Well, looks like I’ve been quite neglectful of this blog. I blame it partly on the shin splints and crunch time at work that limited me to only eight runs in June. But we’re almost halfway through July and nearly two weeks into marathon training, so it’s time to get back into the swing of things! So now, a summary of my running activity for the last month:

• Shin. Splints. You know ‘em, you hate ‘em. While I recovered pretty quickly from my first experience with shin splints, they reappeared in my left leg. Despite my chiropractor/sports physiologist’s best efforts, it’s been bothering me for about a month now. Fortunately, he has cleared me to run, and it actually doesn’t hurt when running, just sometimes while walking and climbing stairs.
• Ran the 5-mile NYRR Achilles Hope & Possibility race on June 24 in Central Park. I took this race slower than my last two in Central Park due to the heat, the shin splints, and the slightly longer distance. I still ran at a decent 8:09 min/mile pace and finished 620th, which is the best I’ve placed in a NYRR race!
• Ran the NYCRuns Take Your Base 5 Mile Race on June 30 at Coney Island. This was by far the highlight of my running career so far! Not because I got a PR (not even close), but because of the amazing day I had with my friends there. One of my oldest and closest friends came in for the race — it was his first — and while we ran pretty slowly, it was great to spend some quality time with him for the first time in ages. After the race, we went down to the beach, explored the boardwalk, and rode the Cyclone! And finally, we wrapped up the day with a Brooklyn Cyclones game and fireworks show!
• I’m knee deep in my marathon training schedule now. I started July 2, and have already run 37.4 miles — plus spin and pilates classes at my gym. I just wonder if I’ll be able to keep this up for a full 18 weeks! I’ve got to do 87 runs before the marathon (79 now), so I’ve got a long road ahead of me.
• New running shoes! Just picked them up from Eastside Running Company yesterday. I’ll do a post just for them tomorrow, I think.