Then, while I was in Marietta,I went to Big Peach Running Co. and got a new pair of Adidas Supernova shoes. I was really impressed with the added spring in the forefoot of these shoes and the amount of cushion in the heel. They also provide a lot of support through the middle of the foot and I like my shoes nice and snug. I was so excited about them.
When I got back to Athens, I went for my first run in my new shoes on Saturday, even though my heels were still a little sore.
It had been raining most of the day and the sky was still cloudy so I decided to just jog in the neighbor back and forth on the main street so that if it started to pour I would be close to home. After about a mile and a half, I started getting the aching pain running all the way from my knees to my big toes, traveling down the inside of the front of my legs. This was happening on both legs. I kind of freaked out because I have never felt pain in this area before. So I walked home and I wondered if this pain was because of my new shoes? I started to worry and wonder if I could return them to the store after I had already run a little bit in them.I looked up some stuff on the internet and decided that this pain must be due to shin splints. I was pretty bummed about that. So I iced my legs and then took a hot bath with mineral salts that are supposed to relax your muscles and I went to bed.
On Sunday morning, I woke and got out of bed only to find that my feet hurt so bad I could hardly go down the stairs! It was my heels again but this time, the pain was in the whole back of my foot and my calves were super tight and sore. I laid on the couch researching this pain on the internet, finally deciding that it could either be bruised heels or plantar fasciitis. Either way, I need to stay off my feet and let it heel so I don't do any damage to my legs and feet. So I was double bummed about this!
I also remembered that I had my mom's Homedics massage chair in the closet, so I brought that out to see if I could massage my calves with it. I laid the back part of it on the couch and just put my leg on top of it and it worked pretty well! It definitely loosed up my calves some and made me more relaxed all together. I did go swimming on Sunday and did some strength training, trying not to put any pressure on my feet. After my workout, I bought some athletic tape at the store and tried to tape up my feet by myself to help them get better.
On Monday, nothing was hurting anymore but I'm was still a little cautious about running. I went for a bike ride and spent a lot of time stretching and massaging my calves and didn't feel any pain in my feet or my shins. But I skipped on the running for the day.
Today, I'm planning to go walking with my roommate. She's going at 6:30am before work. But seeing as how I'm still awake at 5:15am and I haven't slept a wink, I'm not sure if I'll make it. I'm going to go swim again tomorrow and try some new drills to help me be a better swimmer. Then Wednesday I'll try to jog again. I think I was just trying to do too much too fast. Just another reminder that I'm not as young and resilient as I used to be.
And let me just say that who ever thought I, of all people, would be seriously bummed out that I have to take a few days off from running? I can only explain it by the fact that exercising and training is one of the only things that makes me feel human and normal right now. I think training for this triathlon may just be the very thing that is keeping me sane. It's amazing what a difference it makes in my mood and outlook on life when I have exercised on a given day.I thank God for the ability, time and resources to be able to move my body and exercise all of me, including my mind.
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