Hey everyone!
I’m sort of grumbling this afternoon because despite my new shoes + orthotics, I still am having lower leg pain! I have been icing my leg periodically throughout the day but I decided to just bite the bullet and go to the doctor on Friday to have everything checked out since this same thing happened last year and it prevented me from running the race. I figure if I can catch it this year early enough, I can still run. It might be totally nothing but I would rather have a professional tell me that than me trying to diagnose myself! So…this Friday I have an appt at the Orlando Orthopaedic Center and luckily, it’s covered by insurance. I figure what do I have to lose?! It’s very very frustrating though because all I want to do is run and millions of people run and don’t have any pain, so why can’t I???! Hopefully I will get all this figured out this week…until then, I’m stuck cross-training in my new running shoes :(.
Today’s midafternoon snack was a plain chobani with 1/4th of a granola plank + fresh strawberries.
And my early dinner was an absolutely deeeelicious shrimp pasta dish that I concocted!
Pasta with Shrimp, Squash and Peppers
to serve 1—
2 oz dry whole wheat pasta
3 oz cooked shrimp
1 tbsp evoo
healthy dash hot pepper flakes
sea salt and pepper
1 fat clove garlic, smashed and minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 of a yellow squash sliced into coins
1. Defrost the shrimp under cool running water or in the fridge…or you can use fresh raw shrimp in this! I just used frozen cooked shrimp because it’s all I had.
2. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water (your cooking water should taste like the sea)
3. In a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat up the oil and add the pepper strips and squash. Cook for about three minutes until juuuust tender and then add the garlic until it smells amazing and is all toasty but NOT burned.
4. Add the fresh or defrosted shrimp and either cook until the shrimp are pink throughout OR until the shrimp are warmed with the veggies. Add the pasta and adjust the seasonings to your preference!
Enjoy!
I also had a spinach salad on the side with balsamic vin.:
After dinner I had small handful of dark chocolate chips but they were hand to mouth waaay to fast for a pic! Sorry!
And for a snack later, I’m packing another random peach cup (packed in pear juice) and a pure protein bar.
I finished my paper and am all set for school tonight. This week is my LAST week of night classes forever! On Monday I start class from 7:30-12:30 (cost control and WINE!). I will finally, for the first time in almost a year, get to go to bed before midnight. Score!
VeggieGirl
September 2, 2008 at 9:35 pmEek, I hope that your lower leg pain diminishes quickly!!
Oooh, all of your food is quite colorful today! Fun 🙂
See?? I KNEW you’d finish that paper on time – hooray!! Good luck tonight!!
cb
September 2, 2008 at 9:39 pmI understand the frustration with the leg pain. I am one that can run on the treadmill no problem as long as I have a TV to distract. When I started putting in more miles I took it outside and have been plagued with injuries ever since.
I have the appropriate fitting shoes, it is just for me right now, if I was about 20 lbs lighter this would not be such an impact on me…Right now I am dealing with Achilles Tendinitis. My calfs get really tight and I am not the best at stretching after a run!!! So, right now I dealing with a dull pain in the lower portion of my calf, right above the ankle. I was feeling good so tried 3 miles outside yesterday and the pain is back.
So I will now try a month…it was about 2 weeks before…of doing the guantlet stairmaster and treadmill running…I am just not ready for the hard outdoors right now.
I hope the dr gives you good news Friday!
ModelBehavior
September 2, 2008 at 9:43 pmmillions of people run without pain yes, but TONS of people have pain while running so your definitely not alone! I know that its frustrating for your body to not let you do something you want to do, but hang in there it will get better!
a few months ago I went to a sports med dr after a month of ankle pain when I ran, it turned out my hips were slightly unaligned and it was causing the pain and swelling, 2 weeks later it was fine and I have never had pain again, hopefully the same happens for you!
Rose
September 2, 2008 at 9:56 pmGood luck with getting everything figured out and way to be proactive – that should certainly help!
polly
September 2, 2008 at 10:02 pmJenna,
I hope your leg pain gets better. I used to have that, too. yuck! I hope it heals and you can run your race no prob! Until then, maybe you can do yoga again this week? I loved reading about your yoga days!! 🙂 That is my fav.
Have a fun last week of school! You will be free everynight… how cool! Just in time for the fun TV shows that are coming on. ha. I love Dancing with the Stars. Misty May and Maurice Green are both going to be on it. I love when the athletes dance!
Justy2003
September 2, 2008 at 10:08 pmSounds like you have shin splints which are no fun! What type of surface are you running on? Sidewalks/concrete are the worst for shin splints, but they’re usually the most accessible/safe surface to run on unfortunately. Also, you may need to gradually build up the distance you’re running…too much too fast can definitely cause shin splints! “They” usually say to add no more than 10% of your mileage each week so you may have overdone it over the past few days. Hopefully you’ll get it fixed though so you can run as much as you want! 🙂
Kristie
September 2, 2008 at 10:11 pmUghh sorry to hear about the leg pains! That would be super frustrating and disappointing. I hope they are able to figure out what is wrong and help you to recovery quickly though.
On a better note, the dinner you made looks excellent! I always envy people who are able to thrown great dinners like that together from scratch, just off the top of their head. I’m not quite that food creative.
BethT
September 2, 2008 at 10:23 pmI hate that you’re having pain and I hate to say this even more, but it could be you’re not meant to run long distances. Hopefully the doc will give some insight, but I have several friends for whom running is just not possible – bummer, but better to be safe than have long term pain and injuries. I hope you get good news about it.
emily
September 2, 2008 at 10:44 pmJenna I completly sympathize. I have terrible joints and it feels like every other time I run I have to stop for a while because something hurts. I’m torn between just saying f*ck it and keeping going and stopping to try to avoid further injury. I hope your apt. can help you to figure something out.
Danielle
September 2, 2008 at 10:49 pmSo sorry about the leg pains! I hope it’s not too big of a deal and you’ll be back up and running (figuratively and literally) in no time. Good luck at the doctors! 🙂
madiella
September 2, 2008 at 11:29 pmSorry your legs are bothering you! It always sucks when you’ve mentally psyched yourself up for a challenge and then your body doesn’t immediately follow through.
As a side note, though, when I bought my running shoes the sales guy told me it was really important not to do anything in the shoes but run. I guess we land differently when we run than when we walk or do other forms of activity, and it wears your shoes out much faster and you lose some of the protection of the running shoes when you use them for other activities. I don’t know how true this is, but thought I’d pass along the tip!
Lindsey
September 2, 2008 at 11:52 pm“It’s very very frustrating though because all I want to do is run and millions of people run and don’t have any pain, so why can’t I???”
I have thought this EXACT same thing a thousand times. Having the will and discipline to exercise, only to have your body rebel is so very frustrating!! Hang in there, and I’ll send you some good thoughts.
Laura
September 3, 2008 at 12:04 amI was wondering if anybody would be willing to send me a spooky smores or honey graham flavor of the Clif Z bars. I can only by them in boxes for more money then I’d like to spend but I heard they are cheap to by single ones. I’d be glad to send back a dollar or two to repay anyone! Just let me know. Thank you!
Andrea
September 3, 2008 at 12:14 amso sorry about the pain you’re experiencing. i hope the dr. can help you 😀
Megs
September 3, 2008 at 12:16 amHey Jenna
I can 100% sympathize. Currently I am in week 5 of a walking boot. Stress fracture and active tendonitis of the tibial tendons. I am MISERABLE!! I had a stress fracture a few years ago so even though I;d love to run and train, I can’t.
I have pain just walking even though I also went to a proper shoe fitting. I am going to ask my ortho next week if he think I can start running/training. I was sticking to elliptical, Bikram, classes, weights and minor treadmill for TOO TOO Long…
Even know i take off the boot 2x’s a week for particular classes at the gym…very very bad.
Megan
September 3, 2008 at 12:51 amThe shrimp pasta looks yummy!
I hope the doctor can give you answers and that you can get back to pain free running soon!
gina (fitnessista)
September 3, 2008 at 12:52 amyeahh pure protein! you need to find the peanut butter marshmallow flavor- i promise you’ll love it!
so sorry to hear about your footsie pain. you’re smart to get it checked out asap and hopefully they’ll be able to take care of it for you! it’s always frustrating when physical injuries get in the way of things you want to accomplish.
i am beyond jealous that you’re taking a class about WINE!
have a great night!
Anita
September 3, 2008 at 1:55 amGlad you got your paper done on time! And your dinner looks delish!
I picked up two of those Pure Protein bars last week- one in Smores Deluxe flavor, the other Chewy Chocolate Chip- I haven’t tried either one, but I’m looking forward to it based on all the great reviews these bars have been getting in the blogging world lately! I know I’ve had them in the past and liked them a lot, but I’ve shied away from them for a long time because of all the scary-sounding ingredients… but they sure do pack a lot of protein, so they’ll be good on days when I’m lifting weights.
I hope everything goes well at the doctor’s on Friday… I’ll think happy thoughts for you! 🙂
BethT
September 3, 2008 at 2:02 amHey Laura, email me (bbteague@gmail.com) I’ll help you out! 😛
jenna
September 3, 2008 at 3:23 amahhh thanks for all the kind comments and words of wisdom, y’all! I KNOW I can do this. I’ve run pain-free before (heck, I had an AMAZING run just on Saturday!!!) and gosh darnet, I’m going to run that freakin half marathon even if they have to carry me out on a stretcher. When I make up my mind to do something, I do it! I’m pretty sure I just have shin splits but who knows? Anyone know how to speed up the recovery?
Brynn
September 3, 2008 at 3:46 amShin splints are miserable. I used to run 4 or 5 times a week on a treadmill and it wasn’t until I switched to running outside (on cement) that I almost immediately got them horribly. Mine didn’t get much better until I switched back to mostly treadmill running with some trail running and as little as possible on cement. II hope that’s all it is and good luck kicking them!
KatieF
September 3, 2008 at 11:45 amShin splints are often a sign of doing too much too quickly. I read this tip in Runner’s World: take a paper cup, fill it halfway, and freeze it. Once frozen, rip off the unused part at the top and use the frozen ice in the cup to massage the sore spots. Runner’s World has a lot of other good tips about dealing with this condition.
And just so you know…I’m a ~40 mile/week runner (training for my third marathon and the Corportate Challenge Championships) with a bad knee and a chronic case of Achilles tendonosis–my first couple miles almost ALWAYS hurt, but it usually subsides after a bit (I have gotten my doctor’s OK to still run, as long as there are no major changes in my pain). Many runners do run without pain, but many runners run with it, too. You are not alone!
Katie
September 3, 2008 at 12:18 pmOooh! That shrimp pasta looks so yummy! And I have those same dishes! 🙂 Hope the dr visit goes well!