Nothing showy, but I'll take it.

Well, after feeling so confident last Wednesday, for some reason, I felt worse Thursday and Friday. I don't know why. I was discouraged again.

But, on Friday I drove home to Michigan and ended up up having a chat with my cousin who is less than a year from her doctorate in physical therapy. Without a tuning fork (I know, interesting tool, right?), she wasn't able to rule out a stress fracture. But, she did say that the fact that I was having similar pain in both legs suggested it was not stress fractures. She suggested that when I run, I wrap my shins in plastic wrap. It works like an ace bandage for support, but additionally keeps the muscles warmer to increase circulation.

I was willing to try anything, so the next day, I saran-wrapped my legs and ran three slow miles on my mom's treadmill. It went pretty well. No pain during, and only a bit afterward, and icing really helped that. I was able to walk all over the mall afterward with little trouble, and on Sunday all I had was a little residual stiffness.

Today, I ran four miles on the lakefront trail, at a very slow pace but without wraps. So far, I have no pain in either leg. I think I'll be sore tomorrow, but that's to be expected after a full week off. It was nothing spectacular, but I'll take it.

I'm planning on running 3 or 4 miles again on Wednesday and Friday, then doing a long run on Sunday.

I have seven more weekends until the half marathon. If I can do 6 miles this weekend, then increase by one mile each week, I'll be up to 12 by the race. That feels doable, provided I continue to heal.

Hope springs eternal. It won't be easy, but I think I can do this.