To run or not to run - that is the question

This weekend, I was faced with what turned out to be a more difficult decision for me than I thought it would be - to run or not to run.

I've been dealing with two nagging pains in recent weeks - left shin and right IT band/hip. My plan this weekend was to run a 5K on Saturday and then run the remaining 10 miles on Sunday. And it didn't happen.

The 5K went pretty well and I felt fairly good during the race. But after, the pain in my shin began to increase, despite ice and wrapping it. I woke up on Sunday morning and cancelled my plans, opting to RICE my leg in hopes of making it feel better. I had thought I would go to yoga or the Y to use the elliptical, but I ended up just staying home.

Which brings me to today. I've continued icing my leg, but also went to the Y and did two miles on the elliptical and 5 miles on the bike. While this burned just as many calories as running would have in the same amount of time, it's not the same. I'm having a bit of a rough time with the idea that I should stop running to heal. I'm planning on heading to the injury clinic on Wednesday to get it checked out and see if there's anything else I can do.

I know cross-training is good. But I can't help but think that maybe I shouldn't be running. Maybe the pain is getting to me, since I had just started all over again and now I'm facing another setback.

At this point, I'm playing the waiting game until I can get a better idea of what's going on. At least my dog and I are operating at about the same speed this week...