Back to square one

I haven't run in nearly three weeks. My shin splints have been kicking my butt. So I decided to quit fighting it and take a month off. In addition to shin splints, I'm now in a chiropractor's care for SI joint dysfunction, which I believe is a leftover effect of pregnancy, even though I only know for sure this has been affecting me since January.

So with these two conditions, I'm taking it easy on the exercise in general. I've been working on cross training to get my legs stronger. In thinking about how things are different now vs. when I started running two years ago, I realized I cross trained more at that time. I didn't get really injured until later in 2008 when I was getting faster and then added too much intensity too quickly.

Fast forward to last December and since when I've been trying to run again and I haven't been able to get far before having issues arise, mostly shin splints. I've also been having flares of achilles tendonitis. Both of these are overuse injuries and I'm finally being realistic about getting rid of them. Up to now I've just been running and not cross training much. My legs aren't strong. I need my legs to be strong before this will get better. I believe my cross training has already made a difference on my leg strength. In addition, I've been doing leg the exercises I got in PT two years ago for my achilles tendonitis.

So a week from Wednesday when my month is up, I will start running again. But I'll only be running once or twice a week and only short mileage. I'm going to start back at square one and build my mileage the right way, in other words, slowly.

So that means to half marathon this year. I may run a few shorter races later this summer or in the fall. But no training. My new goal will be a half marathon next spring. So I go another year without reaching my running goal, but I will be better off this way. My legs will be strong and I can run longer without hurting myself!