath, followed by a cold shower, then played some music at top blast.

Run Review

Date: Thurs 17/02/2011

Time: Midday

Weather: Cloudy. 7c.

Pace/Type: Easy
Course: Work course. Part trail, part road.
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 (Meduim, Support, D Width)
Clothes: Adidas Response long sleeve zip neck top, plus puma training top underneath. Adidas shorts.
Health: Good
Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: Not timed
Comments: First return to work lunchtime running. Had a few days break from Sunday, it's not so much the shins but all lower leg muscles that suffered. Gets to a point where you know the second day is going to be worse, so it's worth having a few days break. I went out and did exactly what I did on Sunday. Reasonable pace from the outset. Went well, although there was some niggles midway through the afternoon, by the end of the day, no problems at all. So chuffed. Going to do ice treatment anyway, just to be sure. Roll on the 5.5 miler! So badly want to be back there.

Run Review

Date: Sun 13/02/2011

Time: 7.30pm

Weather: Overcast. 10c.

Pace/Type: Easy
Course: Home course. Road.
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 (Meduim, Support, D Width)
Clothes: Adidas Response long sleeve zip neck top, plus puma training top underneath. Adidas shorts.
Health: Good
Distance: 2.4 miles
Time: Not timed
Comments: I was getting very frustrated, not being able to do the kind of mileage I'd like, I went again. Shouldn't have really. I went out fast and let my legs stride as they wanted rather than holding back. Oddly it felt good. Hardly heard a word from the legs, it's almost like I needed to forget taking it easy and looking for the correct form and just blast it to see what happens. I'll keeping up the ice treatment in the evenings which is doing wonders.

Run Review

Date: Sat 12/02/2011

Time: 7.30pm

Weather: Overcast. 10c.

Run Review

Date: Thurs 10/02/2011

Time: 7.30pm

Weather: Overcast. 10c.

Run Review

Date: Tues 08/02/2011

Time: 7.30pm

Weather: Overcast. 9c.

Pace/Type: Easy
Course: Home course. Road.
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 (Meduim, Support, D Width)
Clothes: Adidas Response long sleeve zip neck top, plus puma training top underneath. Adidas Tights.
Health: End of virus
Distance: 2.4 miles
Time: Not timed
Comments: After a 2 mile walk at lunchtime, the lower legs still felt good, so went for a run. Made sure to keep off the pavement cambers as much as possible. All went well, very pleased, good to be back running regularly again. I might make the lunchtime walk and evening run a regular fixture for the time being. Maybe it has something to do with by the time the evening comes, I've loosened my legs up well enough. I didn't use ice tonight, so we'll see what tomorrow brings. I still felt lightness, but if I keep the walking and biking up on break days, I'm hoping to get over this issue, build the lower legs up and up the mileage to where I was before xmas.

Run Review

Date: Sun 06/02/2011

Time: 2.30pm

Weather: Overcast. 10c.

I have to say it went really well, hardly felt anything. I was able to relax for the second half of the run, once I knew it was going well. It's fair to say my right leg has completely recovered. However it's the left (stronger) leg that is still recovering. It's not so much shin splints anymore as (according to my research) the tibialis posterior is still sore. Particularly where it joins to the shin and down towards the ankle.

However, today was a step forward in any book. Yay!

Shin Splints Advice

A fellow runner gave me the some advice following his encounter with shin splints, which was interestingly, not long after he started running:

Check shoes are correct for you and not worn out
Rest and ice – apply ice packs to calf (10mins daily)
Don’t run through the pain – its not something you can run off! (I think you know that now!)
Consider running on softer surfaces….cambered roads aren’t good or sloping pavements!
Build up mileage slower – reduce total weekly mileage if pain persists
Stretch and do lower leg exercises to build and develop muscles.
Seek expert help if it doesn’t improve

Run Review

Date: Tues 02/02/2011

Time: 8.30pm

Weather: Overcast. 6c.

Pace/Type: Easy
Course: Home course. Road.
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 (Meduim, Support, D Width)
Clothes: Adidas Response long sleeve zip neck top. Adidas Shorts.
Health: Virus
Distance: 2.4 miles
Time: Not timed
Comments: I've been riding the bike the last two nights, as this is one of the recommended cross training sports to help fight shin splints, and walking at lunchtime. The shins didn't feel amazing, but they'd stopped hurting when I walked, so I thought it was time to see how they were.

It was an odd start, I didn't feel happy at all. Not because of the shins, but I think the break has put me off my stride. First mile wasn't a problem, I tried to keep my head up and make sure my stride ended with my foot as flat as possible under my hips (this is one of the possible causes, over striding). The first mile is pretty flat. It was the twisty-turny up and down second section where I started to feel the shins. Not anywhere near like the last couple of runs, just felt a little strained. So rather than push the return I walked for about half a mile and finished off with a short jog to the end of the lap.

I used ice when I got back which totally took any uncomfortable feeling away. I haven't heard anything apart from the odd twinge the following day.

I've got some exercises to do targetted at the shins and another ice session, and we'll see what I'm like tomorrow.

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