I’m disappointed that I was unable to participate in the Disney Half Marathon last weekend. I actually got a call from Disney telling me that they would apply the application fee to next year’s race, but I haven’t heard anything since then.
Now I’m gearing up for the New York City Half Marathon on March 20. In preparation, I signed up for a few short races. I’ve been suffering from shin splints for more than a month now and have been unable to run. My trainer keeps bugging me about stretching and I’m trying, but it’s not the first thing on my mind when I wake up or before I go to sleep at night.
I cross-trained yesterday for the first time in almost a month. I went to a spin class and really enjoyed it. I forgot how much I love spinning. And, the best part was, my shin splints really didn’t bother me!
However, they typically have been causing intense pain when I walk. I’ve tried almost everything to relieve the pain–Ricotta cheese, Vitamin D3, Ice, compression sleeves, and compression tape. You name it, I’ve done it and it’s still taking a long time to heal.
When I went on the treadmill this morning before training, I tried to run. The pain was so intense. I had to stop. Maybe it’s just the treadmill, I thought. I wish there were indoor tracks around Long Island. I decided to do a search and found only one indoor track in New York City at Chelsea Piers.
It’s so cold in New York that it’s hard to run outside, and with my asthmatic bronchitis, I’ve been told to only run outside in weather above freezing. So far, it’s been in the teens and 20s outside. So I don’t really have much choice but to cross-train and run on the treadmill.
Now, I’m committed to run 13.1 miles in the New York City Half Marathon because I am running for Team for Kids, a team of volunteers raising money for New York Road Runners Youth Programs, which combat childhood obesity and empower youth development via running and character-building programs in low-income schools and community centers in New York City and throughout the country.
I put out a post on Facebook, Twitter and some of my other social networking sites. I also sent around an HTML email to my friends and business associates. And you know what? Within 24 hours, I raised more than $1,310 for the charity! So now, I’m committed. I can’t let my supporters down and I certainly can’t let the kids who are depending on me to raise money for their program down.
So, I’m on my way to training again. Hopefully, I can start to train relatively soon because according to the website, the organizers will pull you off the course if you are slower than 13 minutes a mile. Now that’s a challenge, especially for me!
Related articles
- A Runner’s Diary: After the Half Marathon That Wasn’t (blogcritics.org)
- A Runner’s Diary: The Disney Half Marathon (blogcritics.org)
- A Runner’s Diary: Shin Splints – Ouch! (hilarytopper.com)
- A Runner’s Diary: Aiming for a Half Marathon (hilarytopper.com)
Ricotta cheese?! That's a new one; how is that supposed to help shin splints? Cross training is a great idea anyway, especially in this weather. I'm a big spin fan and recently purchased spin shoes with clips for a totally new experience. In terms of indoor tracks, Bally's in Lake Grove has one and I believe there are locations that may have them. Good luck with training!