You might notice in my workout chart that as the week goes on the running comes to a complete stop. I’m officially side lined at the moment with left leg shin pain. The issue was brought on by ice skating not running. My shins were always a little sore after ice skating, but never as badly as when I started taking ice skating lessons. I’m not going to diagnose myself and declare I have shin splints because I really don’t know. I could walk with little pain and I could even run, but the pain after running scared me enough to finally cool it. I thought the elliptical was a reasonable solution, but then the discomfort began to bother me when I wasn’t working out. So I’m currently taking a break from everything.

I’m trying to look at the bright side of things. I have 11 days until the half marathon in Vermont. I feel a marked decrease in discomfort today. I am listening to my body and hopefully doing the right things to ensure a speedy recovery.

I have stopped ice skating. I was disappointed to have to cut the lessons short, but I am 100% certain that it is what initiated the problem. I hope to return to the lessons next year because I really enjoyed them and learned a lot in just a few lessons.

As with my rib injury last fall I have reached out to my local herbalist. I’m taking a Complete Tissue & Bone supplement and a calcium supplement. I’m also drinking a mineral tea 2-3 times a day. I haven’t exercised since Saturday. Today is the first day I’ve felt a real improvement. I have had almost no pain. However, I am really feeling a strange apprehension toward running. I miss it a lot. I am anxious to start running again, but there is a whisper of a voice inside of me telling me to wait a few more days. So I’m going to listen to my body.

I plan to go to the gym in the morning while Carlos is at school. There are plenty of other activities I can do without aggravating my shin. Whenever I take time off from planned exercise it is difficult to get back into it. Losing momentum seems to make me lose motivation. I think just being back at the gym tomorrow will help my mood.

If the pain was increasing with the addition of my home remedies then I would make an appointment to see my doctor and have the leg X-rayed. My goal is to be active in the most healthy way possible. I do not intend on doing anything that will cause ongoing injury or additional injuries. I welcome any comments on shin injuries, shin pain or helpful treatments.

*I am not a doctor. I am writing about my personal experience. If you are experiencing pain, running related or other, you should seek medical attention.