I haven’t written since my triumphant I RAN 5KM!!! post, mostly because shortly thereafter, I developed pretty severe shin splints and have had to cut back on my training. I haven’t attempted another 5K since, because the pain in my left shin forces me to stop after 1-2K (and I know, from doing some research online, that shin splints aren’t just minor injuries I should force myself through. I’m not being a wimp who can’t handle pain – I’m making sure I don’t suffer a stress fracture).
Tonight I ran until the shin pain was enough to make me stop, walked it out and stretched it out, ran again until the pain was too much, walked and stretched, then ran again. The pain does lessen, the more I take breaks and walk and stretch. And I decided to finish my run with a sprint for the hell of it, and amazingly, that made my shin pain disappear. I finished the fast run, started to walk, and NO PAIN. I stopped to stretch, and while earlier I couldn’t even point my toe on my right leg because it hurt too much, now I had NO PAIN.
My theory: I’m running with poor technique when I run slowly, but good technique when I decided to break into a real run. It’s the only explanation I can think of. I’m emailing my old swim coach, who’s also a triathlete and triathlon coach, to ask what he thinks. I can’t possibly run that fast for 5km, so it doesn’t help me for this weekend, but it might be something I can figure out when I continue to train after this weekend.
Oh, and I got shiny new Nikes with gel in the heels. 
