We Rocked That Town !

There's nothing to say except... serious FUN !!  What a great group.  We had 3 doing the 10K (the one not pictured was ah-hem.. 'warming up'... he did the 10k in 36:03 and no,  that's not a typo),  5 doing the Half (2 of them were Half Marathon virgins) and 1 doing her first ever full marathon.  Amazing.  Overall,  everyone did a kick ass job, and I must say, SemiKB killed it on her first Half.. sheesh !  And Sherpa... um yeah,  he was stellar as usual.  RC and CC ... they had an event to attend THAT evening and they cruised thru the half... and then there's Gretch... OH MY GOD... her first full marathon and the girl crossed the line looking F R E S H !  So excited to see everyone out there.  I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to be able to turn this into an annual event.  Great weather, super course, and the best crew to be hanging with ever.  And a shout out to our support gang... please,  Isaacsons, Steiny, Rohan, Holden, Chad and Rob... we love having you guys cheering everyone on  !

And now that sad part... yep... its back... the shin splint from hell ... it's like the cat from Pet Semetary... 

What are Shin Splints?
Although the term shin splints is often used to describe a variety of lower leg problems, it actually refers specifically to a condition called Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS). To better understand shin splints, or MTSS, lets have a look at the muscles, tendons and bones involved.

As you can see from the diagram to the right, there are many muscles and tendons that make up the lower leg, or calf region. It's quite a complex formation of inter-weaving and over-crossing muscles and tendons.

The main components of the lower leg that are affected by the pain associated with shin splints are:

• The Tibia and Fibula. These are the two bones in the lower leg. The tibia is situated on the medial, or inside of the lower leg. While the fibula is situated on the lateral, or outside of the lower leg.
• There are also a large number of the muscles that attach to the tibia and fibula. It's these muscles, when overworked, that pull on the tibia and fibula and cause the pain associated with shin splints.

Specifically, the pain associated with shin splints is a result of fatigue and trauma to the muscle's tendons where they attach themselves to the tibia. In an effort to keep the foot, ankle and lower leg stable, the muscles exert a great force on the tibia. This excessive force can result in the tendons being partially torn away from the bone.

Oh well ...  here's what I told my sister and Rob (kinda tried to keep it shhhh because if I don't say it out loud.. then maybe it's not soooo)  Vegas 2007 -  shin was at a pain level of oh... ten.  Last night, today, shin pain level is 8.  That's not so good.  I see the doc tomorrow.  It's on the inside of my right leg - same as in October of 2007.  I've apparently pissed of some medial muscle.

I'm going to rest - ride the trainer - and take it easy.  Watch the calories, no high heels.  I'll be GOOD TO GO !!!!!!

I hope everyone's weekend was as amazing as mine.  Super huge hugs and thank you to all that join me in these silly endeavors.  You all make it such a great thing !