Taper, Injury & all that Jazz

I'm in my 2nd week of taper. 7 days from now the family & I will be traveling to Mexico & our adventure begins. This week of taper has not been what I had planned or hoped for. Last week, after receiving my new shoes in the mail, I went for a long run. The next day, could not even walk without pain. 2 weeks out from my big race, I'm injured! Whaaaaaaaaaatttttt? It feels like shin splints. So,
after a week of treatment with home remedies (R.I.C.E.) & no running the injury was not improving. Desperate for some relief I contacted Dee Martin of Archer PT in hopes that her miracle 380 laser would provide the miraculous cure that I needed. After one treatment of the painless laser I was excited to have a drastic decrease in my pain the next day. That day was spent nursing the leg, eating Ibuprofen, swimming & riding the trainer. But, the following day, the pain was back. So, I decided to get one more treatment. Today, I got a thorough lasering, taping, massaging, stretching session. With only 10 days till the Ironman, Im a little stressed that I can't run. Even a few seconds of running on the treadmill is terribly painful. What is the marathon going to feel like?
The guys at Hub Endurance, Jamie & Andy have been super supportive & helpful through all of this. Lending advice on training, stretching, equipment & even sharing the trigger massage ball with me. They have been a real blessing during this journey.
My coach Andy Meyer of Chattanooga Performance & Biomechanics Rehabilitation has been wonderful as well. He has had his hands full dealing with all of my concerns. I'm so lucky to have his support & expertise.

In the mean time, to keep from going taper crazy, I have made sure to do everything possible to recover. Taking full advantage of the spa deals mentioned previously, my once blistered toes are now polished, buffed & sloughed, legs have been massaged, stretched, hair styled, waxed, plucked, oiled & conditioned. Aside from the pain & not running, I'm enjoying the taper just fine.