the simanek guide to injuries

since there were a couple of comments on my last post about shin splints i figured i'd share what i've learned over the past few years about them.

as zack said, "they suck" so your best bet is to never get them. how do you do that? well, there are a couple of answers to that one:

There are two excercises that i know of that will help prevent them. They are designed to strengthen the muscle in front of your shin bone so that it acts as a brace/shock absorber when the bone compresses during footstrike. For the first excercise, get a bag with straps (an old purse works well) and put 5-10 lbs. of weight in it. now, sit on a countertop so your feet are off the floor and loop the straps of the bag over the toes of one of your feet. now, raise your toes up and lift the bag. repeat this motion until the front of your shin burns. switch to the other foot. do three sets of these two or three times a week.

The second excercise is similar in concept except your sitting on a weight bench. place a 25 lb. weight plate flat on the floor. lift up one side and wedge the toes of one foot under it. keeping your heel on the floor, raise your toes up. same thing here. repeat until you can't do any more then switch feet. do three sets two times per week.

A third option you have is to take up cycling. Buy a bike with clip-in pedals. Proper pedaling form dictates that the bottom of your foot stays parallel to the road. When you're pulling up on the pedal (as you should be doing) you're working that same muscle if you keep your foot in the proper position. This is my personal favorite since you get the added benefit of a good cardio workout.

Now, the bad news is that when most people find out what shin splints are, they usually already have them. About the only thing you can do is cut back your mileage, or if you're obstinate like me, quit increasing it. start doing more runs on softer ground. rubber track, grass, gravel, asphalt, concrete is the order of increasing hardness. now after a run, ice your shins for 40 minutes (5 minutes on, 5 minutes off) and take a couple of ibuprofen tablets. do this for a month after EVERY run whether they hurt or not.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, physical therapist, or coach. this is just stuff that has worked for me.

half marathon results

i don't know who ran that race yesterday morning with bib 4084, but it wasn't me.
i know better than to consume two power bars, an energy gel, and a carb drink within 1.5 hours of the start.
i know better than to drink only a pint of water with all that food and expect it to be enough to carry me through a 13.1 mile race at 80+ degrees.
i know better than to stay up late drinking two nights before the race.
i know better than to start out faster than my pace in order to 'put time in the bank'.
i know better than to put an energy gel in my back pocket and sit down to stretch only to have it pop and get my rump all sticky.

i ran a 1:36:07, my worst half marathon to date and 6:07 short of where i HAD to be. it was one of my worst races ever. this is also the first time where the paramedics thought i was going to lose it. basically, everything after mile 7 was forced and by the time i hit the finish line, i was done-for. i stepped over it, put my hands on my knees, got the spins, and almost fell over only to be caught by a race volunteer. I got my balance back (still hands on knees sucking wind) as the paramedics came over to check on me. there was some conversation about taking me over to the medical tent despite my objections of "i'm fine" and ultimately the race volunteer stuck up for me by saying "he's not down yet..." so they gave me a bag of ice, told me to be careful and drink a lot, and sent me on my way.

jeez, i wish i could start every sunday like that.