Ring out the old, ring in the new

Instead of spending the first minutes of the new year racing through Central Park at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, I rang in the new year in stereotypical fashion: with a plastic flute filled with cheap champagne in one hand and a blow horn in the other. 2011 may not have started as anticipated but I am determined to finish it according to plan.

I knew my plans were muddled when I began to experience pain in my shin the week before Christmas. Initially I wasn’t too concerned since I often experience a dull ache in my shin around this time of year – which I attribute to increased running on pavement and workouts on the indoor track. However, unlike years past the pain continued to increase until I realized it just didn’t make sense to try to run through it anymore. After a solid week off from all activity, I commenced running again, almost pain-free. Three weeks of interrupted training later I think I am finally ready to resume working out. (And just in time for the boatload of snow that was dumped on Hanover and the rest of the northeast today.)

From a glass-half-full perspective this has been the first hiccup that I have experienced since joining In the Arena. During that time I have ramped up the quality and quantity of training considerably compared to what I used to do, and this has given me a lot of confidence that I can handle this type of work.

Of course, it is all the more frustrating when you are unable to do the one thing that you focus on day in and day out. While I am fortunate enough to have access to top-notch massage therapists, doctors and podiatrists, I still do not have a definitive answer as to the cause of my injury. With some orthotics on the way and a hip strengthening routine I’m hoping to prevent its reoccurrence.

Less than a month remains until the US Cross Country Championships and I am raring to go; and looking forward to putting my shin problems behind me. We depart for sunny Santa Barbara in less than four days, and with any luck the change in scenery and warm weather will be just what I need to get back on track.

Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right.