1. 4 miles done, and I didn't die...
Or at least I haven't yet. My shins and calf held up pretty well for this run on Tuesday. I have found that a water bottle with frozen water in it is the best massager/icer for my shins and calves. This Propel Fitness water bottle was the perfect shape.
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| Me icing my giant calves |
2. Yesterday was our first day of school.
It's like having a newborn all over again. You feel like you haven't had any sleep (even though I have) and your body does weird things...I've had some crazy stomach issues, I guess getting used to eating early in the morning again, instead of after 9 am when I rolled out of bed this summer. I am SO sleepy between 2pm and 8pm, then I get this weird second wind around 8 and can't sleep when it's actually bedtime. I hope by September, all this has ironed itself out...
3. I Got Up Early This Morning to Run!!!
Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a morning person. This was the first time EVER that I have gotten up before work to run. My legs hurt ALL DAY. It became worse as the day went on. I only ran a freaking mile!!! What's up with that???
I have been so used to running at night or late afternoon when I can lounge around afterwards or sleep while my legs recover. This was a shock to my system. The run felt great, it was cool with a good breeze. Problem was, when I got back I went straight to the shower instead of icing or taking a lot of time to stretch. Since I only did a mile, I thought I'd be fine. WRONG!
I didn't allow enough time to run and do all the necessary after-care. For me, I have realized, icing and stretching are necessary for every run because of my shin splints and calf strain. And warming up before I run outside on the harder surface is SO important. That's another reason I'm in pain. I rushed out thinking it would be quick and easy. For me, no run is quick and easy. At least not yet! I hope to get there one day.
Oh calf strains/shin splints...I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!! I had the worst knotty calves during my half marathon training last winter. Get yourself some compression sleeves/socks! I have zensah sleeves, CEP sleeves, and recovery socks. I love them all, but the CEP are definitely the tightest, so they would probably be best for helping with bad shin splints. I wear something on my calves on almost every run (plus after!) and it helps so much. I have DEFINITELY worn compression socks/sleeves under my pants at school after an early run or a particularly tough run the day before!
ReplyDeleteAlso, get yourself a foam roller or The Stick. Hurts so good, and will break up any knots in your calves. Keep icing too! I hope you feel better!