Long time no blog!

This has been one of the craziest and most stressful months of my life, no doubt. I don't even know where to start.

I had to take a full 10 days off to get rid of the knee and hip pain. The good news is that it's GONE. And the shin splints - gone. I have no leg pain whatsoever and that is very odd for me. I'm not sure if it was the extended rest or the new shoes, but something worked! I haven't been running my full schedule...since taking the 10 days off I'm finding it hard to run more than 5 miles at a time. My legs are a-ok but my chest feels like I'm going to have a heart attack. I am having some personal issues on the home front and as a result I haven't been able to eat or sleep normally (I've even lost 5 pounds, and typically my weight doesn't fluctuate more than a pound). It's very stressful. If I can't pull off at least a 15 miler (ideally 20) this weekend then I'm going to skip the Detroit Marathon. I just won't be mentally or physically ready. But I'm certainly going to try, so this weekend will be a deal maker or breaker for me. Ahhhh, the pressure.

My sweet, loving, wonderful daughter decided a couple of weeks ago that I didn't need my beloved Product Red, 2gb Ipod shuffle anymore, and so unbeknownst to me, she chucked it out of the bike buggy during a ride and now it's history. Grrrr...one more hurdle for my shitty September. After stewing about that for nearly a week, I now have a fresh sassy green 2gb shuffle (and $70 less in the purse) so I shall carry on. :)

And now for some happy news...
At the beginning of this month I was given the opportunity to read Dean Karnazes 50/50 book. AMAAAAAAAAAAAZING! What a book! Ted graciously decided to share his copy with the blogging community, and I received it from Progman. My job is now to pass it along to the next interested blogger. The first interested reader to leave me a comment requesting the book will get the honor. It's an incredible book and thank you Ted and Paul for allowing me the opportunity to read it.

I vow to no longer neglect my blog from this point forward. Stress or no stress. Running or no running.

My purse is $115 lighter today

Thank you all for your comments on yesterdays post. I decided that getting new shoes was probably the most logical thing to do. I've had injury issues ever since I got my Mizunos and I am blaming them. So after going to Runners (I would LOVE to link their store, but I can't find their website. Poo.) yesterday evening and then back again today, and after trying on probably 10 different pair of shoes and driving the wonderful salesman crazazy (I assume)...I found some! I ended up with a pair of Asics Kayano 14's.















The minute I tried them on I loved them. I just hope they are the right shoes for me and my issues go away. The Detroit Free Press Marathon is less than 7 weeks away. Yikes!

Oh and if you are in the Mt. Pleasant or Bay City, MI area I highly recommend going to Runners. I have had help from several different salesmen there and they are all VERY knowledgeable and friendly. :)

Injuries

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I'm certainly not doing everything right.

I've had shin splints for a while now. Probably since this spring when I got back into regular running. I ice. I elevate. I rest. I repeat. They eventually go away during the run but are always there in the beginning. Nothing curbs them, until recently when I put orthotics into my shoes. The shin splint pain has either lessened, or it pales into comparison to my new injuries.

About three weeks ago my right front lower leg muscle (I always forget what it's called) has been inflamed and giving me grief to the point of cancelling a few runs. I followed the suggestions given to me by the coach at Runners and I think it's getting better. The orthotics seem to help with this as well...the pain is still there but it has been lessened.

Enter September, and my new point of pain: The Left Knee. Not to be outdone by The Left Hip, who is also making her presence known. Last night's 5ish miles turned into two limped laps around the track before I called it quits. My knee feels like it needs to pop, and my hip feels like it's going to snap. Is this my IT band? I researched but didn't find anything that clearly describes what I have going on. The knee pain is in the inside...if you were facing me, it'd be at 10pm on my kneecap clock. :)

I stretch regularly. I ice and do ice baths after my long runs. I take ibuprofen. I only workout 3-4 days per week, so I have plenty of full rest days. I hydrate. I warm up. I cool down. I gradually increase my mileage. I don't run on concrete.

What am I missing??

I'm also wondering if it could be my shoes. They have close to 300 miles on them and I was told they should last for 500, but I honestly have no idea if they still have "life" because I am ALWAYS RUNNING IN PAIN. Perhaps they are the wrong size? I've been told that I overpronate and have high arches. Maybe I should just get a different pair of shoes...?

So frustrating.

I am open to ANY suggestions or hypotheses.

PS: Sorry for the whine ass post. ;)