out of line.

(Note: I won't be offended if you don't read this but I figure that maybe my ignorance can help someone else at some point. If you care at all about my silly running injuries, read on.)

This week has been just plain stupid from a running perspective. Last week was great and this week was just... bad. There's no other word (that is PG) that I can think of to describe it. It just did not go well. I tried two times to run and failed both times. That has not happened in a while, so you can imagine my frustration and concern.

My shins felt like they were being attacked by knives (both anterior and posterior... or inside and outside if you didn't know that), my calves were sore, my ankles were creaking, my hips were aching and my back felt just plain awful. And all this happened from running? Yet, I want to figure out why so I can get back out there and run more miles. So...

When I was on about this pain the other day on Twitter, a good friend of mine said something that was helpful to me:

 And she's right - it is a puzzle. You have to find all the things that work for you to make running not so painful and more fun.

Today I went back to ART and mentioned that my back hurt. And it had after each of the longer runs (6-7 miles) I had done. I understand that when one little piece of the puzzle is out of whack, it throws off everything else because you're compensating for what is going wrong. But what's the root of this problem?

who knows which way my feet land? (source.)

After stretching my back and the cranky muscles in my legs, Dr. M explained to me that even though I have been fitted for shoes, I am probably pronating more than I should. My gait is probably off. And when you're running with poor biomechanics like I am, your pelvis starts swinging around in a way it shouldn't and it starts to hurt your hips and your back.



Knowing that I was a little confused myself, I decided to do some research. If you google "pronation pelvis" (I know, so simple), you get a laundry list of articles, some of which are kind of hard to understand if you're not up on your anatomy and physiology lingo. But one particular article I found about gait analysis and biomechanics says that common overuse injuries associated with poor gait include:

• Shin splints
• Plantar fasciitis
• Iliotibial band syndrome
• Achilles tendonitis
• Lower back pain

Well shit. I guess this makes a lot of sense, since those things impact your shins, feet, hips, calves and back and that's where I've been feeling the running burn. Neat. I guess it's a good thing that on Monday, I have an appointment with a triathlon coach who is going to analyze my running.

I don't think my shoes are causing an issue, but it's possible they are. Dr. M had recommended I get fitted for new shoes back in February or March to get rid of the shin splints that I had. I went from a stable shoe to a more neutral shoe and he said today that switching made my shins a lot better. But maybe I'm still not in the best shoe for me. I guess it's all part of this puzzle.

I'm sure I still need to work on core strength (since I have already convinced myself that I have none and that's a problem), but if I'm running the wrong way, I'm pushing my entire body out of alignment and really doing this pain thing to myself. I'm optimistic that I'll get it figured out enough that I can run in Vegas, and then maybe I'll have to take a closer look at what else I can do to better my running life.

If you read this entire thing, I applaud you. I know it's kind of boring but it helps me to get it out there, and if someone else is having the same issues I have been having, I hope it helps them too. Running (at least for distance) is not easy, but it doesn't have to be impossible. And I'm out to make that point.

If you've ever dealt with a running or fitness related injury, I'd love to hear about it and what helped you overcome it!