Week 1 Day 2(b)

[ewt]

I did cut the insoles in my trainers and that does seem to have made them fit better. I waited until I got to the grass to start running, and tried to concentrate on posture.

I still got shin pain; not so bad at first, the first two intervals felt very easy and I wanted to run longer... but after that, gradually getting worse, and continuing into the cool-down periods. I didn't jog/run the last two intervals, because not only were my shins hurting but I could feel my feet twisting in response.

Good things:
- I showed up. I was quite sore yesterday, and also had a sedentary day, and it would have been really easy to tell myself that I wasn't up to running today without bothering to try it and see.
- Knowing what it feels like to not complete a session is useful, I think. It feels like it was still worth trying, today, even though I am disappointed that I didn't finish. That means that next time I am feeling like I might not manage the whole thing anyway, I'm more likely to turn up and do what I can than blow it off.
- The actual cardiovascular effect of this is still easy to deal with, and that makes me feel good. I'd got into the habit of thinking of myself as terribly unfit, but clearly this is not the whole story.
- It's mushroom season, and during the walking periods I spotted a few tasty things, which I might go back and pick later if I have time. Being outside without commuting and carrying lots of stuff around is good.

Given the way my body seems to behave with inflammation (once I have an injury it gets re-inflamed very easily -- I don't know whether this is related to the EDS, or whether it's a fairly normal thing) I'm wondering whether it's worth taking pre-emptive NSAIDs when I am planning to run. I do this sometimes on days when I know I'll be putting my joints through a lot, and it does seem to help. It feels different to medicate so I can do my work than to medicate so I can go running/jogging, which perhaps says something about how I feel about exercise as self-care! I suppose in this as in other things the trick is to try it.

Next week I will wear the other shoes again, the hiking-trainer hybrid things. They are much more waterproof than the trainers. *wrings out socks*

If I don't find an acceptable way of dealing with the shin pain by January I am going to have to try something else.

Comments

[liv]

Wow, that's a lot of positives to get out of a difficult attempt. Getting yourself out when you were feeling sedentary, making your shoes fit better, already being fit from a CV point of view even though you're dealing with pain. I'm also impressed that you were able to judge the difference between stopping because you're really not able to complete the exercise and stopping because you were just feeling lazy. I think I'm going to get to a session I really can't do soon, I'm feeling I'm near the limit of what my lungs can manage, but I'm nervous of not being sure how I'll know that.

Boo on the shin pain, though. That's really annoying that your adaptations didn't fix it. The worry I would have about taking painkillers before you run is that you might be doing yourself just as much damage but not having the pain as a signal to tell you to stop. But I know you know what you're doing with that kind of thing.

[ewt]

The "might be causing damage without feeling pain" thing is a worry, but I find that NSAIDs don't usually block my pain response to impacts like walking into a wall or stubbing my toe or stretching further than I should; on days when I take ibuprofen because I know I have a tough day ahead, I still end up sore and tired, but without so much joint swelling, and the next day is a lot easier to deal with.

That said, very tight calves are one of the culprits mentioned in possible causes of shin pain, and I do tend to have very tight calves, so a better bet is probably to look up shin splint/calf tightness stretches and see which ones I can safely do.