Do. Not. Overstride.
I had a really lovely vacation recently. During that lovely vacation, I gave myself miserable shin splints. Again. Despite working for years to avoid them (and improving to some extent - motion-control shoes, strengthening exercises, proper warm-ups and cool-downs), I did it again. After further research, it turns out: I overstride.
In other words, I take ridiculously long steps for my height, causing a crushing pressure on my heel when I come down. I've always joked about it - or people joke about it, depending on who gets there first. Because I don't just overstride, I power overstride. It's the casualty of a fast-moving grandmother (4'11"; she must have been an overstrider, too) and a 6'2" father. And now a 6'2" husband. I am 5'4" and 3/4, on a good day.
So "do not overstride" is now my mantra, along with "good enough is good enough." Because, of course, my whole life is lived in overstride. "Val will exercise briefly, work on RE a bit or write, meditate, and go to work," becomes "Val will exercise in insane blocks once a week, go to work early and stay late for four weeks, cram RE miserably during crunch week, and once a month take a lunch break, and feel depressed over writing 2 paragraphs." And not enjoy any of it. (It's not new, either. I actually had to be treated for sleep problems in high school my junior year because I'd lost the ability to sleep normally after depriving myself for two years.) Honestly, I try. But then I get caught up in fast forward. Again.
It doesn't help that my work (everyone's work) encourages that. I once did not get out of my chair for eight hours. (I know. I was horribly dehydrated.) But I'm trying. Honest to goodness. I've even made some improvements. RE is massively improved and lower-stress, and I have managed at least to make that check-in a routine morning of 15 minutes (an hour on weekends). I now work 4 days a week (10/12-hour days) during easy times. I even take a lunch break twice a month.
But the truth is after a lifetime of overstriding, I am so completely lost at finding my balance, sometimes I feel like even walking is beyond me.
In other words, I take ridiculously long steps for my height, causing a crushing pressure on my heel when I come down. I've always joked about it - or people joke about it, depending on who gets there first. Because I don't just overstride, I power overstride. It's the casualty of a fast-moving grandmother (4'11"; she must have been an overstrider, too) and a 6'2" father. And now a 6'2" husband. I am 5'4" and 3/4, on a good day.
So "do not overstride" is now my mantra, along with "good enough is good enough." Because, of course, my whole life is lived in overstride. "Val will exercise briefly, work on RE a bit or write, meditate, and go to work," becomes "Val will exercise in insane blocks once a week, go to work early and stay late for four weeks, cram RE miserably during crunch week, and once a month take a lunch break, and feel depressed over writing 2 paragraphs." And not enjoy any of it. (It's not new, either. I actually had to be treated for sleep problems in high school my junior year because I'd lost the ability to sleep normally after depriving myself for two years.) Honestly, I try. But then I get caught up in fast forward. Again.
It doesn't help that my work (everyone's work) encourages that. I once did not get out of my chair for eight hours. (I know. I was horribly dehydrated.) But I'm trying. Honest to goodness. I've even made some improvements. RE is massively improved and lower-stress, and I have managed at least to make that check-in a routine morning of 15 minutes (an hour on weekends). I now work 4 days a week (10/12-hour days) during easy times. I even take a lunch break twice a month.
But the truth is after a lifetime of overstriding, I am so completely lost at finding my balance, sometimes I feel like even walking is beyond me.