I've got shin splints. I've had them off and on since about February, when I wore a pair of sneakers that had an arch that was all wrong for me for about three days. Those sneakers seriously messed with my left leg -- wicked blister on my arch, shin and calf pain, all the way up to my knee. At first I thought I was just having trouble breaking them in, but it was pretty obvious the way the ailments just kept creeping up my leg that it was the wrong kind of shoe.

I bought a new pair of shoes and the pain started to go away. I then went on vacation and didn't run for a week, and when I got back things were fine... at first. Then I started the boxing classes, which include multiple sessions of jumping rope. Rope jumping can put a lot of strain on your lower legs and I definitely wasn't diligent enough about stretching my calves before and after class. Result -- shin splints and eventually ridiculous calf pain.

I actually was pretty worried about the calf pain for a while there, thinking I might have torn or pulled the muscle. Turns out there were just these absolutely enormous knots in my calf muscles. Like, disgustingly huge. I had TS work on them for me over a series of a few nights, which included my first heating them with a hot water bottle, taking advil, and then yelping in pain. But it totally worked. I hadn't realized, but all those months my calves were never loose, even just walking around during the day. I had forgotten what it was like to have un-flexed muscles. My calf pain has not returned since.

The shin splints, however, have stuck around. Because of canceled classes and my trips out of town, there were a few weeks there where I didn't make it to boxing class. I still was running during that time, but for the most part the pain in my shin was pretty minor... just a dull ache that would go away after running. I started back up with the boxing classes, but after my shins hurt like hell again, decided I needed to skip rope jumping and just do the bike during those exercises. I bought new sneakers (again) with even more arch support because it's apparent that I over-pronate, and then started back up with the rope jumping. The first class was fine. Second class went pretty well too. Third class, my shins were a little sore after class, but I had been able to make it through the jump rope sessions no problem. First run after that third class, pain.

I'm 90% sure my problem is that I am not letting it completely heal, but just letting it heal enough that it doesn't hurt right away. I'm jumping right back into my full workouts, rather than easing into them like I should be. I don't think my shin splints have ever healed since the problem first appeared in February, because I've never taken more than a week off, and even then I still tell myself running just 2 miles won't be that bad. Being a high school and college athlete, I got used to playing/running through the pain... you use heat and ice, take Advil, and you heal during the off-season. Well, there's no off-season anymore. I kinda forgot that.

So, for the next three weeks, I am banning myself from running and boxing. And I am actually quite sad about it, especially boxing. I've gotten into such a habit of getting to the gym 4-5 times a week, that the weeks I only go three times I feel lazy. But I need to fix this problem for good... not temporary fixes that just lead to pain a few days later. I really want to run the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler next spring and I need to be able to start my training in mid-January, pain free. So, no running and no boxing it is.

My plan is to still go to the gym 4-5 times a week, if possible. For the first week, I am just going to alternate doing upper body strength work, lower body strength and ab work, and yoga. After that, I am going to try spinning (some resources say it can be done in place of running when you have shin splints, but I've also read that it can cause shin splints, so we'll see how that goes), and add in some plyometrics that do not put stress on my lower legs. It's not going to be the same as a good cardio workout, but it will have to do. If anyone has any tips for other exercises I can do (no access to a pool), or ways to prevent future shin splints, I am open to suggestions.