Happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2011 ended on a positive note and that 2012 is off to a great start for all of you 🙂

The last few days have been very busy for me, which is why it has been a while since my last post. I’ve some how balanced work, the commute, working out, eating well and having family get togethers for the most part.

Thursday was a scheduled day off from running, and it was a good thing because I had some discomfort in my right shin – and I really would love to avoid a possible shin splint. Yuck! I have not had one since college, and I’d really be displeased if I started off 2012 injured.

By Friday I was feeling better. So [stupidly] I decided to run 4 1/2 miles on Friday afternoon. I became aware of my shin yet again at mile three. It is not painful – but I am definitely aware that there is something going on there and so I have opted to take it easy for a couple of days. Saturday I did errands, and walked around a lot but did not run or go to the gym. Today I did a little over an hour on the elliptical with my fancy new compression sleeve. Wearing this today made me kind of sad – but I sort of dig the pink:

After the elliptical I did twenty minutes [or maybe a little more?] of weights. Legs and arms. One of my goals for 2012 is to bring in a little more strength training into my regular fitness routine. I think if I do this I might be able to avoid some injuries when I start logging more and more miles running. [Fingers are crossed!]

Before the gym today I had a slice of an Arnold’s sandwich thin and a teaspoon of peanut butter along with a cup of coffee. I drank a lot of water at the gym. Once I got home I had a nime chow which was left over from last night’s Thai food. Tonight I had a bowl of Greek yogurt with fresh raspberries and blueberries topped with a sprinkle of chia seeds and Kashi go lean crunch:

This really hit the spot! I was feeling a bit sluggish this afternoon – I even took a 15 minute nap during half time of the Patriots game (I woke up early in the third quarter to a much better game thankfully!) but I’m feeling a bit more awake now.

I have Monday and Tuesday off from work. I had a long run scheduled for one of those days, but I think I’m going to stick to shorter distances this week and more time on the bike and elliptical in hopes that this possible injury does not get worse. I cannot afford to be side tracked – I have big plans for 2012.

Happy New Year everyone – see you tomorrow!