Starting week with 3 miles

It was a bit cool, but certainly a beautiful day for a run. I had given platelets in the morning at the Blood Connection, so I didn't get out until this afternoon. The good news is that I WANTED to get out for a run. It's nice to be looking forward to runs again.

I started out a bit faster (insert laughs here) to see if a faster pace would eliminate some of the lower left leg discomfort I have experienced on many of my runs. Felt pretty good after a mile, so decided to keep it up. About 1.5 miles in I was getting a bit winded and needed to walk briefly. I managed to match my 1st mile time even with the walk, but stopped to recover at two miles. I used this time to walk and stretch as the leg discomfort was back. I finished the third mile, somewhat slower, but got the miles in.

Checking online to self diagnose it appears this may be some form of shin splints. The discomfort appears to be in the muscle, next to the shin bone, and on the exterior front. I found a few strengthening exercises that I start using. As I was driving to Atlanta this evening, I noticed that I have a tendency to drive with my leg bent, which may be putting some pressure or straining this muscle area slightly. I'll continue to take it easy and see if I can work through it as I slowly add some runs and miles. May even mix in some pure "walks", just to see if that will help.