I’m sure that my enormous readership is on pins and needles about my left shin, which I completely forgot to add to yesterday’s catch-up post. (sarcasm font throughout this entire sentence…)

I called the doctor – it took me a couple of weeks to get into the University of Michigan Medsport doctor that I have used before and really like. While I waited, I kept my activity to the elliptical and sporadic cross-training (read: various unenthusiastic Pinterest workouts combining squats, lunges, ab work, jumping jacks, etc.)

The doctor diagnosed me with a stress fracture, which I wasn’t surprised by. I think I’ve known for awhile that it was more than just a shin splint issue. I couldn’t even muster up any distress about it, instead feeling a somewhat twisted sense of pride that I am such a badass that I’ve been running on a stress fracture for most of the year (again, sarcasm font). She said that I could confirm it with an MRI, but after some consideration, I decided that it wasn’t worth the expense of the deductible, and opted to take her diagnosis at face value. I’m off running for 6-12 weeks and in the interim, have to stay off anything weight-bearing on that leg. So my boot camp activities (jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers) are off limits. The doctor said that even the elliptical is probably not a great idea. It doesn’t hurt me, but just because it doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean that it is helping me to heal.

My left side is problematic. When I first started running, I sprained my left ankle, which led to accommodations in my stride that messed up my left hip and put me in physical therapy. Now I have the stress fracture. When I get back to running, I have to take it more seriously – I have to do smart miles, not dumb ones, and keep up plenty of cross-training.

I’ve been off running since January 29 and have decided to stay off until at least mid-April. I’ve gained a few pounds, but am trying to be mindful of my eating. I started a multi-vitamin and calcium / D3 supplement (which is also helping my mood a bit, if I’m not mistaken, during these dark winter days). I’ve incorporated more stationary biking – there’s a couple of crap ones in the gym at work. I dug out my old Pilates DVDs, and acquired Tony Horton 10 Minute Trainer, which uses resistance bands and has a good Yoga segment as well as an Ab workout. I have to modify the workouts somewhat to avoid anything that uses jumps or puts too much weight on my leg, but it’s been a good change. I’m so used to pure cardio that I’m pleasantly surprised at how much my muscles work with more stationary, flex-strength exercises, how sore I am, and so hopefully when the spring thaw comes around, and I’m back out there running, I won’t have lost too much.

My shin splints are gradually getting better, although I am still feeling the tenderness during the first mile of my runs, and babying them a bit. Definitely an improvement over a few weeks ago. I’ve gotten serious about my training and am back on the track towards my 20-mile a week goal, but being patient and increasing only a mile or a mile and a half a week (last week I logged 12.9). I will likely try to do three or four shorter runs during the week and a day of cross-training (think squats, one-legged squats, lunges, core training, the elliptical) mixed with a long run on the weekend. There are a dearth of half-marathons in the deep winter months in Michigan, but I will be shooting for a March half at the Ann Arbor marathon and if all goes well, maybe a full marathon next fall at the Sleeping Bear. In the meantime, my next event is our traditional A2 Turkey Trot. My Crossfit friends are doing the Iron Turkey (a 5k and a 10k back to back) but based on my conservative approach to my training and shins, I’m sticking with the 10k, which will still be a challenge, I’m sure.

I love this Turkey Trot, by the way. There’s always a steel drum band at the first turn, and whenever I hear them singing ‘Turkeys Do the Conga” it makes me laugh.

I’m trying to build my tolerance for a lot of treadmill running, since the winter is predicted to be as bad as last year, and that means a lot of snow, ice, and subzero temps. I’m a cold weather runner by nature, but there was no way there could be safe, healthy outside running for a majority of last winter. The snowfall was record breaking and paths, roads, and sidewalks were generally drifted, barely cleared, or ice-covered. This is in marked contrast to a couple of years ago, when we ran outside all winter long, thanks to mild temps and limited snow.

It’s discouraging how much my running speed and endurance have decreased, thanks to that long snowy winter and an injury-prone summer. I went out for my first over-4 mile run a couple of weekends ago, and found a great new place to run (Island Lake in Brighton, MI). I don’t usually look at my watch during long runs, except to note miles if I need to turn around at a certain spot, and instead try to find a comfortable, easy pace that I can keep up without walking. It was a spectacular bright fall morning, cold and golden, and for three quarters of the run I had that great feeling of my body as an engine, disconnected from my mind and my thoughts. This to me is the ideal running state, when my body does what I’ve trained it to do without fuss and my mind is free to wander – I’m not focused on muscles or breath or discomfort or distance. I paced myself slowly and consistently, but when I got back to the trailhead I was optimistic that I’d turned in a pretty good time. I checked my watch and gah!!!!! Yes, I’d made it without walking, feeling very comfortable and easy, but I’d run on average a whole minute slower per mile than last year’s training pace (so about two minutes per mile slower than my target race pace). GAH.

I know I’ll get it back if I keep applying myself consistently, training smart and with dedication, but that’s why running will break your heart, right there. 🙂

In the meantime, we are off to Disney. Pray for me, o fellow Introverts.

I am not the kind of person to use the word ‘stoked’. Whenever I hear it, I imagine very attractive yet highly appearance-driven people discussing their new fave salad place (“I AM SO STOKED ABOUT THESE TOPPINGS, DUDE!”) , or Crossfit abbreviated jargon (“I was stoked to do my WOD in the BOX today! GO MURPH”).

But I can’t think of a better word to describe how I am feeling about two things related to my running.

1) DUDE I AM STOKED TO BE RUNNING FARTLEKS IN MY GHOST 7’S.

The Brooks Ghost 7’s have completely revived my excitement about running. With my crap Mizuno 17’s, if I even ran on 2 consecutive days, I would have shin splints and calf pain. With my Brooks, I am back to running with pleasure, aiming for my goal of 20 miles a week. I am sad that I won’t be ready to run my favorite half marathon in my favorite part of the world this year – the Sleeping Bear Marathon and Half Marathon. I’ve done it for the past two years, but with everything going on this summer, personally, I just couldn’t get consistent about my training until recently, and it’s just too late. However, I am hoping to be a volunteer at the race so I will still get to be a part of it and give back to one of my favorite events. You can see by my expression in the picture below how excited and proud I was after last year’s Sleeping Bear when I PR’d.

2) MY TOTALLY AWESOME RUNNING PARTNER IS BACK AND I AM STOOOOKED.

At some point along the way, I gained a great friend who despite his youth (he was in preschool while I was listening to Milli Vanilli in my purple AMC Concord outside of Owosso High School) finds some enjoyment in my company while we run. He’s been out of commission for basically 2 years due to knee injuries, but has recently been given the “all clear” to get back to running. This is a huge motivator for me as I’ve never had someone to run with who was able to inspire and motivate me, pace me, and exchange great conversation with in the way that he does. I remember one of our first lunchtime runs we both brought our iPods and didn’t even plug them in because we talked about Game of Thrones during the whole run. In spite of his superior athletic ability – he can easily turn in 7-minute miles for extended periods and barely be winded – he is very patient about my slower speeds and matches his pace to mine at just the right level so that I am pushing myself,  but not wearing myself out. He is my favorite person to run with and I can’t wait for us to get back to lunchtime runs and planning for a spring half-marathon together.