Down and Out

I've been feeling a little, okay a lot, down lately because my shins are really bothering me. I went for a run on Friday night after trying to get new sneakers and it hurt a little, but not too bad. More than anything, my body was stiff. After the first couple of minutes of running though, I loosened up and the run went much better. But on Saturday, my shins were a little sore. So I continued to ice them, went to yoga on Saturday and then went for a run on Sunday.

Sunday definitely didn't feel that good. And although, rationally, I knew I should just not run, I couldn't make myself stop. So I ran. I ran for six minutes without stopping actually. And then I walked. And then I ran. And then I walked. And then I ran. And then I walked. And then I stopped. And then I was realllllly sore. I had to ice as soon as I walked into my twin's apartment. My shins have now been pretty sore for the past couple of days, sometimes to the touch, and I'm mad at myself for running when I shouldn't have pushed myself and disappointed and discouraged that I keep facing the shin splint issue. I keep arriving back to the same question of "How am I going to run a marathon if I can't do the little bit of running I'm trying to do now?"

I've said before that I'm overweight (heck, it's in the title of my blog!). I'm sure that doesn't help the case at all. But really should I keep facing these issues? I'm thinking about seeing a podiatrist and getting some orthotics. But until I move on any of those things, I am going to be taking a few days off of running.

I haven't run since Sunday and I'm going away for two nights to Catalina with my mom and twin until Thursday. So we're looking at a run on Friday. I'm sure we'll be doing lots of walking around while we're in Catalina so if I'm concerned about getting exercise, I think I'll be fine. And I can certainly improvise!

Here's what I commit to over the course of the next few days while I am not running. I commit to eating healthful meals that give me energy and make me feel good about myself. I commit to doing yoga at least once in Catalina. I commit to relaxing, reading and writing while I'm on my "mini vacation." I commit to not getting down on myself for not running. I commit to giving my body some time off from running to feel better.