No stress fracture!

I met with the doctor this morning to get the results of the bone scan, and there's no stress fracture! He said that it's shin splints, so I can stop running for however long it takes for the pain to go away or just run through the pain. I asked if running with the pain would cause something worse, like a stress fracture, and he said no. He also said I should go to a specialty running store to get fitted for sneakers according to my gait.

So, I now have peace of mind knowing that I can run. Honestly, I was going crazy without it. The stress was building up, and on a lot of days I avoided posting because I didn't want to sound like Debbie Downer. Now I can't wait to get back on the road/trail, but I know that for my legs' sake, I should do so gradually. The doc said that it could take up to 6 months of rest for the pain to go away. The half marathon I signed up for is 6 months away, and I am determined to run it, so resting for that long is out of the question. Then again, I don't want the shin splints to get so bad that I'll be miserable for the race, either.

So what should I do? Enter Jeff Galloway and the walk/run plan. I think that I'll rest for another 1 or 2 weeks and then begin walking with some intervals of light running. If I don't push it with the running, I might be able to build up the miles without pain. I'll also really focus on stretching my calves, Achilles tendon, and ankles. I think that this is a reasonable and safe way to get back into running, and with shoes selected specifically for me at a running store, I should be posting in 6 months about how awesome the half-marathon was...