Hi.....first injury need help--long--sorry

Thanks Tiff, I will give that a try, I have some at home, I have used that on my upper body aches from running..........I have got to get one of those contraptions for running with water!

Kernie,

Definitely sounds like shin splits.  Poor running shoes will do that to you, unfortunately.  The combination of over-training just exacerbated it.  If you are going to be running distances, do yourself a favor and invest in the very best running shoes you can.  You don't want to be in a position where you can't run anymore because of an injury.  You and I are both over-achievers, which means we have to keep going and going!!

In the meantime, rest up, take some Advil, and research your next pair of shoes.  Good shoes really don't take long to break in.

Keep me posted on the Turkey Trot.  I have a 5 miler of my own on that day.

Thank you, and you are right about the overacheiving!  My new shoes feel sooooooooooo good it's hard to take the rest I need before wearing them.

My toes, my knees, my ankles all thanked me the moment I put them on.

I tried on five pairs all different brands with good control to help my pronation, that's why my ankles were burning..........

I will keep you posted.  At least I know I can run five miles.  I might be slower from my "rest" period but I will finish in my good new shoes!

You could take 2 full weeks off and not lose ANY of your fitness. Just an FYI...

Thanks Dan, I thought it was less than that.  Taking six weeks off over the summer felt like I started from scratch even though I know that was not literally true, it felt pretty much like starting over.......but I was also much more goal focused when I came back from that surgery.

For any women reading this, having my stress incontinence repaired made running possible for me.  Without it, I was struggling just to make it through a 3 mile run/walk even with protection.  It was embarassing, frustrating, I had to stop drinking too early and then would get sick feeling..........

Best thing I ever did besides WLS was get that fixed too!  Now I can totally drink, run be normal finally.  Mine was really bad even after the weight loss.  I went to a new urologist since the last a**hole blamed it on my weight.  Losing 131 lbs only affected the position of my bladder, not the stress incontinence in the least.

One added thing about nutrition...

Chances are your Tuesday run was awful because you don't eat enough carbs soon enough after a run.  It's really important to eat carbs (a 4:1 or 3:1 carb:protein ratio is what you see most often in the research) within 30-60 minutes after a run.  I'm never hungry, but always do it.  It'll make a huge difference in your runs 2-3 days later because you're replenishing the glycogen you deplete when you run - both in the liver and in the muscles.  Besides that, you train your body to replenish glycogen rather than store fat.

Linn 

Thanks Linn, I haven't been eating soon enough after a run.  I got different advice from other runners but then I read the OH article about how since we (post WLS patients) eat fewer carbs our body doesn't replace glycogen as easily.........did you read that new blog this month?

I'm going to start drinking my skim milk after each workout and then getting some food in sooner so I can recover more quickly.  That should help with the following days, I am sure you are right. 

Going along with Marie's advice, I'll tell you what I do...

When I'm training for triathlons I like to run 4 days/week, spin or cycle 2-3 times/week, and swim 2-3 times/week.  As it seems, there are a few days I do more than one workout, but I ALWAYS give myself at least one rest day a week.  I'm also older (43), and when I'm training hard, I really need the break.

A good running schedule, if you want to run 5 days a week would be something like:

Long run one day followed by a short recovery run the next day (shorter distance, slower speed).  Rest day.  Tempo run. Recovery run (slower pace).  Mid-length run.  Rest day.

This way you have one day to work on distance, one day to work on speed, 2 rest days, and 2 recovery days.  This is a pretty normal training schedule.  Then again, it's important to build up the distances slowly (about 10% increase a week) to avoid overuse injuries.  

I also am careful about how long I wear my shoes.  Regardless of the number of miles I've put on them, any time I have any foot or knee pain, I retire my oldest pair.  I also alternate the shoes I wear every run so that I don't always use the same pair for long runs or tempo runs.  I just think it's better for your feet and legs.  Also helps with the wear on the shoes.

I don't have a coach, but these are some of the things I've learned over the years.  I hope you heal quickly and are still able to enjoy running.

Linn

I think you are running too much. Personally I never run two days in a row or more than 3-4 times a week. Of course, I'm older than you, but I think running 3 days in a row is really pushing it.

The thing is, you don't need to run all the time to get better at running. There is lots of cross training you can do that will increase your aerobic capacity and your speed and make you a better runner.

For example, strength training can make you fast. Riding a bike or doing the low-impact cardio will also help your running.

So can running intervals... like 1 min fast, 1 min easy. All you runs don't have to be for distance and they probably shouldn't be either.

I think the best way to train is have every run have a purpose and to vary those purposes. One run a week should be slower than race pace and for distance (long run). One run should be shorter but at faster than race pace (tempo run). One should be for speed (doing intervals).

You will make more progress doing this than going out every time trying to run as far as you can. And it's easier on the body.

Don't fall into the overtraining trap. All fitness gains happen during rest. If you don't rest adequately, you won't make the gains you should based on your volume.

Rest doesn't have to be sitting on the couch watching TV either. You can do 'active recovery' types of activities or you can do things like run one day and do upper body strength training the next. (You are still resting the legs and letting them recover.)

Thanks Marie I came to the same conclusion........

The whole running more thing happened because it felt good (better) to run two days in a row for a while, but then it got harder.  So feeling "better" was a fluke I guess.........temporary insanity, body just feeling good but should have done something different.

I guess I really need to go back and look hard at how to train now.

I don't have a bike, or a pool or anything like that.  And when I say I have no money, I mean I didn't have money to buy my running shoes - but I did and I had to make sacrifices on paying bills just to do that, and it's bad...........so while I know I can use cans to lift weights and I can do pushups and indirect core training, I don't know how else to do cardio with no place/equipment.

Open to any suggestions.........running and walking are the only forms of cardio I have been able to figure out........