Complete Beginner that needs some advice

Causty

Hi wonder if I can get some feed back. I am currently trying to get into a bit of running, I have spent the past 2 years doing the Virgin 100 day step challenge thing so I dont have an issue with vast amount of steps (yeah I know walking is completely different to running but bear with me) and have spent longer enjoying long medium to fast paced walks , now my weekend walks are hitting 10 miles plus but are taking me 3 hours to get round so I thought that I would like to run at least some of it (make the trips quicker at least) ...

I have tried the C25k repeatedly over the last 12-18 months and realistically all I could do was about a day of it .. No not because of the fitness levels .. I totally understand about coughing a lung up at the beggining but simply because I end up with bad pain in my shins to the point that even running for 30 seconds can be excrusiating ... I thought it was the way I ran (flat footed) but then I found some vids on YT that say flat footed is better than heel first. I have tried different shoes (softer and comfy, off road trail shoes or even a pair of New Balance). after some pointers I read else where they suggested that maybe you should start a little less than the C25K so I installed one of those tabata timer thngs on my phone and tried a 3 second on and 30 seconds off .. After setting the 30 second timer I have been able to get 3 days of 30 on 30 off and i thought something was moving but I went out for a quick run this afternoon and all the progress I had made was not there ... to say I was disheartened :S

Basically, what do I do ? where can I go ? do I put up with the pain and work through "no pain no gain" or should I be worried (I have read it could be down to micro fractures and could lead to greater problems) .. I know I am over weight and not a sprint chicken but I have always been active but havent done much running since I was in College ... I am not after doing marathons or the like I just wanna be able to get round a 5 - 10 mile cirquit in a reasonable time (what with the lovely UK weather to contend with)

Any advice ? I wanted to ask people who would know .. would this be down to a need for more stretching (how do you stretch your shins ?), sports massage or is it simply the muscles need to get stronger .. I would say after 4 years of heavy walking that my shin muscles would be able to hold up slightly better than what they do atm .. O.K. I am not some kind of runner but I do a heck of a lot more walking than the average joe and not at some kind of dawdle pase

senidM

Walking is not the same as running.

You have shin splints, and I'm fairly sure there are lots of threads on that subject. Basically you just have to tough it out, lots of gentle runs for as long as you can go, as I don't know if there are any successful treatment regimes out there.

Shin splints usually disappear at some stage for no real reason, same as they appear for no real reason, just the body, and in this case, your shins, reacting to exercise outside your normal type 

Once you're over it, they don't come back as far as I know, just a beginners setback.

So, persevere.

Causty

Cheers for that, one thing though .. am I doing it right by doing a "run" every other day and on those runs doing a 30 seconds on 30 seconds off or is that not enough to get used to it or should I do that for now and try building up on a weekly basis ?

senidM

From what I remember, run, if it hurts, stop, rest a day or two, try again and repeat until its no longer a prob. There is no definitive answer, sorry.

Pewpewpew

You would need to be assessed to find out the root cause of the problem.  Typically, shin splints is due to a weakness somewhere in the chain. Is the pain on the inside of your shin or on the outside?  I certainly wouldn't run every day if you are a beginner.  Keep the distance and intensity low to begin with and certainly have a rest day in between runs.  Common weaknesses are in the hip abductors, hip extensors and soleus.  There could be several other factors causing it, which an assessment could reveal.

Nessie

30/30 is a perfectly good way to get into it, but I suspect from what you are experiencing that the 30 seconds of running is too fast.  Keep it easy, so you could still talk, and maybe only do the 30/30 bit for say a couple of miles in the middle of your 10 mile walk at first.  You will have a good base of fitness with your walking, so you just need to build on it gradually to get your legs used to the different action.

mumrunner

Get a good physiotherapist to check you out, cost you £30-£40, they will check your gait, give you any stretching exercises, tell you which shoes you need etc. Then you'll be set to go.

kcl3988

Ice pack your shins too to help alleviate inflammation. Would probably be worth a gait analysis at a running shop so you know exactly what is going on with your gait and which kind of shoes you need to be wearing. I have had terrible problems with shin pain in the past due to anatomical issues but you CAN get through it. Just be conservative with the amount of runs in a week, make sure you rest your legs (put them up with ice/heat) and keep it very easy paced. And don't give up