I run on a road. I can't do anything about it. The -only- non-paved place around here I can run is the school's XC trails, which I'm only allowed on during the season during practices and meets. I have no access to a track. We don't even have sidewalks in my neighborhood.

I think I'm getting shin splints. Sometimes I get a mild pain in my left shin when running, but it -always- goes away withing about 10 seconds of starting, and since I get it around the same time into a run I think it's a mental thing (things like that almost always are with me).

Today I ran decently. I don't usually keep time on my Friday runs. I know I got a insane minute or so long sprint faster than I've ever ran because I saw a completely repulsive rotting squirrel and almost stepped on it. After showering and such, a few hours later, my right shin kills.

I do need new shoes, but my parents won't buy them until XC starts, and even then they refuse to take me to a store where I can get my stride and such evaluated. So decent shoes are probably out of the picture.

And my form sucks, but every time I try and work on moving my legs properly, it doesn't work. I don't know what I'm supposed to land on, anyway.

Help?

So your parents won't buy you new shoes. Have you tried bargaining? Offer to do chores to pay for them or something. Have you explained that you think the old shoes are causing shin splints. I mean shin splints are no joking matter. They can put you out of training for weeks.

Eh, they don't really care. My dad doesn't understand that I run 4 days a week AND wear the same shoes to the gym three days a week, and my mom thinks that shin splints come from not stretching and can be solved by stretching. XC starts by the end of the month, and I -might- be able to convince them to get me good shoes then, as opposed to what I have now, but for now, it probably won't happen.

Ok... well your mom is pretty much wrong about how shin splints are obtained...and I certainly don't want to suggest that you be disrespectful to her... perhaps you can have her sit down with you at the computer to research the problem...

here's a link that it explains it...

http://www.medicinenet.com/shin_splints/article.ht m

It is important to keep up your stretching regardless... Also, you might try taping your shins... I didn't read the whole article attached maybe it will address that...

Quite honestly, if you're in pain and you think it's due to poor shoes... I'd figure out something else to do in the mean time... 'cause if your shins are trashed by the time your season end... it won't matter if you have new shoes... you'll be out of the game....

Perhaps you can help your dad understand that good shoes are like good tires... If they're crap... they're dangerous to drive on... if they are worn down... they are dangerous to drive and... and short of killing the passengers in the car... you can replace all the property that gets damaged... but if you damage your shins...well... good luck getting a new body. I would look for some online discount shoe stores...so when you get your budge to buy new shoes... look into getting 2 for one...

One of my favorite places to shop (I live near the store) but they have an online store too is http://www.sportsbasement.com You can almost always save at least $40 on your shoes...

You could also try contacting Nike or Addidas and see if you can access their sample sales (they might even have programs for kids that can't get shoes)... or getting your shoes on e-bay... You're going to have to get creative here... do you have any spending cash? Time to prioritize... and spend it on your gear.

Also, you just might want to talk to your parents, if they are open, about how they budget... it would be good for you to understand how they need to spend money... the unfortunate scenerio now adays is that bills are really high and jobs don't keep up with pay increases to meet needs. Your parents just might not be able to fork out a ton of cash... which is why they have budgeted new shoes for you at the beginning of the season. So, maybe talk in advance about how shoes should only have so many miles on them to protect your feet, joint, etc.... get on the internet and do your research. Then find out what your budget it... and figure it out...

I used to be a ballet dancer... once a toe shoe was warn out... it got ugly... I used to paint them with polyeruthane to harden them up again... (probably not the healthiest thing to do)... but you can go through shoes in less than 2 months at $40 a pop... and my dad didn't like that budget either...

Good luck!

Run backwards also. I found tossing that in helped me cut down on my shin splints alot when I was in track. Really 'kick' as you stride and stay on the balls of your feet.

Have you thought about getting a job in order to pay for the shoes?

As for running, I always thought it was heel-toe: land on your heel, move to the ball of your foot and then push off with your toes.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238- 267-268-8210-0,00.html

Hi Mikaela,

All I can tell you is what I've learned about my body from doing distance running. Your results may be quite different.

I started running after being a habitual couch potato for years. I was 6'2" and 250lbs. For some reason, I got the hare-brained idea to run a marathon. So I am in training now. When I first began, I would get awful shin splints. After doing a lot of research, I came to the conclusion that in my case, the muscles in my lower legs were just not strong enough for all the running I was trying to do. To give you an idea, I was weighing in the 225-235 range when this was going on, running between 3-8 miles four days a week. It was just too much too soon on those leg muscles.

After backing off for about a week, I started running short distances at a super slow pace (12 minute miles), and slowly working my way back up to longer distances at faster speeds. I also made a habit of walking on my heels several blocks a day, alternating between toes pointing in and out, to work those muscles without the impact of running. That helped a lot, and now I can run double-digit mileage without any problems. The other thing I had to do was to be super careful to stick to my stretching routine - working all the muscles in the upper and lower legs VERY THOROUGHLY before running.

While I agree that good shoes are a MUST for your long term running health, running on a bad pair for awhile won't cause shin splints in and of itself. While I was having all my problems with shin splints, I was running on a crappy pair of $15 sneakers from Wal-Mart that had fallen apart and had the soles glued back together a couple of times. Even though my shoes kept getting worse, my shins kept feeling better because I was strengthening the muscles and improving the flexibility of the tendons down there.

As for your parents and the shoe issues, try this: peel a couple of onions before you go to bed, hide 'em in your shoes, and leave them lying around where your parents will stumble on them in the morning. Also, Corn-Nuts work GREAT for this. After a few days of this, they're bound to give in. All you have to do is run faster than the stink in the meantime

Good Luck,
Brian

If you re-read this article again, you will see that they suggest landing "between your heel and midfoot."

From what I've been told, you should land such that your food is directly below your hips, and how you land, should cause your foot to naturally roll forward onto your toes. If you have to start the move forward yourself (which happens if you land on your heel) you lose all that energy you generated in the stride forward, which is not a very efficient form of running.

Try this: Standing, let your self lean forward until you have to put out a foot to catch yourself. The first time, land on your heel. Notice that you stop moving and you put a lot of jarring pressure on your heel. Now do it again, but land between your heel and midfoot, and you should naturally roll forward onto your toes.

all right

Thank you guys a lot.

Brian, I think that might be a contributing factor for me. I mean, I took it slow (took me...4 months, almost, to do the C25k, because I wanted to make sure I had it down good before I moved on) but I was also working on speed at the same time, not just endurance. My mileage has been the same for a month and half though (I need to alter the route...to get in my 30 minutes I wind up passing my house and then not trying as hard because I make the connection that the faster I run the further I have to walk home).

I think, for my next run, I'm going to cut my speed and work on my form. I point my toes outward a bit, but this has been getting better since I started doing squats and making sure I kept my feet in for that (I walk duck-like too, haha).

You should check out sites like mapmyrun.com or gmap-pedometer.com which let you map out a route (or find one) near your house. This way you can plan ahead a few routes of different lengths.

To get faster, I'd suggest doing runs of different lengths. Runs over the distance you want to run will help your endurance and speed (just run them nice and slowly). Speed work is usually done by doing a short warm-up (about 10 minutes) then, sprint some distance, and then slow down for about the same distance and repeat. Start with only a few reps, and then increase as able.

But, then again, you will be training with a coach in a couple of weeks, who should be able to give you much better advice than we can over the internet. So your biggest goal should be to make sure you're injury free when you start the season.

I do map my runs. I just get lost a lot, haha. My neighborhood confuses the heck outta me (I've lived in this town most of my life, but only about 10 months in this neighborhood, and it's confusing because it's very random. Some streets are like .1 miles, some are 3+. They twist and turn and it's easy to not find your way back.

I've been pretty much improving steadily just doing a 3.5 miles. When I did my first 28 minute run, that and my 5 minute warm-up took me right to my lawn.

Yesterday, I was 25 minutes into my 30-minute run when I went past my house. Sprinted the rest and wound up walking home haha.

I'm thinking of doing an uber-long run today, just for something different. I mean, I'm not that tired after 30. I'll probably hold off on actually focusing on speed work until practice starts, but lately I've been doing little mini-sprints in my runs, half the time without even noticing I'm doing it.