Two more posts from the running journal archive:

April 13, 2011– My friend is signing us up today for a
half-marathon relay at Disney in October (I will run 4.8 miles, she’ll
run 8.3). I think this is a better short-term goal for me and much less
intimidating than a half-marathon. I am EXCITED (and a wee bit nervous)!
We had to choose a team name, and ended up with “Running ‘Ritas.” We
were talking about the reasons we run, and high on the list was running so we could have calorie-laden food
guilt-free. We initially came up with the name Running for ‘Ritas, as in
margaritas. It was too long, so we shortened it to Running ‘Ritas. Go
team!

April 14, 2011 – Did my walk/run training this
morning and ran through the neighborhood instead of the park. I really
enjoyed looking at the houses and the changing scenery, but not far into
my run my right shin started hurting. I kept going, which may have been
a mistake because it’s been achy all day. I thought about asking my
running partner or my brother if they experienced this and how to handle
it, but quite frankly I am embarrassed. I still feel like my workouts
are “baby workouts,” and the idea of injuring a muscle at this level of
the game only makes me feel weaker.

So I googled it, and it seems two
things may have caused it. Sometimes switching to a harder surface will
cause additional strain, and when I jog in the park I jog on the dirt as
much as I can. Today’s run was all asphalt. Also, not having proper
footwear can cause strain. I feel like I should invest in good running
shoes (all the runners I know say I should), but I’ve never been
comfortable spending top dollar on any clothing for myself. I’m a bargain hunter and buying expensive shoes feels
very selfish, especially for a hobby. But I don’t want to injure myself either, so I have some
decisions to make between now and my next run on Sunday.