What, Again?

This morning I woke up feeling some pain in my legs... nothing unusual, mind you, but it was more than just the normal aches and pains associated with being a runner.  Side note before I begin - since we've gotten the dog, I've had to put extra time into stretching out my IT bands, because he squishes up next to me when we sleep at night and I end up sleeping right on the band, causing me pain.  Good thing he's so cute...

Anyway, I did wake up with some pain that began to increase during our morning walk.  I then went for a run... and the pain got significantly worse.  Unfortunately, the pain was in my shin.  The same shin that was giving me grief back in March, and again in May.  The same shin that put me out of action for a few months, until I decided that enough was enough and started a 4+ month running streak.  It hadn't given me guff for the last few months (really since I went to the doctor back in May), but recently it's been more of a problem.  It's likely because of my new running shoes (the Asics Speedstar 5), which could be because they are too structured (i.e. none of the cushioning or stability elements have broken down) or too light (i.e. not as much cushioning or support as a heavier, more durable pair of shoes).  Either way, I have the pain today, so I need to change my strategy for a little while.  Luckily for me, I am currently in some "down time" athletically (my goal race was Allerton, in which I kicked some butt), so I have the flexibility to try some different things and work on areas other than running.  So, here's the plan:

Cardiovascular - as running hurts, slow down/stop the running and do other things.  I've been lamenting the fact that I haven't felt I have the time to do things like rowing, stair climbing, and elliptical.  So, when I go to the gym, that's what I'm going to do.  I'm doing to dust off the trainer downstairs as well so I can do some stuff at home.  I think I'll still do some running, probably focusing on off-road running (dirt road near my house) or on the track.  It may eliminate my commuting or running to the store, but I'd rather have the pain down first before I do that. 

Strength - I've been trying to incorporate more strength work into my routine, including core work and weights.  I do both once per week, and I think this is the best opportunity to include more days in the schedule.  I should at least be able to throw in some push-ups and sit-ups on a daily basis.  So, 2-3 days weights, 2-4 days core work (I remember reading once that some elite runners do core work 6 days a week, which is pretty ambitious, I think). 

Diet - as always, try to keep diet under control so I don't gain back the weight I lost over the summer.

Form - this is one area that I never felt I had time for, but now that I'm a little injured it's as good as time as any to look into it.  I'm curious about the "100-up" method posited by Chris McDougall (see the article here), and although I know it's likely not scientifically sound, it looks interesting and, well, hey, I've got to do something, right?  It will be interesting to see how well it works (if it works at all), and how it affects my running form.  Worst-case scenario (as is always the case) I will go back to wearing shoes and following a running plan that I know works. 

My goal is to be healthy and ready to go for marathon training starting in January, giving me about 2 months to get myself together.  We'll see how it goes!

In the meantime, the dog won't walk himself!