Thread: Runners/Shin splint brahs get in here (srs need advice, will rep)

been running like 9 miles a week, honestly not much, but have been slowly upping the mileage to try and avoid shin splints by ramping things up too quickly

would split this into 5 days

4 days x 2 miles and 1 day for a speed mile to change things up. just get kinda bored with the lockdowns and since gyms still closed I have no other way to do cardio

since past week and a half the shin splints during my run seem to be getting worse. Before it would maybe creep in after a mile but now it's creeping in like within half a mile. Not only that, but the spot where my ankle dorsiflexes gets pretty painful as well. Probably going to take 7-10 days off and then see how things go from there. But even usually with a 2 day break, my first run back my shins start acting up but would get better as I run more. I've just kinda powered through them but it's slowing down my run times now.

any1 do special exercises n chit? or have any other means to reduce it? As a side note this happens only during the run. A few minutes after the run I'm completely fine, no soreness no nothing.

honestly i just stopped running. i do it every so often now. for cardio i play basketball or walk on an incline.

Originally Posted by sooby

been running like 9 miles a week, honestly not much, but have been slowly upping the mileage to try and avoid shin splints by ramping things up too quickly

would split this into 5 days

4 days x 2 miles and 1 day for a speed mile to change things up. just get kinda bored with the lockdowns and since gyms still closed I have no other way to do cardio

since past week and a half the shin splints during my run seem to be getting worse. Before it would maybe creep in after a mile but now it's creeping in like within half a mile. Not only that, but the spot where my ankle dorsiflexes gets pretty painful as well. Probably going to take 7-10 days off and then see how things go from there. But even usually with a 2 day break, my first run back my shins start acting up but would get better as I run more. I've just kinda powered through them but it's slowing down my run times now.

any1 do special exercises n chit? or have any other means to reduce it? As a side note this happens only during the run. A few minutes after the run I'm completely fine, no soreness no nothing.

I seem to get them a lot from wearing my ASICS running shoes. What shoes are you wearing to run?

Rub peanut oil on your ankles three times a day and take like a few days rest.

Originally Posted by verymuchalpha

frequency matters too. You need to rest.

Run 3 miles 3 days a week with at least 1 day rest in between. Also, avoid running on routes with a lot of up hills.

A 2 mile run doesn't even sound like a workout, no offense, it's always the last mile when the real work kicks in on 3 mile runs.

You can always run them faster. I've done 3 miles but at a certain point it's the shin splints/ankles that are the limiting factor here. It feels like more like an exercise in masochism rather than actual physical exercise. I guess mental determination gains but at what cost?

Originally Posted by ChangeOfStyle

I seem to get them a lot from wearing my ASICS running shoes. What shoes are you wearing to run?

Rub peanut oil on your ankles three times a day and take like a few days rest.

fuark I'm actually wearing ASICS lmao, any particular brand of shoes that you recommend? Haven't heard the peanut oil thing but I'll look into it.

Originally Posted by knightofday

Same. Running is not worth the pounding on my joints as I’m pretty heavy. Walking inclines and hikes for me

That was kinda me tbh, usually I would do stuff like rowing but I'm sorta getting into it and in the process set some goals for myself that I want to achieve that I would feel bad for going back on.

Shin splints are basically what ended my running career.

Others have noted frequency, and it does sound like you're trying to be careful about things volume-wise. Other things you can pay attention to:

-surface (run on grass or something instead of concrete)
-hills (up/down/flat, figure out what works for you, flat probably advised though. I always had trouble with downhills)
-form - could be the most important. lots of people run like retards. Focus on a good cadence (~180 steps per minute, regardless of speed), keep good posture, and aim to have your feet land under your hips instead of in front of you (more horizontal motion = greater force transferred into your feet and up through your legs)
-shoe type (will really vary person to person)
-recovery (RICE + advil)
-strengthening weak muscles, particularly things like stabilizer muscles and whatnot in the feet

Additions:
-intensity - unlike bodybuilding, running uses the same muscles and joints every time. There's no running bodypart split, but what you can do to allow some better recovery is vary your intensity.
-be mindful of body composition - if you have some decent bodybuilding size, that's going to be more stress on your bones and joints, so you'll have to be more conservative with your volume and intensity

Originally Posted by legbroke

Shin splints are basically what ended my running career.

Others have noted frequency, and it does sound like you're trying to be careful about things volume-wise. Other things you can pay attention to:

-surface (run on grass or something instead of concrete)
-hills (up/down/flat, figure out what works for you, flat probably advised though. I always had trouble with downhills)
-form - could be the most important. lots of people run like retards. Focus on a good cadence (~180 steps per minute, regardless of speed), keep good posture, and aim to have your feet land under your hips instead of in front of you (more horizontal motion = greater force transferred into your feet and up through your legs)
-shoe type (will really vary person to person)
-recovery (RICE + advil)
-strengthening weak muscles, particularly things like stabilizer muscles and whatnot in the feet

Originally Posted by Ilovemygf

- Body hasn’t adapted yet
- Running form
- Running surface
- Shoes

If you’re running on a hard surface, try and do a few runs on a grass field or athletics track, and see if it’s better with reduced impact.

^ wizard

Yeah could be the surface. I run on straight concrete and I'm thinking my legs and especially my ankles don't like it at all, but it's so convenient since it's right beside my house and I'd have to drive to get to a local track. So far probably the best solutions would be to change the surface to something flat and non-concrete, maybe take a look at my shoes and running form.

Originally Posted by verymuchalpha

That's your problem then. You shouldn't run them faster. You need most of your runs to be at a comfortable pace, and then one run a week or every two weeks will be intense. Your bones don't recover like that.

Look up running routines and tempo runs, fartlek, and threshold runs. Your running routine should be strategic, it shouldn't just be go 100% every time.

I never go 100% on those runs that's the thing. It's probably more like 70% where I am breathing a heavy a little bit but can still hold a conversation. Speed mile once a week around 80-90%. Problem with going 2 miles at a slow place is as you said it barely feels like a workout. However doing 3 miles at a "comfortable pace" it feels more like an exercise in enduring the shin splints. So get a good workout and try to avoid this I would run the 2 miles a bit faster (it isn't even that fast either, around a 10 minute a mile pace).

Here is your answer and yes it works. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU2qkiDSsg4

Your *front shin muscles* are weak and the pounding/running is killing them.
Calf stretches and these will help with only 9 miles/wk
Also get yourself *new running shoes* for your *specific foot type*(supinator/neutral/over pronator)

Originally Posted by legbroke

Definitely as least take a bit to check out your form. Watch some videos and record yourself (treadmill is convenient for that). Sounds like your intensity isn't too bad.

One additional thing I thought of though is you might have to be extra careful about your volume/intensity if your have some decent mass (cba digging through your bodyspace to check) and are just starting running. That'll necessitate extra time for acclimation.


And fwiw, I'm planning on making a return to running once leg is no longer broke, but I'm probably going to run 3x a week max. At a certain point, running just is a fukload of stress, and assuming you're not going for professional running status, you can become a better runner by doing other chit; i.e., cross-training with pool-running, circuit training, swimming, rowing, w/e tf. Basically, I feel the specificity of running isn't super necessary, and the stress is easily enough avoided.

Yeah running form might help too, unfortunately I don't have access to a treadmill at the moment. I'm packing a bit of mass atm too (am 197 lbs and want to get down to 180-185). I've been running for a few months now.

hope your return goes well legbrokebrah (strong username to content ratio)

Originally Posted by x-trainer ben

Here is your answer and yes it works. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU2qkiDSsg4

Your *front shin muscles* are weak and the pounding/running is killing them.
Calf stretches and these will help with only 9 miles/wk
Also get yourself *new running shoes* for your *specific foot type*(supinator/neutral/over pronator)

just started doing stuff like heel walks and calf stretches, albeit only for like a week or so, so I can't really say much

Originally Posted by sooby

just started doing stuff like heel walks and calf stretches, albeit only for like a week or so, so I can't really say much

Dad was a track guy, and said 1. run on grass/dirt, 2. a high school track(padded),3. road, and 4. last concrete as it has no give.
In that order to save your body parts.

your form and Shoes are what matters
probably more shoes (srs)
used to get it when id try to run on pavement with my barefoot running shoes or some crappy basketball shoes but with some nike free running shoes, I dont have any shin probs anymore

Good running shoes is probably the most important thing. Go to a good shoe store and they should be able to recommend a good running shoe based on your running style (pronation/supination).

most of shin splits was adapting to running op. I run 20+ miles a week and now I notice my right foot goes numb about a 1 mile in then 2 miles later its gone. I'm trying to figure out that now currently. last week I ran 27 miles for that week and now I have some aches. Think upping mileage too much can wreck the body.

Originally Posted by MikeLowrrrey

Is running 5 days a week too much for a bloatmaxxer like me at 270lbs? If I imagine 3 miles of rinning/walking it should be too bad right?

would do different kinds of cardio + diet instead of running at that weight.
running when overweight is a miserable experience and tough on joints

Originally Posted by sooby

been running like 9 miles a week, honestly not much, but have been slowly upping the mileage to try and avoid shin splints by ramping things up too quickly

would split this into 5 days

4 days x 2 miles and 1 day for a speed mile to change things up. just get kinda bored with the lockdowns and since gyms still closed I have no other way to do cardio

since past week and a half the shin splints during my run seem to be getting worse. Before it would maybe creep in after a mile but now it's creeping in like within half a mile. Not only that, but the spot where my ankle dorsiflexes gets pretty painful as well. Probably going to take 7-10 days off and then see how things go from there. But even usually with a 2 day break, my first run back my shins start acting up but would get better as I run more. I've just kinda powered through them but it's slowing down my run times now.

any1 do special exercises n chit? or have any other means to reduce it? As a side note this happens only during the run. A few minutes after the run I'm completely fine, no soreness no nothing.

Medial tibial stress syndrome.
Repetitive strain injury.
Too much, too fast.

Take 2-weeks off.
Ibuprofen 400mg PO BID, 5-days.
Stretching.
Resistance training ok.
Cardio with bike or row ok.
Consider pod eval for orthotics.

When you return to running slow creep up.
Don’t overdue it.
Ice 20-min bilateral after run. Each time.
You will remain susceptible.
Listen to your body.


You can listen to me because this is what I do, or you can listen to those above me and go fu ck yourself. The choice is yours.

Originally Posted by MikeLowrrrey

Is running 5 days a week too much for a bloatmaxxer like me at 270lbs? If I imagine 3 miles of rinning/walking it should be too bad right?

270 lbs is a lot of weight boyo

i'd honestly just try losing weight first, start off with walking for several weeks then maybe start doing walk/jog intervals like 2-3x a week. but do what you can and start really really slow. running sucks really bad when you're just getting started, and can continue to suck bad like for myself lol without the proper setup. and carrying a lot of weight on top of that. but in all honesty you're probably better off with something like rowing or an air bike that's easy on the joints.

Originally Posted by MikeLowrrrey

Is running 5 days a week too much for a bloatmaxxer like me at 270lbs? If I imagine 3 miles of rinning/walking it should be too bad right?

Fast walk on incline. Increase incline and/or speed weekly or based on how you feel.

Originally Posted by Hypernation

Medial tibial stress syndrome.
Repetitive strain injury.
Too much, too fast.

Take 2-weeks off.
Ibuprofen 400mg PO BID, 5-days.
Stretching.
Resistance training ok.
Cardio with bike or row ok.
Consider pod eval for orthotics.

When you return to running slow creep up.
Don’t overdue it.
Ice 20-min bilateral after run. Each time.
You will remain susceptible.
Listen to your body.


You can listen to me because this is what I do, or you can listen to those above me and go fu ck yourself. The choice is yours.

ah fuark mane, I've been trying to be careful not upping the mileage too fast as well. I've been running a few months and i've only really increased the mileage a quarter mile a week. I may consider orthotics as well too, my feet are flat af. Heard ice reduces swelling but doesn't it reduce recovery overall?

Originally Posted by sooby

ah fuark mane, I've been trying to be careful not upping the mileage too fast as well. I've been running a few months and i've only really increased the mileage a quarter mile a week. I may consider orthotics as well too, my feet are flat af. Heard ice reduces swelling but doesn't it reduce recovery overall?

It assists with healing and recovery. You can tell your bro science bros to suck a cawk.

Ice 20 on and off for three cycles after each run until you’re well out of the woods.

Along with orthotics consider stability shoes if you’re flat footed and/or pronate.