Shin Splints and running?

[audiobliss]

I've been 'jogging' off and on for the last two weeks or so with a group. We probably go a mile or less, and always end up walking as much as we jog, so it's not been intense at all, and arguably not even worth while. However, last night I went running with a group my roommate runs with, and they do 2.93 miles. Previously the fastest I'd ever run a single mile was 10:15 or so, and that was pretty much going all out for me, jogging and walking alternately. Well, last night, we did about 2.93 miles, and I did it with a friend in just over 28 minutes or so. I was really shocked that I could do that, and looking back I honestly could have pushed myself harder. Not being familiar with pacing at all I'm not sure how much harder, but I could have definitely kept running after it was over.

As far as my lungs, heart, and muscles are concerned, I was a-ok, no problema. However, as soon as I stopped running I noticed my shins were pretty doggone sore. Not terrible, but definitely sore, a slight throbbing, and on fire is definitely an exaggeration, but there was some warmth.

I don't want to jump to any conclusions or proclaim I have shin splints. I read about them last night and the symptoms seem one and the same, but they got a lot better pretty fast last night and basically haven't bothered me at all today. So I'm assuming at this point it probably isn't shin splints, but just maybe a muscle that isn't used to that kind of activity.

I want to start running with this group every night, but after last night I'm wondering if 2.93 miles at that kind of pace is too large a jump from what I was doing previously. Do you think I should cut back and go a shorter distance? Or try the whole loop a few more nights as long as my shins recover rapidly and don't start bothering me any worse immediately afterwards?

Sorry for rambling so much, I'm sure I could have said that much more concisely. But I'd really appreciate any input from those who are active and may have some experience with this.

Thanks!!

[Rodeo0530]

When I was in high school, I ran track and cross country. I had stress fractures throughout my shins my senior year because I got bitten by a dog early in the summer and couldn't train for CC like I usually did. Of course once the toe that was bitten by the little $hitten dog healed, I tried to amp up training much faster than I should have and caused a great deal of damage to my shins. Not saying that you have this going on because you seemed to recover quickly, but I would recommend gradually working your distances up. If you were only half jogging/walking the mile, I would say you should start by consistently running that distance for a bit until you feel like it's not really challenging you. Make sure you have good shoes and try to run on grass instead of pavement or concrete if at all possible. This is just my $.02, but I think gradual is always much better than jumping right into it.

[kawizx9r]

I've been 'jogging' off and on for the last two weeks or so with a group. We probably go a mile or less, and always end up walking as much as we jog, so it's not been intense at all, and arguably not even worth while. However, last night I went running with a group my roommate runs with, and they do 2.93 miles. Previously the fastest I'd ever run a single mile was 10:15 or so, and that was pretty much going all out for me, jogging and walking alternately. Well, last night, we did about 2.93 miles, and I did it with a friend in just over 28 minutes or so. I was really shocked that I could do that, and looking back I honestly could have pushed myself harder. Not being familiar with pacing at all I'm not sure how much harder, but I could have definitely kept running after it was over.

As far as my lungs, heart, and muscles are concerned, I was a-ok, no problema. However, as soon as I stopped running I noticed my shins were pretty doggone sore. Not terrible, but definitely sore, a slight throbbing, and on fire is definitely an exaggeration, but there was some warmth.

I don't want to jump to any conclusions or proclaim I have shin splints. I read about them last night and the symptoms seem one and the same, but they got a lot better pretty fast last night and basically haven't bothered me at all today. So I'm assuming at this point it probably isn't shin splints, but just maybe a muscle that isn't used to that kind of activity.

I want to start running with this group every night, but after last night I'm wondering if 2.93 miles at that kind of pace is too large a jump from what I was doing previously. Do you think I should cut back and go a shorter distance? Or try the whole loop a few more nights as long as my shins recover rapidly and don't start bothering me any worse immediately afterwards?

Sorry for rambling so much, I'm sure I could have said that much more concisely. But I'd really appreciate any input from those who are active and may have some experience with this.

Thanks!!

Shin splints sounds pretty normal, although I only got that during 12-15mile runs wearing wet boots running through the sand (while I was in the corps).

Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about it but I would say cut that distance a bit before you're constantly running it.

How old are you if you don't mind me asking, guys I was in charge with were in the ages of 18 to about 28 or so and they only got shin splints when I took them on really rough, longer than average runs. I'd cut that distance down a bit and they stopped complaining about it until I took them on yet another 'death run.' Be careful though, if you start having constant pains/etc get it checked. You'd be surprised at the # of people I've come across that have had stress fractures and didn't even know about it until it was severe.

-Freddy

[sophie]

when i was in cross country anyone who had any pain in their legs would ice it for ~20 after practice every time they ran. seemed to help most people.
Payton

[audiobliss]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm 21, so I'm definitely not over the hill or falling apart. It's just that any form of jogging/running has been very conspicuously missing from my activity list, so I know my body will need to adjust to this. I guess I was wondering if it might be mild shin splints or just muscles getting used to this new activity.

I think tonight I'll go run my old loop and possibly part of the longer one to see how I hold up.

[shawn474]

"Shin Splints" is a catch all term for any of a number of possible injuries. Anything from tendinitis to stress fractures to compartment syndrome. If you have been out of exercising for an extended period, I would recommend cross training with a bike, elliptical, etc. (something non-impact) every other day and run shorter distances on the other days (gradually working up intensity, duration and surfaces). There are several factors that influence the severity of these types of injuries. If you want to talk off line, PM me. I can give you some suggestions - this is probably the most common injury that we see in athletics.

Take Care,
Shawn

[lanion]

I had shin splints briefly training for an upcoming marathon.

I took 4 days off of running, worked on proper form, went back and haven't had any pain since.

[tryrrthg]

I ran cross country and track in high school and college. Before blowing out my back I could run a 4:10 mile, 15 minute 5k, etc. I miss running everyday. Although I've never had "shin splints" I was always told that the main reason for getting them is that the muscle that travels down the front of your shin is too weak when compared to your calf muscle on the back of you leg. I would suggest getting a theraband and doing some pull back exercises to strengthen the muscles down the shin. You can also try walking around on your heals which flexes the muscles on the shin. Even flexing them while sitting at your desk can probably help strengthen them

In the mean time lots of ice before and after running.

[brettw22]

Generally 'heat' is a muscle burn.....that little muscle running up the front of your shin comes into play a lot when you run comparative to walking so that's probably it.....

[Jstas]

I was told in high school that runners trying to take strides that were too long get them because it hyper-extends the muscle that runs at the front of your shin. When it hyper-extends, it has a reactionary contraction and it essentially causes a strain in the muscle. Also, long strides, like what army dudes in boots use when marching, can fatigue the muscle by causing it to work harder to pull your foot up to position for your next step. That one little muscle has to work against all of the much larger and stronger calf muscles. It burns and hurts because it's flooded with blood, damaged and probably spastic.

But that type of "shin split" is muscle fatigue. The other kinds are from stress and stress fractures. The fatigue type goes away in a few minutes of relaxing the muscle. The stress related ones don't go away and they range from a dull ache to searing pain.

I get the fatigue kind sometimes when I'm trying to catch my train and I'm movin' down the city streets. I can cover 5 city blocks in about 3 and a half minutes walking and by the time I get to my station, my legs are burning. But if I sit down, within minutes the discomfort goes away.

I would think you're getting them because you are over-working and pushing your muscles a bit harder than before. If it was me, I would shorten my stride a bit. It'll make me have to run harder to keep up but it's less likely to send you into fatigue. If you have to run too hard to keep up with those guys then they are out of your league and you need to condition yourself better before you continue to run with them. You could use their pace to help you condition better but you run a substantial risk of injury doing that.

But pacing, that is a good skill to learn and you should pick that up and learn to do it well. It'll help you with your conditioning.

[shawn474]

The muscle "burn" that people speak of is generally the build up of actic acid in the muscle. LActic acid is a by-product of the ATP cycle. I will spare the boring details......basically its a result of muscle fatigue. If you train the muscles and your cardiovascular system, you can minimize the effects. Thats why people who don't run shouldn't run 10 miles their first time out = one of the biggest reasons why exercise programs fail so often.

[audiobliss]

Thanks for the info Jstas. I'm still not sure what it is, but I can say my stride definitely isn't too long. I'm almost 6'3" and usually have a very long gait, walking, jogging, or running. But the guy I was running with last night is probably about 5'5" and wasn't going at a fast pace, so I was using TINY strides, to the point that I felt rather ridiculous at points.

[PSOVLSK]

Shin splints are basically the muscle tearing away from the shin. (A very basic and crude definition, but you get the idea). They can be treated during an activity by taping around your shins/calves, but not too tight. Even an ACE bandage around the shin should help. Icing afterwards is a good idea.

I would recommend starting out at a shorter distance just so you don't burn yourself out. Especially for someone just starting out, you want to leave yourself wanting more...not dreading the next run.

[steveinaz]

Being in the Army for 15 years, and running practically everyday of the 15, shin splints are quite common, and will go away with time as you get in better shape. Try not to overdo it right out of the gate. Doing good warm-up/cool down stretching that last about 15 minutes (before and after) will help. FWIW, when I was in the Army I routinely ran 13:50 2 mile runs. My best time was 11:40 when I was about a spry 23 yrs old. Towards the end of my time, mid-30's in age, I typically ran mid 14 minute 2 mile runs.

[shawn474]

Shin splints are basically the muscle tearing away from the shin. (A very basic and crude definition, but you get the idea). They can be treated during an activity by taping around your shins/calves, but not too tight. Even an ACE bandage around the shin should help. Icing afterwards is a good idea.

I would recommend starting out at a shorter distance just so you don't burn yourself out. Especially for someone just starting out, you want to leave yourself wanting more...not dreading the next run.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions out there. The muscle does not tear away from the bone. The muscle spasms as a result of too much activity, becomes ischemic (lack of oxygen) which triggers the lactic acid / pain response. Taping is a horrible idea as it contributes to ischemia of the muscle. There isn't a study out there to indicate that taping is beneficial. Icing is a great idea after you work out; even better is ice massage where you freeze a styrofoam cup full of water and tear away the top to massage into the muscle.

The idea that starting slow and gradually working the way up is a great one. Jstas gave some very good information.

Shawn

[Sherardp]

While serving in the USMC for 8yrs shin splints were a given. As mentioned you only really felt it when you stopped. However the more you keep beating the concrete the more you will get used to it. Pretty good run time, as 28 mins was time limit for 3 mile run for males. Fastest I ever ran 3 mile run was 19:27, and I was mediocre runner. I hated running so I never liked running with the "rabbits" (guys with under 19 min run times), they damn near killed me.

[PSOVLSK]

http://www.medicinenet.com/shin_splints/article.htm

Pretty good info.

[howie777]

I had really bad issues with shin splints to where I stopped trying for a while. Then I tried new shoes with the same results. Turns out for me I was just tying my shoes too tight. So try loosing up the laces a little bit, enough to keep your shoes in place but not too tight.

I went from shin splits every time I ran to never just by paying attention to how I tight my shoes where tied.

Howie