Redeveloping shin splints?

Question

Last school year, I ran middle school cross country, training about 3 miles a day. It wasn't an intense run or anything, but I remember developing shin splints that turned so bad that towards the end of the season, I'd literally be crawling around after my meets because it hurt to put weight on my leg. When season was over, I stopped running other than the regular PE mile once a week, and the shin splints disappeared.

However, now since it's the summer, my best friend and I are conditioning together for high school cross country, and they run 8-10 miles a day. I'm not pushing our training too fast, we started off with our normal 2 miles a day, and we're going to bump up our mileage as we feel better about our progress. But being that we will be running about 3x more than we did for middle school per day, is there a possibility that my shin splnits might come back, and what can I do to avoid it happening?

Answer 1

Shin splints when starting run is not all that unusual.  However, they can be very painful if not addressed.  First make sure when you first start your program that you ease into your run.  Starting slow, and gradual moving faster through the middle of the run through to the end.

This will give your muscles a chance to warm up first before you start running faster.  Secondly re-evaluate your running shoes.  It is possible that you are wearing the wrong running shoes for your gait.  You may want to have your gait looked at by a knowledgeable running shoe salesman at a reputable store in your area.

Third, Stretch after your run, a good 10 – 15 minutes holding your stretch for 15 – 30 seconds and doing 3 reps for each muscle group.  Lastly, ice your shins if you think it will be a problem area.  If you do develop shin splints, BACK OFF, cut your speed and distance down and let it heal.  If you try to push through the pain you will wind up crawling like you did last time.

Good luck

Harry