I'm wrestling w/shin splints off and on myself. I'm on W8D1 and have at least temporarily gotten over them. I iced my shins several times a day and I stretched like crazy. Sitting on my legs and and leaning back for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time really helped. If I understand the condition correctly I don't see how running through them would alleviate the problem. Resting on the weekends and taking an extra rest day when they flared badly has helped as well.

It sounds like you might be a little aggressive on your 5k plans, it's more important to stay healthy than to run your 5k. Probably better yet do your 5k, but don't hesitate to walk as needed. Good luck!

I've always suffered from shin splints to some degree when I run. Yesterday I overdid it and they were getting pretty bad. Today they are GONE! I can't even feel them when I press on the normally sore spots. What works for me is massage and stretching. Any time I'm sitting down, I point my toes down and stretch and hold for about 30 seconds, then I reverse and stretch them back for about 30 seconds and repeat a few times. I talked to a friend who is a massage therapist and she recommended a foam roller to massage them, but since I don't have one I just used my thumbs. ZIt hurts since you have to break up the little lumps of connective tissue forming in there, but it works! A little peppermint oil does wonders with the massage, too.