How My Shin Splints were Cured

Shin Splints. They suck a big fat one. I struggled with them last season trying everything I could think of to rid myself of them. The cure is always an ongoing discussion and a common question on the Spartan Chick Facebook page. A Google search will tell you to stretch and show several stretches. Unfortunately, no specific routine is given. I tried going to the free clinic at the Running Spot, but the PT simply gave me a sheet with stretches with no instruction.

Trying to figure out a solution is timely and sometimes costly. It cost me a foot injury that I'm still dealing with when I decided to wear my minimalist shoes to work for two weeks. I now have a foot that basically ceases up a mile or two in a run. More on that in a bit. After, injuring my foot from my minimalists, I finally set up an appointment with a podiatrist. She recommend Physical Therapy and also sent me home with a boot to stretch my feet with for about 10-15 minutes a day.

The Physical Therapy session was the best thing I could have done for myself. Did she give me a quick fix miracle cure? No. She laid out a plan and explained why I was having shin woes. She had me do a few different things to examine my feet. The most interesting and revealing was when she had me lay on a table stomach down with my hanging off. Most people's feet would dangle down, but my feet were pointing straight out. That's how tight my calves were. That was my issue. She asked if I was a dancer. I laughed and explained that I was a trail runner and struck on my forefoot. All the work with my calves without the extra attention to stretching caused them to tighten up. She explained using the name of the muscles that I do no remember, that basically the muscles in my calves work with the muscles in my shins which work with my Plantar Fascia. All the areas I was having troubles.

She went through a stretching routine and recommended that I do it in the morning and evening. I could expect results in about 2 weeks. Best part was I could continue to run unless my foot was troubling me.

The Stretches:

30 Seconds x 2 Straight Leg
30 Seconds x 2 Bent Leg
Complete entirely on one leg before doing stretching other leg. I use a Yoga Belt bought from Target.

The next stretch uses a Rubber band she gave me. I'm sure they can be ordered off the Internet. The movement is diagonally towards you and out focusing on leading with the pinky toe. Start with 25 with a goal of getting up to 50 per foot. She said this induced blood circulation in my shins to help with the healing.

Finally, the old tennis ball or frozen ice bottle trick. Simply roll each foot for 3-5 minutes. I personally prefer rolling with a tennis ball because I feel like it gets all the nooks and crannies.

That's it. Its time consuming but worth it. I ran tonight without shin splints.

As far as my little foot injury, I have tried all sorts of stuff. It happened right as I was transitioning from a job where I wore gym shoes to a job where I had to wear dress shoes. I believe if I was still wearing gym shoes everyday, the foot injury would be healed by now. That being said, I mixed it up  quite a bit trying to get it to heal. I tried wearing my flats which did not work. They are too
minimalist. I tried heels only. Again, no luck. A vacation on the beach did not help. The sand certainly caused some stress. Tonight, I went to the mall and bought a couple pairs of old lady shoes that have no heel but lots of support and stability. Its function over fashion. I found them at Clark's with the help of the best sales associate ever who dug them out of the backroom. They weren't even on display, but knowing my wide foot, narrow heel, hurting foot woes, she found the perfect pair. I'm hoping the extra support for 8 hours a day, will get me happily on my way to Ultra Marathon training. Fingers Crossed!

Sunday Funday - Down Home Edition

Today's Sunday Funday was the first time we haven't been bundled up in a multitude of layers with our hats and gloves. The weather was perfect for our outdoor training. Shorts and a tank. Its been a while. My skin even has a nice reddish tint to it. Hello, Summer. How you have been missed.

I started following the Civilian Military Combine Training schedule on Tuesday. Its basically an 8 week work out schedule that is supposed to prep you for their competitions. So far, so good. I am really enjoying it and modifying where needed. Not doing it necessarily verbatim. On Monday, I picked up a 45 pound, 7 foot Olympic weight lifting bar for only $45 in a Home Depot parking lot from a guy selling it on Craig's List. Seriously, a good deal. At Play it Again Sports, they were around $100. This bar has been key in the training program. I'm in the process of buying weights for it, so in the mean time I've had to modify by wearing my weight vest for Maximum Effort Squats. I've also realized I'm going to have to get a squat rack. Of course, I have no idea where we'd would put it, but I'll worry about that the day I find one on Craig's List. Oh, I guess I should mention that I am not doing a CMC, but rather just following their schedule. It was designed by Brian Hawkins of NY Endurance, and you can read all about his cred's on the link at the beginning of the paragraph.

So, what did we do today? It was a fun one. And more importantly, a tough one. When it was all said and done, my right butt cheek tensed up. Never had the happen before. Kind of funny feeling. The attendees were me, Andrea, and Bridgid, who we are hoping will be a last minute addition to Team Shut It Down for the Spartan. We trained in my backyard, which turned out to be the perfect space for today's TOD. We dragged all of the equipment out of my basement and cranked up my Work out mix on the iPod Boom Box. (The weight was my own personal weight. We each do what we feel comfortable with)

Warm up
Bridgid Jacks
Jumping Jacks
Seal Jacks
Alpine Jacks

5 rounds
20 Step ups (Used leftover cinder blocks from our wall)
15 Push Presses (45 lbs)
10 Kettle Bell or Kettle Ball swings (depends on who you talk to) (35 lbs)
5 Burpees

For the second half, we did stations. Basically we rotated with completion of the tire flips being the trigger to switch.

15 minutes
Tire Flips up and down the yard
Walking lunges with Sand Bag (30 lbs)
Jump Rope

Next week, we'll be hitting the trails to get some trail running experience under our belt before the race. I send out Event invites on our Team Shut It Down page on Facebook. If you would like to join us, please message me. I can add you to the page.

I found a weight lifting journal in our home office, and have been using it to track my work outs and what I've been eating. Its definitely something I hope to keep up. Especially, when I begin training for my first Ultra Marathon (Mt. Airy Stone Steps 50k - Oct 27th) More on that once I officially start my training.

Earlier this week:

Saturday 3/30
10.2 Mile Run (No shin splints! and decided to train for Ultra)

Sunday 3/31
8 Hill Sprints (30 lb vest)
3.4 mile trail loop
8 Hill Sprints (30 lb vest)

Total Miles: 5.26
Total Time: 1:22:09

Wednesday 4/3
CMC Week 1, Day 1
Maximum Effort Back Squats (45lb bar plus 30 lb weight vest)
8, 5, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2

3 Rounds as fast as possible
25m Bear Crawl (crawled up and back my basement floor with Jon dodging a growling bear)
25m Crab Crawl (Jon dodging my pinchers.)
25 Kettle Bell Swings (20 lbs)
12 Kettle Bell Press, each arm (20 lbs)

Bonus: 25 Split Jerks

Thursday 4/4
CMC 1:2
12 Minutes - As many Rounds as Possible (AMRAP)
5 Thrusters (45 lbs)
10 Push ups
15 Sit ups

Results: 6 and 2/3, but finished out.

Friday 4/5
CMC 1:3
Strength: Squats ME
8, 5, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2 (45 lbs + 30lb weight vest)

As Fast As Possible
21 - 15 - 9 reps
Dead lifts
Burpees

Results:
2:45
2:09
1:14

Saturday 4/6
5 Minute Jump Rope warm up

CMC 1:4
8 min AMRAP
10 Turkish Get ups (12 lbs)
10 Kettle Bell Cleans (25lb free hand)
10 Kettle Bell Swings (35 lbs)

Results: 2 rounds + about 2-3 Turkish Get ups. I cannot keep count of these to save my life. The exercise takes too long so too many thoughts go through my head before the next rep.

3.4 mile poorly ran trail loop. Luckily a bad trail run is always a good hike.

Well, that's it. This week I begin week 2 of the CMC schedule. And 3 weeks til the big race!

This was brought up today, and may be the new weekly cool down.

Back in the Saddle

March has come in like a lion. Jon and I are in the midst of a kitchen remodel which has our entire house turned upside down. I put in my resignation the day before my 8 year anniversary with Bones, with my final day Feb 28, and starting my new career at Merrill Lynch on March 4th. At Bones my wardrobe consisted of sweatpants, t-shirts, and gym shoes. Needless to say I had to buy all new clothes. From jackets, to shirts, to trouser socks, to panty hose, to shoes, and more. The best part of the necessary shopping spree was I found that I am a solid size 4, no longer a 6 to 8. Oh, and my weight is the same. I'm just denser, less pounds per square inch. I also had to get with the 21st century and buy a phone that did not flip open. Yay! Finally! Needless to say the past 4+ weeks or so have been a whirlwind. No need to go into it. Although, I will say, I am happy. I had been ready for change for a long time with my old job. I realize this sounds ridiculous, but I thank Spartan for ripping my butt out of that office chair. When I began training about a year ago, I found a happiness, a satisfaction in my life. I wanted that feeling in all things I did, so a career move was necessary. And I'm there. My new career is challenging with endless possibilities. Woo Hoo! So that's that. In a nutshell.

So I am back in the saddle. Well, not entirely, but I'm finally getting back into the groove. Figuring out my schedule and what works. The kitchen is almost done. I went to the podiatrist with the diagnosis simply being extreme stiffness. The following week I went to the Physical Therapist, and she instructed me on stretches to do twice a day. I'm a week in, and my shins are feeling better. I was so happy to find the two are related. So, the stretches will help with both my Plantar Fasciitis and Shin splints.

I raced the Arnold's Survival Race March 2nd. It was a pretty lame course and not one that I would race again. It was snowing so there was no water. The course basically went around an outdoor sports complex so the terrain was extremely boring. We were in a strip of woods for maybe 100 yards. It was flat, which was a little expected since it was in Columbus. And the course was fast. Meaning, a runner's course. I'm not a fast runner, so I didn't expect to place well. I figured the fastest woman would be around 25 minutes. Turns out the fastest was 24ish minutes. I did place first in my heat. And Jon, my voice of reason, made the point that had I raced faster women in my heat, my time would have improved. I'm a competitor runner just going fast enough to keep my lead. Overall I place 7th, with a time around 28 minutes.

My recent workouts:

Saturday:
My 3.4 mile trail loop with 3 pits stops:
1. 100 Walking lunges
2. 100 Squats
3. 100 Walking lunges

Core Circuit

Sunday:
40 lb, 1 mile ruck up to the park
(No room to work out in the house so I had to take my 20lb weights to the park)

I don't have the notes on my circuit, but it was 8 moves, 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off. Then, the march home.

Monday:
Rest

Tuesday:
3.4 mile trail run

With rock dug out of creek (it was either go home and do taxes or keep working out):
15 deadlifts, press, slam
Sprint
20 Burpees
Sprint
15 Chest Throws
x2

And in upcoming news:

Spartan Race will have a Representative at Go Native Fit on Saturday, March 23 from 10am-Noon. Come by, get info on the April 27th Sprint in Indiana, take your picture with the Spartan Race Car and have a chance to win some cool SWAG!!! While your there you can partake in the Burpee Competition for a race entry. Oh, and maybe get in a work out. $20 for the class. Highly recommended. Ryan is an awesome trainer and has kicked my ass plenty in the past. Hopefully, I'll see you there!

Sunday Funday - Whoop 'em Warrior Style

Yesterday was our third week of Spartan Spring training. It was only Andrea and I at White Oak Middle School. I foresee us doing some serious Chicking at the Spartan Race since the boys don't seem to want to come out and play. I am also awarding Andrea the imaginary Despite Days of Soreness I Keep Coming Back for More Spartan Award. Aroo!

Since it was at WOMS we definitely worked some hill sprints into the TOD. The rest was interval training with our DIY sandbags. Again, this is an easy one to do from home. And making a sandbag is super easy. There are lots of YouTube videos on this. Basically, get a heavy duty duffle bag. I bought both the laundry bag and a water tight bag from the military surplus store. They were a few bucks each. Fill contractor bags with your choice of weight in sand. You can do bags in 10lb increments or one big bag. Double bag it and tape the hell out of it. Insert said sandbags into duffel bags and tie it up. I also rigged handles on mine with rope. My 20lb bag is actually just a 20lb bag of charcoal. So feel free to get creative with your weight media.

Whoop 'em Warrior Style TOD

5-8 Hill Sprints

3 Rounds of intervals with 45 seconds on and 15 second rest

1. Squat to Press
2. Jump Front to back over bag (Switched to just jumping forward on the lawn because jumping backwards over something can be dangerous)
3. Rows
4. Jump side to side over bag
5. Walking lunges with bag on shoulder switching it up about half way
6. Burpees
7. Chest Presses laying on ground
8. Sit up with bag on chest

5-8 Hill Sprints

Side note: Super proud of Andrea. She could have stopped at 5 hill sprints on both rounds, but dug deep and knocked out 6 for each. Aroo!

The Hurt Bank

Inside my head there resides a little place I call the Hurt Bank. Its not a place to get a loan or refinance a house, but deals strictly in deposits and withdrawals. Deposits are made in the form of pain. Pain when running up stadium stairs and feeling like I need to vomit at the top. Pain when my shoulders are burning doing bilateral raises with free weights and walking lunges. Pain when I catch myself walking up the big hill on my trail loop and forcing myself to pick up the pace. Despite the pain, the burning, and the aches, I fight through it. Why? All of those little deposits add up, and I'll be drawing on them come race day. Each deposit gets me a little farther, a little faster, and a little stronger for each race. I remind myself of this when I need a little boost. I put myself at the finish line of an upcoming race fueling on the amazing feeling of accomplishment, and I push through. I make deposits in my Hurt Bank. First race of the season is March 2nd. In the meantime, I'll be saving up.

Thursday 2/7/2013 TOD:
Go Native Fit

Friday 2/8/2013 TOD:
Entire body was sore with the exception of my core, so core circuit it was. Followed by an Epson Salt Bath. That stuff is magical.

What do I Wear?

Always either the first or second question from a rookie OCRer. The other always being "How do I train?"

I am going to share with you what I wear when racing. This is just what has worked or not worked for me, and it has been a work in progress.

 

There are 2 Golden Rules:

With permission from Liz

1. DO NOT WEAR COTTON! - It absorbs water, will weigh you down, and my friend Liz can back up the fact (no pun intended) that it rips extremely easily.

2. WEAR TRAIL SHOES. - Only follow this rule if you think you will be serious about the sport of OCR, trail running, or you have excessive discretionary income. I have spent a ton of money on trail shoes. You could call it a trail shoe fetish. My posts on trail shoes are Here and Here. Otherwise, wear old gym shoes, but expect poor traction and lots of sliding.

Other Rules, (We'll call them Silver Rules): Do not wear jewelry. Not even worth losing it. I advise against make up also. Even wearing water proof mascara I have found that it ends ups dripping into my eyes and burning. I also wear a bandanna when I expect to be sweating. Again, just keeping the sweat/salt out of my eyes.

 

Summer Weather:

August Mudahlon



Seriously the easiest weather to dress in for a race. So your wondering, if not cotton, then what? Going naked would hurt, especially if you got hung up on a barbed wire crawl. So,Spandex. Yep, spandex. I wear a Tank top I got from Target last year that my brother printed Spartan Chick on it and Nike Pro Combat shorts. I prefer my clothes to be on the tight side. I've raced in a loose Tee Shirt and once wet, it was bothersome to run in. My socks are also not cotton. I race in these socks in the Aqua and Pink. I like them because they rise above my ankle to help keep rock and silt out of my shoes. They are also a very light sock, so when they get wet it doesn't feel like I'm running on a gym mat. And quite frankly they feel like my feet are getting constant hugs. I love them. Oh, and they are marked for which foot the sock goes on. When I first put them on I thought the "R" was for "Run." Then I noticed the "L" sock.

Early Spring/Late Fall Weather (40's):



TM: Can you tell I'm freezing?



This is when it gets tricky. My learning experience for dressing for this weather was the KY Tough Mudder. It was October, 40 degrees, overcast, and cold. I wore Under Armour (UA) Cold Compression Tights, my Spartan Chick Tank, a UA Cold Compression Mock, and our 'Team' UA Heat Compression shirt. It was too much. First, I felt my tights retained too much water around my shins and ankles. You can tell in the picture by the amount of mud that sits around my ankles and shins. They are longer, so this may be the issue. Second, on top, I simply had too many layers on so all of the water stayed against my skin instead of wicking away. I learned that less is more.





MW Super: Happy!





The following weekend was the Midwest Super Spartan. I had to dress for the same exact weather, although thankfully the sun was shining in Illinois. I changed my strategy and my clothes. First, I wore UA Heat Gear Compression Capri's. I found that the heat gear is thinner and so the water will drain right off. Also, capri's prevented water and mud from gathering around my ankles. On top, I still wore my Spartan Chick Tank It has become my race day talisman. My little good luck charm. Athletes are the most superstitious people I know. When I played B-ball I had a little Frog charm that I kept on my bag. Before each game I kissed it for good luck. Weird, but superstitions are a habit of athletes. And then a UA Cold Compression Mock. This combo worked like a charm.

Texas Traverse

In Texas for the Spartan Beast, the temperature was in the 50's at the start. I wore my UA Heat Gear Capri's and my Spartan Tank. I spent pre-race in a long sleeve shirt to stay warm. I debated keeping it on during the race, but I was happy I shed it. I warmed up pretty quickly and especially near the end of my race approaching late afternoon. I was also going back and forth between shorts and capri's before knowing the weather. If it was warmer, I still would have worn my capri's because of the terrain. Texas is rockier and they have cacti. I wanted to protect my knees as much as possible.

My next race is March 2. Only Mother Nature knows what's in store for that day. If it gets colder than 40, I'll let you know ahead of time my plans.

Tips:

• Always dress for 10 degrees warmer. This will account for you body warming up as you race. Strip off your extra layers right before you race.
• If your core is warm, then your extremities will stay warm.
• I wore gloves and a hat only for the TM and only for the last third of the race when I could get them from Jon. I took them off when doing an obstacle so I could keep them dry. In a colder race, I will most likely wear a hat. I train in a hat made from Alpaca wool which is super warm and naturally wicks water (Alpacas don't melt in the rain).  
• Train outside in all weather to acclimate your body to the season. Team Shut It Down's Sunday Fundays are held outside for this reason. This goes for both summer and winter. Feel how your body functions in race weather. Not too mention an outdoor workout trumps an indoor workout always.
• I even wear spandex UA Undies. They're black, you can always see my undie lines, and they give me one more layer of protection from mud going in places that the sun don't shine.
• TJ Maxx and Marshalls are your wallet's best friend. They have a Hind and a Layer 8 brand that are much cheaper (< $20) and equally good for races. I have also found my more expensive Nike and UA gear there. Don't shop at Dick's or even Target. Go to TJ's or Marshalls.
• Make sure your pants are tight or have a draw string. No one likes a droopy crotch.
• When in doubt, look at past race's pictures to see what others wore at that time of year. I've done this plenty of times.

If I have left anything out, which I'm sure I have, let me know. Or if you still have no idea what to wear, let me know. I would be more than happy to help.
Tuesday TOD:
Evening: Go Native Fit

Wednesday:
Morning:

You know you're a Spartan Chick when you have to call your husband while on your way into work to tell him that you did not poop your pants, but rather you were doing sit ups in a particularly muddy patch of earth and they needed to air dry on the kitchen chair before going into the hamper.

Kept my tally in the snow.

Evening:

Go Native Fit

The Beyonce Kettle Bell 500

So what does Beyonce have to do with Kettle Bells? Easy. She did the second half of a Turkish Get Up in 6 inch high heels last night during her half time show. Respect. It took me forever to figure out how to do one in gym shoes and I certainly cannot even walk in 6 inch heels. I was inspired. After the half time show I wrote up a list of 10 exercises with 50 reps each. I ended up changing my Turkish Get Ups to Snatches after quickly realizing I cannot do them with my 20lb KB. (I now realize after watching the YouTube video below I was once again doing them wrong. Duh) I will be working on that.

The Beyonce Kettle Bell 500 TOD (20lb KB)

50 KB Swings
50 Bicep Curls (Struggled with these. Must work on puny biceps)
50 Side Bends
50 Crunches with KB on chest
50 Russian Ab Twists
50 Sumo Squat with high pull
50 One handed KB Swings
50 Tri Rows
50 Reverse Lunges
50 Snatches

I would not challenge this chick to a fight.