Words I like: ‘‘Scale down in intensity never volume’’

Readiness Letter: The Unexpected Setback

Two weeks ago I stopped running after only 1 km.

The shin irritation was too bad to continue. I stopped, turned around, and walked home. I am currently preparing for a half marathon in 1:45 and a 160 kg squat PR.

This was not the plan.

And to be clear this is not about full shin splints.

This is about the weeks before, when you can still prevent them if you are smart about it.

I was frustrated. I had been careful building up my miles. I did everything right.

And it still happened.

But that same evening I made a new plan.

I knew this feeling. I had dealt with a version of this during my last race prep. That experience taught me something I almost forgot: there is always a third option.

Most people do one of two things when something hurts. They push through. Or they stop completely. I would have pushed through years ago.

I know exactly where that would lead. 3 months of recovery from injury. No race. A body that finally said enough.

Full rest was not the answer either. The half marathon is close.

A full stop means the build up of weekly miles/kilometers becomes too steep, too fast. And I would lose momentum.

So I did neither.

I went from 1 interval run and 1 long run per week to 3 short easy runs. No intensity. Just miles at easy pace. Interval work comes back in 2 to 3 weeks when the irritation settles.

Same volume. Lower intensity. Keep the momentum going without adding more damage.

This taught me an important lesson:

When something breaks down, the answer is rarely all or nothing.

How to apply this lesson when shin irritation finds you:

Try this during your next or current training setback instead of pushing through.

Keep paying the price.

Paco

PS: The athletes who crush their goals are not the ones who never get hurt. They are the ones who know how to respond when they do.