Okay, I was on a little hiatus while celebrating the holidays, but I still have been running - even though I haven't been posting. I have a lot of catching up to do!
Over the holidays, I went running with a friend who experienced some shin discomfort. Fortunately, shin splints are a rare occurrence for me, but I do know from experience that this makes running extremely uncomfortable/painful. From my high school running days, I learned that isometrics (or resistance stretching) and ice do the trick. In the midst of our run, we peeled off our route to stretch the shins out.
If you are the one with the shin discomfort, sit with a straight back and your legs extended. There are two different stretches, which require a partner for help. For the first one: have your partner pull on your feet (by the laces of your shoes), while you pull in the opposite direction and hold for 15-20 seconds 3X. For the second stretch: have your partner push on the balls of your feet, while you push into the hands of your partner and hold for 15-20 seconds 3X. This should give your shins a good stretch, so you can hopefully make it through your run. When complete, ice down for 15-20 minutes.
The biggest lesson - NEW SHOES! Usually when I start to feel any kind of soreness or 'injury' coming on - it's because I need a new pair of shoes. I always get a new pair of shoes before I consider anything else and luckily this practice has worked for me. While everyone one has their own personal preference for shoes - my absolute favorite are Saucony. I've been running in these for six years now and can not run in anything else but these! This obsession is an entire separate post in the making.
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