In my work, many adolescents tell me that marijuana should be legalized and the drinking age should be lowered. They are stocked with all sorts of arguments supporting their opinion, some good, some not so good. They tell me, "Mike, if I can join the army and die for my country, why can't I have a beer when I'm 18?" Or, "Mike, this Internet study found that marijuana has more Vitamin D than a glass of milk!" The argument that I never gave much credit to was the idea that when you tell someone they can't do something, it makes them want to do it even more. I'm starting to think their might be some truth in that. Let me explain.
I was running on Monday night. Just trying to do a quick run, probably 2-3 miles. About half a mile in, I started to feel some pain in my shin. I had experienced some pain in that area during other runs. In the past, it eventually went away as I got warmed up. But this pain wasn't going away and the run just didn't feel right. So, after a mile, I stopped and started looking for answers on the Internet.
I should pause this story and tell you that I am the
last person that should be looking up any medical
information on the Internet. I can easily convince
myself that I have anything if I read about it online.
Watch...I have a cough, a cough is a symptom of
malaria. Oh my God! Do I have malaria?! See how
easy that is!
Based on what I found online, there could be several explanations for the pain I experienced. Shin splints (or tibial stress syndrome) can be the result of several things. Irritated muscles (caused by overuse or increasing a workout before you are ready), flat feet (the impact of your step leads to stretching and pulling of muscles), or stress fractures (tiny breaks in the bones) can all lead to the pain I'm having. The suggested treatment for these issues is rest. So, that's what I've done (I'm going to give running a try in few days...I'll let you know how it goes).
Rest shouldn't be a problem right? After all, I am an expert at sitting on my couch watching TV. I excelled at being lazy for years! But for some reason, it has been very difficult for me not to run this week. I found myself dying to get on the treadmill. Maybe it's concern that this setback will prevent me from reaching my goal. (which is true...I am very worried about what this may due to my schedule of training) Or maybe it's just knowing that I can't run right now! My brain knows that if I try to run, I could hurt myself worse...but a huge part of me just wants to get on that treadmill anyway. It's just like an adolescent who knows drugs are bad for them but they want to try them anyway!!
Does this mean that I am now in favor of the legalization of marijuana and other drugs? Am I going to take my arguments to Washington and become a lobbyist in favor of lowering the drinking age? Do I really think that legalizing drugs will make kids less likely to try them? No, of course not. And there are many other excellent reasons for not legalizing drugs or lowering the drinking age. However, this setback has helped me understand that sometimes when people are told they can't do something, it makes the urge to do it stronger. That knowledge will help me make sure I complete my goal of running a half-marathon. Doubters be damned!
By the way, I do think it's funny that if I was in California, I could probably convince a doctor to give me a prescription for marijuana to treat my shin splints. Runners in California have it so easy!
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3 comments:
Hey, if you are doing most of your running on a treadmill...try setting the incline up a bit (0.5 or 1%. I have heard it helps with the shin splints. It helped with mine but it could very well have been in my head...also a massage for your shin splints helps too!!
Thanks Erika! I'll give it a try!
There's also a stretch you can do, or so I'm told. I had them starting out in 2009, but I did a stretch before and after runs for a few months and they were gone by my third month or so. Cause and effect being difficult to establish, it is impossible to say that the stretch cured the splints, but it didn't hurt them because 1,200 miles later, I still don't have them and I haven't done the stretch since '09. Basically the stretch I did looks like a push up position with your toes pointed so that your weight is not on the tips but rather on the laces, then I kind of crunched my body to increase the weight over my feet (and reduce the burden on my pathetic little arms). Also, there's a lot of crazy talk out there about barefoot running. I have only seen a few serious looking studies/guides, so read up on it before going for it, but going regimental (footwise) allegedly relieves splints and other runner maladies. I'll stick with my Brooks Adrenelines for now, they've seen me through a lot of miles with relatively few complaints.
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