Let's try this again....

So I've been trying to rest up and let my shin splints heal... I work at a gym (Anytime Fitness, to be specific) and I've been talking to our trainers as well.  One trainer showed me a good stretch/tension to put on my calves/shins using a foam roller.  I've been taping them too (yep, I've been doing it myself.) I looked up some athletic trainer videos online on how to properly tape your calves/shins..... which may or may not have been a good idea, but I did it anyway.  Our male trainer said it looked okay.  I may look into seeing a Doctor specializing in sports injuries, per recommendation from our female trainer.  They may be able to help me from continuously getting shin splints, since I seem to get them so easily. 

I've been icing them quite a bit and cross training using low impact cardio. So I wanted to try running today... for some reason I feel like treadmills are what gave me shin splints.  I know cement on streets/sidewalks is a harsher surface, but I've never gotten them this quickly before now.  This time around, I was strictly running on treadmills for about 2 weeks, so I feel that had to be it.  My running partner & I ran our 4 mi today instead of using other cardio to replace running, and we ran it OUTSIDE.  It felt AH-MAZING.  I've had the running itch for the past week & a half... so this was awesome.  The run, surprisingly, wasn't that difficult either. I thought for sure it'd be a hard run after my rest period.  I tried to run on grass when I could and only run on the street when I had to & that seemed to help.  The pain in my shin was a little noticeable, but it definitely didn't get any worse.  I take that as a good sign.  I'll continue to ice it, take ibuprofen and run on surfaces that aren't too harsh.  I may look into seeing a specialist in sports injuries.

Tomorrow is a rest day, we switched a couple days in our training plan this week.  And Sunday is our long run as usual, 6 miles here we come!   

A quote I found that I really liked.....for anyone who's THINKING about whether they can be a runner or not, read this!
"If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it."
-Priscilla Welch  ( And no, I have NO idea who Priscilla Welch is... haha)

Happy Running!
Jen