It’s a fact that if you participate in a sport long enough you’re going to get injured. Well, I’ve reached that point. Last Sunday’s run was AWESOME, as previously posted. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that Herculian feeling for Wednesday’s four-miler. Granted, my time and pace where almost perfect, except for a small amount of walking due to sharp pain in my left shin. That’s right runners, I have a shin splint.

Shin splints are a condition that causes pain and sometimes swelling in the front part of the lower leg (shin). The pain is most likely from repeated stress on the shin bone (tibia) and the tissue that connects the muscle to the tibia. They are common in people who run or jog. Activities where you run or jump on hard surfaces, such as basketball or tennis, can also lead to this painful condition. - WebMD

The treatment for this ailment isn’t more cow bell, but rest, stretching, and ice packs. Granted my leg might feel better and training can continue, but what about my mental pain - the longing to run by the river on Sundays or hearing my favorite quote “400 meters to go?” I guess I’ll just have to settle for reading my favorite blog, 400mToGo.

Though shin splints are pretty common for long-distance runners, it doesn’t give way for a lack of stretching, warm-up runs, and keeping training on pace. It’s an all too common pitfall of pushing ourselves too far too fast (which is what I think caused my injury). Remember to train hard, but train SMART so that you can enjoy those long Sunday runs.