Friday, March 12, 2010

We are not impressed! Signed, Your Shins

After my first two runs, I noticed a dull ache in my shins. This led me to do two things. One, skip my planned third run of the week, and two, head to the nearest google site to plan my next move. As it turns out, while my warm up was fine, I was not stretching as much as I should be. Oops. According to the almighty internet, this is a common thing among new runners, and it's such a relief to know that I am just as stupid as everybody else. Most websites also mentioned proper footwear, which I thought I had, until I started to think back. I remember working out with my then new shoes in the Gritty Grotto at the UofM. For those of you who have no idea what that means, it puts the age of my runners at 7 years. At least. They may be older. I have been trying to run in decrepit shoes. The silver lining in all of this is that I was smart enough to stop before I actually hurt myself, and I get new shoes. Maybe I can find pink ones, which would make me giddy.

Does all of this mean I was inactive this week? Hell no! I still have a bike tour to worry about. I am just doing an extra session on the bike and letting my shins get better so I can pound the hell out of them next week. My bike training has actually been going really well. I have incorporated hill workouts, and my average speed for them is between 33 and 35km/hr. My regular speed, on a flat surface is around 23km/hr. I know that my average speed will decrease when I start training outdoors, but I can't wait to get my new bike, get outside and just go! I continue to increase the length of my endurance session, and tomorrow I plan to ride for 65 minutes. The other members at my gym must feel so honoured, what with getting to watch my sweaty shirt turn a different colour, then seeing me walk like I've been riding a horse for 3 days. Life doesn't get any better than that really.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

... makes me so proud to see the hard work you are doing Cara. Mostly, it's beating the procrastination illness that makes me more proud. I too deal with this friend named procrastination. It's won a lot in the last 6 months. Auntie Paula

Rachel said...

The image of you getting off your bike after a long ride made me giggle out loud, for a very long time, in a [quiet] room full of customers. Thank you for that. :)