Real Running
Same as Sundays session
Walk 1 minute then Run 5 minutes for 30 minutes
Total Running = 25 minutes
Distance Covered while running = Just over 4.5Km, about 5:30 pace
Unlike last Sunday it felt great. The session 2 days ago felt unco and wrong and my calves were screaming in protest. Today was a whole different story, pace was even and controlled, breathing was steady, form was perfect and yes I could feel my calves but they were much happier today. I retuned to my stomping ground, The Tan, for the first time since I was sidelined, it felt so good to be home 
Fortunately I am allowed to run on The Tan surface, I don’t necessarily have to stick to the grass. My orthoses are starting to feel pretty comfortable, I barely notice the right one and the left feels less obvious each day. I haven’t run in them yet, I will wait until after I have been back to the doctor on Thursday. I can say that as I started running today I definitely missed having them, I just felt less supported somehow.
Back at the car after my run/walk I gave the shins the once over with my portable ice stick, then back home the proper ice packs. I am pretty sure everything is going along nicely, my legs don’t hurt they way they did when I was first injured, just some slight protestation from muscles trying to remember what it is like to run again.
Deep Breath, not wanting to make any grand sweeping statements here, you know counting chickens before they hatch, putting eggs in one basket and various other poultry related metaphors, but I think I am officially on the comeback trail. I was so vile today, even as I was setting out to run, but for the first time in 8 weeks I was saved by the power of the run, just like this mornings fog the mood lifted redemption was mine and you were all saved from a whiny blog post.
What exactly is Osteoclonal Excavation?
I have vague recollections of referring to this early in my injury but forgot to divulge (it actually isn’t all that interesting), but someone did a Google search and got to my blog and I hate to disappoint.
So with with thanks again to Tim Noakes here it is –
As is well established load bearing exercise strengthens the bones, though of course in some circumstances it has the opposite affect and hey presto, stress fracture. When bones are subject to increased loading cells called Osteoclasts are activated whose function is to cause bone resorption, the removal and absorption of bone tissue. The resorbing bone has a high concentration of blood vessels, this is called Osteoclonal Excavation (OE) and can be spotted on a bone scan or MRI. During this phase it is supposed that bone strength is reduced and at greater risk of being subject to stress fracture. OE gradually moves to a new phase where new bone is laid down at the site by Osteoblasts.
Tim Noakes interprets a bone strain (such as shin splint) or stress fracture as possibly being contributed to because the bones are undergoing excessive OE and the laying down of new bone being delayed. In short, the repair of bone tissue is not keeping up with the breakdown. This would explain why many stress fractures are caused by “too much too soon” training, that is, high milage training may have contributed to my injury this year, but with careful training and gradual build up I will be able to comfortably do the training I want a year or more from now without experiencing any more issues, it is a matter of adaption.
Congrats if you are still with me, I know it’s a little dry, but lack of understanding will only lead to further injury and I have a very enquiring mind 
