Comments on: Overtrained and Underbrained http://smarterfitter.com/blog/2008/09/15/overtrained-and-underbrained/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:58:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: monica http://smarterfitter.com/blog/2008/09/15/overtrained-and-underbrained/comment-page-1/#comment-1150 monica Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:55:56 +0000 http://smarterfitter.com/blog/2008/09/15/overtrained-and-underbrained/#comment-1150 Jason - this is reassuring. I'm glad I'm not alone. Six weeks SOUNDS like a long time but I guess it really isn't in the grand scheme of things. I tried that stretch - nice! I will add it to my usual line-up of down dogs and forward bends. Interesting point about the shoes - not so much an issue in the pool :) but a good thing to look out for. Now that you mention it, tight shoes is something I've experienced while hiking... I have a bad habit of lacing my boots too tight which I only notice after an hour or so of walking. Now I try to keep things pretty roomy in the boot itself, but snugger around the ankle. The feet swell during a long hike and this gives them some extra growing room. Thanks for your feedback, Jason! Jason – this is reassuring. I’m glad I’m not alone. Six weeks SOUNDS like a long time but I guess it really isn’t in the grand scheme of things. I tried that stretch – nice! I will add it to my usual line-up of down dogs and forward bends. Interesting point about the shoes – not so much an issue in the pool :) but a good thing to look out for. Now that you mention it, tight shoes is something I’ve experienced while hiking… I have a bad habit of lacing my boots too tight which I only notice after an hour or so of walking. Now I try to keep things pretty roomy in the boot itself, but snugger around the ankle. The feet swell during a long hike and this gives them some extra growing room. Thanks for your feedback, Jason!

]]> By: Jason http://smarterfitter.com/blog/2008/09/15/overtrained-and-underbrained/comment-page-1/#comment-1149 Jason Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:23:46 +0000 http://smarterfitter.com/blog/2008/09/15/overtrained-and-underbrained/#comment-1149 I got this same pain a few years ago when I first started running. Tried to do too much too soon. At that point it was really only a couple of miles at a time I think. But it was on concrete at a park. I remember it happening. It literally hit me like bricks and I collapsed and couldn't walk on my legs for several minutes. After sitting on the ground rubbing my shins for a few minutes I limped back to my car and went home. It really didn't feel like a muscle pain, it felt like the bone had all of the pain in it, like it was bruised or maybe a small fracture. I was told (not by a doctor mind you) that this was shin splints and was common and would go away eventually and would have been prevented by proper stretching, blah blah ok. The pain eased up but every time I tried running again it flared back up. Even starting back up very slowly and only doing a little bit on a soft treadmill, no good. Even taking a few days, even a week or so off, no good. It wasn't until I decided to just stop for a few weeks (like 6 I think) and let it heal that it finally went away. I haven't had it again. A few things I believe helped prevent it from happening again. Obviously not doing too much too quick is first and foremost. Second, I noticed in the days/weeks after I first got the pain and tried running again that I may have had my shoes too tightly laced. Sounds silly, but feeling around for where all the leg muscles attach down at your foot it makes sense. I loosened up the laces a bit (a lot) and felt a ton better, it really did help (I did tie my laces _really_ tight before). I've kept my laces tied at a point where I can just take my shoes on and off without untying, and that's the sweet spot for me (ymmv). Last is the stretching. On top of the usual stretches they always tell you to do, I found one stretch that helps my ankle and shin immensely and I do it religiously now and I believe it helps me more than anything else. With your foot (say your right foot) pointed in front of you (say that's 12 o'clock), pivot it around keeping your toes on the ground so it's pointing to about 9 o'clock and really stretch it right there. That should feel great on the lower leg. Do that and hold it a few times on each leg in conjunction with a toe/foot lifting stretch (and of course all your other leg stretches). I typically do it again after a mile or so of easy warm up before moving onto faster running to make sure those muscles are nice and loose and warm. I'll add that it's kind of hard to do that stretch without shoes on. That's helped me anyway, thought I'd share. Do take it easy for a while though, no matter what else you do. Good luck! I got this same pain a few years ago when I first started running. Tried to do too much too soon. At that point it was really only a couple of miles at a time I think. But it was on concrete at a park. I remember it happening. It literally hit me like bricks and I collapsed and couldn’t walk on my legs for several minutes. After sitting on the ground rubbing my shins for a few minutes I limped back to my car and went home. It really didn’t feel like a muscle pain, it felt like the bone had all of the pain in it, like it was bruised or maybe a small fracture. I was told (not by a doctor mind you) that this was shin splints and was common and would go away eventually and would have been prevented by proper stretching, blah blah ok. The pain eased up but every time I tried running again it flared back up. Even starting back up very slowly and only doing a little bit on a soft treadmill, no good. Even taking a few days, even a week or so off, no good. It wasn’t until I decided to just stop for a few weeks (like 6 I think) and let it heal that it finally went away.

I haven’t had it again. A few things I believe helped prevent it from happening again. Obviously not doing too much too quick is first and foremost. Second, I noticed in the days/weeks after I first got the pain and tried running again that I may have had my shoes too tightly laced. Sounds silly, but feeling around for where all the leg muscles attach down at your foot it makes sense. I loosened up the laces a bit (a lot) and felt a ton better, it really did help (I did tie my laces _really_ tight before). I’ve kept my laces tied at a point where I can just take my shoes on and off without untying, and that’s the sweet spot for me (ymmv). Last is the stretching. On top of the usual stretches they always tell you to do, I found one stretch that helps my ankle and shin immensely and I do it religiously now and I believe it helps me more than anything else. With your foot (say your right foot) pointed in front of you (say that’s 12 o’clock), pivot it around keeping your toes on the ground so it’s pointing to about 9 o’clock and really stretch it right there. That should feel great on the lower leg. Do that and hold it a few times on each leg in conjunction with a toe/foot lifting stretch (and of course all your other leg stretches). I typically do it again after a mile or so of easy warm up before moving onto faster running to make sure those muscles are nice and loose and warm. I’ll add that it’s kind of hard to do that stretch without shoes on.

That’s helped me anyway, thought I’d share. Do take it easy for a while though, no matter what else you do. Good luck!

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