So those of you who know me well know that for the better part of a year, I have been struggling with my running. Way back when, in nursing school, and my first year as a nurse, I had North Medford High School's awesome rubber track next to my apartment. I would run up to 30 miles a week on that thing......in my silly looking Blue and Orange Asics running shoes. I ran them into the ground! Well, here we are, 12 years later....what an impact not keeping up with my running has done to me (that and dislocating my knee and having knee surgery....ooooops). I went to another doc a week ago for a second opinion about my shin splints, and discovered that I have been totally wasting my time with the physical therapist and podiatrist I had been seeing.....and went to another PT yesterday that was my savior! She did a thorough assessment and I discovered how out of whack my body alignment is. My right hip and quad muscle is so weak that it has thrown my entire body off when I run.....hence the nagging and painful shin splints that cause me to hit a wall at the 5K mark. (My heart and lungs can't figure out why I am stopping!). So. That being said, all it will take to get me back running again is simple stretching and exercises to strengthen the muscles that have been slacking off (look up: Egoscue Philosophy on chronic pain.....simple, yet amazing stuff!). Damn muscles.....think thigh bone connected to the knee bone-they are all interrelated.....one slacks off, the others pull up the slack and create massive overload on that other muscle group. Hence the tight calves and miserable shin splints. Even being a health care person, I didn't think much about my gait and my alignment. Huge huge mistake. They say that the majority of all running injuries are due to weak hips. SO TRUE! And so simple. So while my second opinion MD said I will never run a 26.2, the PT he sent me to begs to differ.....if I stick to the plan, I will run a 26.2 in 2010. I will be back up to 30 miles a week.....so I am thinking positive and optimic here......(pretty good for a glass half-empty gal!). Keep yer fingers crossed! Portland Marathon 2010, here I come.