My shins. They hate me.
I did my three easy miles at the gym last night on the ‘mill. And I think the treadmill hurts my shins. Last night they hurt like never before, and even after I stopped and was walking around they still were sore. This morning they are better.
I think running on the treadmill gives me shin splints.
I think my form gets all screwed up and it ends up hurting my shins. This was 3 easy miles and they should not have had a problem. We’ll see how they feel today during the tempo run. I may do my two weeks of recovery (before marathon training starts) with runs outside and no treadmill at all if I can help it. We’ll see how that feels.
Not much else to say. Winding down the training (after taking a giant break). Just the tempo run tonight and then a 3 or 2 mile tomorrow. I still want to get stretching in Friday and Saturday to stay loose, especially the ITB.
Speaking of ITB, the strap. Do I wear the strap in the race or not? I’ve been wearing it to run since I had that twinge on the trail. But I’m not sure it will stay up in a race and if I have to stop and fix it, I’ll lose enough time that my PR will be gone. Seconds count when you are stretching your limit to begin with, you know?
Options:
1. Wear the strap and hope for the best.
2. Don’t wear the strap and hope for the best.
3. Carry the strap, hope for the best, and put it on if needed.
4. Wring my hands and frantically agonize over it and review options 1 through 3.
Thoughts?
June 1st, 2005 12:21
i have worn the strap on my upper arm before :) i had it “just in case” i needed it, so that might be a good/quick place to store it should the need arise to whip it off your knee. not sure what to advise you on starting out with it or not since i have never really used it. since it is easy to transport i might recommend bringing it with you so you have it so the race isn’t a disaster if the knee decides to hurt.
June 1st, 2005 12:24
I agree. Take it with you and decide at the beginning if you want to start with it or not. If you choose to start with it and it starts sliding, quickly pull it off and attach it to your arm or something for the remainder of the race. Either way, you’ll be thankful you had it and didn’t need it instead of not having it and really wishing it were there.
June 1st, 2005 13:14
I agree wiht the others. Also since a marathon is NOT run on a dreadmill, best if most of your training is done on similar terrain. And where possible one should also train on parts of the actual course route. For example when I was training for my first half I ran the starting piece one week and the end piece the following week until eventually I was running most of the distance. That way I was not only used to the terrain, I had a rough idea of where I should be at what point in the race to make my goal.
June 1st, 2005 13:52
Gosh, it’s unanimous so far. Bring the strap with you “just in case.” Do a few gentle strideouts before the race. Your twinge the other day came after about 100 yards, so you should know before the race starts whether to put on the strap. Even if you don’t know until after the race starts, having it with you means that you can put it on if you need it, and the loss of a few seconds (and even missing a PR) is better than a DNF, isn’t it?
June 1st, 2005 15:56
Just found your blog! Very nice!!
I tend to get sore shins from the treadmill, too. I realized that it’s because I tend to run more on my toes on the treadmill than outside, not sure why - but when I stopped doing that the sore shins went away!
June 1st, 2005 16:13
Jon, I can’t give advice about the strap but I do know that the treadmill messes me up. I am going to avoid it as much as possible. There is something about my form….and it doesn’t like the TM.
June 1st, 2005 20:13
I suffered the dreaded IT band problems last year, and the strap was like a security blanket for the longest time (it still occasionally gets an outing). Most of the time I didn’t need it at all but having it there made me feel better … so I’m with everyone else … bring it with you … maybe it will meet another strap and live happily ever after
June 1st, 2005 20:41
Hmmm, I would probably choose option #4. ;-) When I had ITB problems, it was long enough ago that I don’t think there even was such a strap. I guess I would agree with the others, to just bring it, as long as it’s not too cumbersome to carry. Good luck with whatever you decide!
June 1st, 2005 22:28
Bugs my form on the dreadmill too, that’s why I run BF on it, makes me run with better form! Take the strap and a diaper pin to pin it to your shorts or somewhere if you don’t need it. All the best! And don’t be wringing your hans for sure!
June 2nd, 2005 00:01
I agree with everyone else. Bring the strap.
I had ITB issues and I wore a brace on all my runs for the longest time. The braces/straps really do help and in my opinion, no race is worth an injury.
Sports physiologists have compared running form on the treadmill against running form on the road. Yes, there is a difference. Yes, it can screw your form up. Your foot has to contact forward of the the body and stay in contact with the tread for a longer period of time to stabilize your balance.
June 2nd, 2005 00:33
I don’t think you’ll ever be sorry that you had the band, and didn’t use it or need it. So bring it, and I’m hope hope hoping for you that you won’t need to use it.
June 2nd, 2005 07:17
I’ll suggest a little experiment - the 2-3 easy run; leave the band. See how it feels without. If there’s no further twinges, leave it on race day - one less thing about which to fret.
Minimize.
June 2nd, 2005 23:39
wringing your hands,,,,,,,,lol,, you will do great!
Heather,,