Give in to shin splints? Never!

You know that runners never find solace during a necessary visit to an orthopedic physician.

As I’ve mentioned previously, my shins haven’t reacted well to my rather rapid escalation in training mileage. It now appears that my training zeal can be chalked up as another case of no good deed going unpunished.

Last week I wrote about having completed the Ladiga Half Marathon, which I viewed as another milestone on the path to competing in February’s Mount Cheaha 50K. But now it appears that in my rush to prepare for that grueling event, I may have sidestepped common training wisdom.

I’ve run 12-15 miles comfortably for several years and thought — foolishly, it turns out — that doubling my mileage in three weeks wasn’t out of the realm of practicality. My local running peers had warned me not to increase my mileage by more than 10 percent a week, but I paid them no heed. My conscious decision to play the role of anomaly turned out to be a painful one.

During this spike in training over the past two months, the discomfort in my left shin has only worsened, eventually reaching the point where a tinge of dread preceded each run. What’s ensued over this period is a weekly pattern of great run, decent long run, and the oh-my-God-please-stop-the-aching-in-my-leg jog.

I don’t know about you, but running for me provides a joy, a sense of purpose, akin to a passion that flows from a stream I like constantly to bathe in, and when the ability to reach that much desired state of endorphin-induced nirvana is jeopardized, my emotional and physical state goes to pieces.

Although I initially rejected good judgment and continued to compete and train hard, eventually my body and mind ended this foolish charade by imposing upon me an embarrassing post-run limp. I can still envision my wife’s reaction last weekend as she observed me cautiously navigating the three steps leading down the walkway to our front door. A pitiful sight it must have been for her to endure; her knight in shining armor riding a horse destined for the glue factory!

I relented to sane judgment and decided to take a week off from pounding the trails after the Ladiga Run. However, what I believe to be the unholy combination of advanced age and the severity of my condition precluded my complete healing, even after seven days removed from competition.

So, I called up Dr. Buddy Vandervoort, a friend and respected local orthopedic specialist. In addition to being a fine man and physician, Buddy pursues athletic endeavors including running, which was a big reason for selecting him. The only other doctors I know who are competitive runners are urologists, and fortunately for me the discomfort I’m currently experiencing hasn’t migrated into their area of expertise.
Buddy asked me a series of questions, checked my right knee, and then inspected my left leg, checking for any possible areas of painful sensitivity.

After being bombarded with a mild dose of radiation during a brief visit to the X-ray lab, I met Buddy back in the examination room so that he could look at a black-and-white caricature of my left tibia. He ruled out a possible stress fracture, saying that more than likely I was suffering from tibial periostitis, better known as “shin splints.”

The primary cause of tibial periostitis is mechanical: The attachment of a calf muscle to the tibia or the shin bone is strained because of the pounding of running, Buddy explained. This can be made worse by a sudden increase in the duration or intensity of running, he added.

He said my condition would best be treated with adequate rest and graduated resumption of exercise. Basically, I was told by a professional to leave my running shoes in the gym locker until the first of the year.

But never fear — my attitude is not to let injuries prevent me from moving forward in my quest, so I’m now cross-training more intensely than ever. I’ve found that the elliptical machine is a good substitute for running, sans the continual pounding and punishment of the leg joints. Riding the recumbent bike at a high level creates a burn in the quadriceps that has to be beneficial in strengthening one’s legs.

Last, but certainly not least, I purchased a set of goggles and took up swimming at the local YMCA pool. For those of you who don’t believe swimming is a total conditioning exercise, just jump in the pool and swim a few laps. You’ll quickly find out that it may be the very best method of building lung power. It didn’t take long to become winded swimming pool laps after a multi-year layoff.

My goal now is to become a stronger runner than I was before my injury, and I feel this new training regimen has forced me far enough outside of my comfort zone for me to achieve that. And if I can’t make the Feb. 25 date with destiny, then there will be plenty of other opportunities to test my physical limits next year.