Marathon Weekly Update

Superfeet and Gu

I can't get in to see my doctor (I finally figured out who she was) for a month so I decided to slap together a little home remedy for the 'ole shin splints. It consists of heating and stretching before exercise, orthotic insoles during exercise, and icing and ibuprofen after exercise. I made a trip to my beloved Sports Basement on my way home from work yesterday to pick up the necessary supplies. I paid $30 for Superfeet to help "absorb shock and properly align my feet and body," which is much less than the $300 I paid for custom fit orthotics five years ago.

I excitedly opened the package last night and admired the lime green inserts that were going to become my feet and legs' new best friend. I carefully read the instructions on how to cut them to fit into my shoes and their suggestions for "easing" into wearing them. They tell you to wear them for 2 hours the first day, 4 the second, 6 the next, and so on until you are up to a full day. You are also supposed to give your feet and muscles 10 days to adjust to their new support.

Did I listen to any of that advice - NO! I cut them to fit my shoes and wore them out for the first time on today's 7 mile run. Now, most normal people would think running farther than ever before would be enough of a milestone for one day, but not me. No, I needed to fix my shin splints at the same time. I have to say that my shins didn't hurt while running, nor do they now. My arches are a bit pissy with me. I developed some nice blisters and decided that icing them along with my achilles and right shin would probably make them a wee bit happier. I don't know that it really made all that much difference, but I feel better knowing that I tried. I plan on sticking to biking on my crosstraining days until I know that the shin splints are gone. And, one of my running mates offered me free entrance to the YMCA to do some water running as a non-impact alternative.

Besides the arch/shin splint struggle I also added Gu to my regimen. For those of you who do not run or every need a quick kick of carbohydrates you may not have heard of this viscous stuff. It comes in individual packets or large jugs that you can pour into a squeeze bottle. It is the consistency of honey and comes in flavors such as triple berry, mango, espresso, and plain. There are many brands out there and I brought home individual packets in chocolate from each brand to see if I like the taste of one better than the others. I chose plain for my first foray into Gu-dom.

I have to say that I was a bit cynical about the Gu, even though Andy assured me that I would need it. I was even more cynical when I started to eat it. If you have ever eaten a spoonful of honey you will know what I'm talking about. Now imagine two or three spoonfuls of honey. I drank lots of water to wash it down and spread it out over almost a mile. For all of my cynicism, it works. I finished the run with more energy that I had during the first half and was in high spirits during stretching and all the way home. Gu is good!

7 miles down in 1hr 21min and I felt great (minus the arches), kept my group together, and got a big high-five for our time from Coach Scott. Man, I'm good at this.

posted by Heidi @ 2:21 PM