Possible Shin splints or poor running technique?

[Delta]

Here is some background. Lately I've been training to get my run time down for my application PFT to Marine OCS (Jan 09). I went to a good running store and bought Asics Gels ($140). I started running 3 to 4 weeks ago from scratch (its been about 7 years since i had to run miles, and i've put on about 70lbs of muscle since then), gradually trying to kick it up an extra 1/2 mile every week or so until i get to 3 miles. My cardio isnt whats slowing me down, its my leg endurance. I've been running 2 to 3 times a week to allow for leg recovery.

Here is what happened, yesterday i tried doing intervals, sprinting every telephone to telephone pole, jog pole to pole, sprint...etc etc... During the sprint it seemed as if all the weight was transferring straight to my shins, it wasn't painful, it just didn't feel right though. So i stopped and kept jogging,

So it is poor running technique? Or are my shins not ready for sprints? Should i try some off-road routes?

(this was all on asphault)

 

[snake020]

My coaches always encouraged running on softer surfaces than asphalt. Try finding some dirt trails for distance and if you can find a rubberized track use it for your interval work. If your shins get worse, consider stopping running for a couple of weeks and just cross train.

 

[SemperGumbi]

It is really hard to say without lookin gat your stride. I was a pole-vaulter all through HS and college. (I throw that out there because we all know everyone wants to give advice on the internet, and most of it is just someone who wants to type for all to see. I actually have a background in running.)

Running ONLY on paved roads can cause all kinds of troubles. Not to mention that running through varied terrain really improves your running because it builds the stabilizer muscles in your hips and ankles. So definitely take it to the trails a little bit if you can.

To get your form down for doing sprints, I wouldn't start off going jog-sprint-jog-sprint. I would do acceloration sprints and skip drills. The acceloration (sp) drills should be done as follows:

Find a straight area with even terrain. A track is best. You will use about 60-70 meters. For these you don't want terrain. Start out with a smooth accel to about 70% of max speed. break it up 1/3 accel, 1/3 maintain 70% of max effort, 1/3 decel. Focus on form: high knees, stay on your toes, try to maintain a good dorsi flex on your ankle, and good arm swing. Form is more important than speed. These are just to train your body to move right.

Walk back to the start. Wait a minute or two. Repeat. Do this 6ish times.

As for the skip drills, if you are unfamiliar with them, I really can't help at all over the internet. Find an athlete who does sprints (track, football) and they might be able to help you.

I hate stretching, but I had to do it a lot. If you are tight you will transfer weight incorrectly. That alone could be your problem. Stretch for a good amount of time before you run. If you think you are stretching enough, you should probably double that. the best way is to do a light warm-up run, THEN stretch. Then do your actual workout. Cold muscles don't like to be stretched. A lot of times you can get that feeling in your legs from glutes, hammies, and lower back muscles being too tight. Stretch your ass. (Go ahead and insert lude humor here.)

You can do the accels before or after your running portion. Generally after works better if you are doing a longer run. If you are doing a sprint-type workout I would do them before to get your form wired in before hitting it hard.

Minute on/minute off type workouts are great for your heart, BTW, because you have to deal with frequent changes in your pulse and the like.

2-3 times per week running is good. People who go out and run everyday right off the bat usually end up with some sort of over use injury.

In summary: Stretch, work on form, run on different surfaces.

And I have no idea if it is the case, but some shoes just don't agree with your stride. I have bought several pairs in my career (before I had them picked out for me based on my stride) that were awesome shoes, but just didn't work for me and made stuff hurt.

 

[feddoc]

Good Gouge here. ^^^^^^^^

 

[whitesoxnation]

70 lbs of pure muscle holy what were you before 100 pounds?

 

[BackOrdered]

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[voodooqueen]

I'm a former trainer, and in addition to the excellent advice preceding, I'll reiterate about cement not being your friend. You might consider a cushy treadmill for awhile. Also, and of course I can't see your form, common form errors include not leaving any bend in your knees (so all the shock goes onto your shins), and not rolling through your metatarcil arch (the center of your foot), then the stress of impact goes at an angle and can cause problems like shin-splints.

 

[gotta_fly]

I have no qualifications. I have never run varsity and never been a professional trainer. On the other hand, I had shin splints when I was in high school. The thing that seemed to work for me was wearing extra thick socks, or wearing two pair of socks. I also stayed off of roads as much as possible. I don't know if the socks actually make a difference or not, but it seemed to help me.

 

[Delta]

70 lbs of pure muscle holy what were you before 100 pounds?

When i was in 9th-10th grade i weighed about 135-140 lbs, 6ft (Last time i ran regularly for baseball). Im 24 now and weight 210, same height, same body fat... years of lifting...


As for the issue, i spoke with a local marathon runner at the gym today, he said its probably just conditioning, because it only bothered me on sprints, no pain at all on the jog ( i was landing on the balls of my feet when i was sprinting, made sure of it). Today there is absolutely no pain in my shin at all, just a general tiredness.

 

[Jeff29]

I struggled with what I was told were shin splints during college. The athletic trainers at school had me doing ice and heat and taping my shins for practice (felt like I was in a cast). The pain and the "cast" created a very awkward running style that eventually led to other injuries that ended my playing days.

After college, I went to a physical therapist in San Diego who, after a few minutes of checking my shins, calves and running form told me that I didn't have chin splints, but that my tibialis anterior (muscle that runs along the shin) was overdeveloped in comparison to my calf muscles and was really tight; this basically had the affect of compressing my tibia (shin bone). Anyway, he gave me a few stretches to do and I haven't had a problem since.

I have some diagrams of the stretches that I'll try to find as they will be a lot easier to explain with pictures, but basically you get on your knees and sit back on your feet (with the tops of your feet on the ground). If you need to support some of your bodyweight by putting your hands on the floor in front of you, that is fine. After about 20 seconds you (with your hands on the ground in front of you) lift your knees off the ground while keeping the tops of your feet on the ground. After 20 more seconds, you curl you toes and raise up even higher so the the tops of you toes are on the ground, but the rest of the foot is now off the ground (10 seconds). I do this routine from three different positions: toes pointing straight behind, toes point inward, and toes pointed outward. I then finish with a foot stretch that is done from the final position, but with the bottom of the toes on the ground instead of the top. Like I said, pictures would be better. Hope this helps.

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

Some great advice by the pole-vaulter. Definitely don't train a lot on cement. It's going to hurt.

One thing I did notice is that you said you're trying to increase your mileage up to 3 miles. Increase your mileage up to no less than 6 miles.

Reasoning is you're training to essentially run a race against the Marine standard for the 3 miles. Training by running 3 miles isn't going to do a whole lot for building your endurance for that race.

As far as technique you may want to check yourself. I find that if I keep my head straight and my eyes forward I tend to maintain a better running technique.

I get some pretty awful shin-splints as well and what I do is a lot of calf-stretches. Example: Leaning against a wall with one leg forward bent and the other back bending down to the floor while i keep my foot flat.

The other is getting on a set of stairs and standing on my tip-toes for 3 sets of 10 seconds.

Proper stretching can eliminate tons of problems that you would encounter during running. As far as where my information comes from....I was a distance runner for track in high school and I had a strict coach who went on and on about stretching this and that.

Anyways best of luck to you and I hope I provided some help that wasn't already offered.

 

[Delta]

I have some diagrams of the stretches that I'll try to find as they will be a lot easier to explain with pictures, but basically you get on your knees and sit back on your feet (with the tops of your feet on the ground). If you need to support some of your bodyweight by putting your hands on the floor in front of you, that is fine. After about 20 seconds you (with your hands on the ground in front of you) lift your knees off the ground while keeping the tops of your feet on the ground. After 20 more seconds, you curl you toes and raise up even higher so the the tops of you toes are on the ground, but the rest of the foot is now off the ground (10 seconds). I do this routine from three different positions: toes pointing straight behind, toes point inward, and toes pointed outward. I then finish with a foot stretch that is done from the final position, but with the bottom of the toes on the ground instead of the top. Like I said, pictures would be better. Hope this helps.

Thanks, Im actually doing some volunteer hours for physical therapy now. So i'll ask the PT for stretches of the anterior leg compartment (group of shin muscles).

 

[BlackBearHockey]

After college, I went to a physical therapist in San Diego who, after a few minutes of checking my shins, calves and running form told me that I didn't have chin splints, but that my tibialis anterior (muscle that runs along the shin) was overdeveloped in comparison to my calf muscles and was really tight; this basically had the affect of compressing my tibia (shin bone). Anyway, he gave me a few stretches to do and I haven't had a problem since.

Definitely take that advice and monitor how you feel. I went from training for hockey (quicker, agility based) to training for the PRT (longer, endurance based) and had some similar problems. I went to an orthopedic surgeon and found that my anterior compartment had about 40mg of pressure whenever I exercised and I had to get it a minor operation. If you feel like your shins get tight or full of pressure which dissipates after a few minutes, that might be something to talk to a physician about.

 

[bbf7b2]

Whatever you do don't alter your running to try and compensate for pain. My Junior year cross-country season I had some foot and shin pain and I tried to just change my form a little bit to something that was less painful because I didn't want to miss any of the season recovering. The end result was that my new found form put so much stress on different parts of my leg that when I hit a pretty minor pothole I ended up tearing my calf muscle which put me out for the whole season. So make sure if you are having problems you treat them and don't just try to compensate.

 

[BigIron]

it could also be your shoes. Just because you bought the expensive Asic Gels (btw, awesome shoes) doesn't mean they are the right shoe for you. I upgraded to the gel Kinsei because I thought it was an advanced shoe, and it caused shin splints galore. I then switched back to the Kayano with no problems.

Something to think about. Shoe brand / model does matter when running.