Courtney Day
This is the third part in an ongoing series from Alexandria working mom Courtney Day, who is training for her first marathon. She is scheduled to run the Marine Corps Marathon in late October. Look for more diary entries throughout this summer and fall.
Follow Courtney on Instagram at @courtney_day.
I have entered my 7th week of running shin-splint free. In other words, I’ve gone on 18 runs without experiencing shin splints! This includes two long runs — one 10.5 miles and one 12 miles.
Recovery was a process. While taking a break from running, I was able to maintain my physical stamina in other ways. Even though I had shin splints, I could still get in the mileage needed by walking or water jogging. I was also able to cross train by doing core strength exercises, rowing or cycling. My recovery has been a balance of listening to my body, walking a little more often when needed, stretching and foam/ball rolling.
Stretching and Weakness
To speed up my recovery, I signed myself up for several “condition specific” massages by Mark of Run-Bike-Massage. Mark, also a Galloway Coach, provided me with stretching tips. I learned that you should not be stretching before running or warming up. You should warm up first, or wait until the end of your run. Oops. I have been stretching before runs, mid-runs, and after runs because everyone kept telling me I wasn’t stretching enough!
The same week that Mark told me that fun new fact, I started reading the book “Quick Strength Training for Runners” by Jeff Horowitz that confirmed Mark’s advice. “Stretching leaves you momentarily weaker than you were before, which compromises your ability to exercise closer to your true limits,” according to the book. Knowing this will not only help me during my recovery, but also help me prevent further injuries.
The first 4 weeks of running again were tricky — I would still feel sporadic muscle spasms here and there, and always reluctantly began every run, wondering if today was the day that they were going to flare up again.
I hate to say, as much as I thought I loved my Hoka One One shoes, I think they were a large contributor to my shin splints. As I mentioned in my last diary entry, I recently switched to On Running’s CloudFlyer stability shoe, and while slowly increasing my weekly mileage has been a contributing factor to staying shin splint free, I feel like the level of flexibility/ankle movement that this new shoe offers, as opposed to the more-restricting Hokas has made a huge impact on my recovery.
'Lemons' and Strength
Shin splints were not the only obstacle that I have had to recently overcome. When I signed up for this marathon, I did not expect to experience the challenges of becoming a single mother.
What I’ve learned over the past two months is that life doesn’t always give you lemons, and in fact, life may take the lemons away from you and leave you only with the seeds that you started with. From previous experiences, I knew that I needed to take it a day at a time, and that it's not always going to be easy, nor is everything going to go perfectly. I’ve learned to find joy in the challenging times, to look forward to the sunshine after the rain, and think about what is falling together, rather than what is falling apart. I’ve learned that it is okay to ask for help when you need it most, and you will be surprised at the level of support and encouragement that you have planted all around you.
I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been. At a point in my life when I could have lost all hope in human dignity and love, I was lifted up by colleagues, family, and friends that have helped me in more ways than I can count.
Being a single mother has definitely thrown a curveball into my training plan. Running was my therapy, my “me” time, my stress reliever, my time to think, my place to release negative thoughts from my day or week. And, if I am able to run with friends, it’s my time to catch up with them and what is going on in their lives.
Now I just needed to find the time. With the hot summer days reaching heat indexes of over 100 degrees before 8 a.m., my time slots for running outside was limited. The excuses that I could come up with were endless!
Between homework and bedtime routines to scheduling summer camps and coordinating pick-up times while working full-time in DC, it's a challenge to find the time for workouts, nevermind the additional time to warm up, stretch and maintain a healthy diet.
I’ve really had no other choice than to ask friends for help again to watch my son while I went on these runs. I take that back: I had no other ideal choice. If I didn’t have the support of my friends, I would probably have to join a gym that has a child care facility, but I wouldn’t have been able to go on the group runs that have been the motivation for me to run consistently. So I am thanking my lucky stars.
I learned that my training plan doesn’t have to completely derail because life happens. Marathon training has taught me that no matter what is happening in your life, if you have the willpower and creativity, you will find a way to accomplish your goal. If you hit a roadblock, you can do one of three things: 1) wait until the construction is over and the path is clear again, 2) take the detour, or 3) if there isn’t another clear path, you pave a new one. I’ve learned that while Marathon training involves a lot of muscle and endurance strengthening, it also challenges your feelings and the way you think or perceive situations. Marathon training tests your perseverance, and makes you question your reasons.
This weekend I will be running in the Rock n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon with my good friend, Ashley, which means I’m halfway there! I’m really excited about this race because my sister, Heather, will be flying in from San Francisco to cheer for me. This is the first time since I began running that I’ve had anyone cheering for me at the finish line, so to have Heather, Braeden (my son), my grandparents and a few other family members who have said that they will be there is a big deal for me.
See you all soon!
