How to avoid shin splints?

Ensure you have the proper shoes to run. I have some terrible feet and have to get certain shoes to run well. Go to wal-mart and get your feet checked out by the dr scholls machine.

or

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-shoes/take-wet-test-learn-your-foot-type

Good Luck!

When's the last time you got fitted for a running shoe? I'm just getting over some serious shin pain because I thought my shoes from last year were fine. I was really wrong and paid for it dearly. I'm talking about icing down my leg as soon as I got home and using a heating pad a few days later and having to switch cardio exercises so that I didn't put too much stress on my legs. I thought "Well, I got these at big brand store and they recommended it for running." What they didn't bother doing is looking at my feet, watching me walk to see what my gait was like, letting me try them on and run on a treadmill, recommending different shoes in different price points, etc. It was more like "This is our most popular shoe and it's great for exercising and everyday wear. But this one is nice, too, but it's a little more expensive. But it's a good brand." Sound familiar?
You might need more cushioning/stability or if they're fairly new you might have the wrong kind of shoe: wrong size, wrong fit, wrong whatever. When I finally went to a running specialty store, they fitted me and recommended shoes in all price ranges that would be best for my feet. They took the time to listen to my concerns and I now have a shoe that seriously is more comfy than any exercise shoe I've ever had. There was even a woman who bought new shoes and got a blister...instead of showing her new shoes like she wanted, they made her try out new socks because they took the time to find out she hadn't had new socks in a year or two and the ones she was using were notorious for causing blisters. Socks!!! Try and get that kind of service in a big box store. They'd be happy to sell you $150 of shoes you don't need first before they bust out $12 in socks.
There's a big difference these days between what the big boxes and the smaller stores recommend as well as the level of expertise you find.

:bigsmile:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Ditto -so true-thanks for all this advice-I too suffer, but only when I walk outside, not on the treadmill??????

I just started running last fall. In the beginning my legs were often sore. However once I starting lifting, running has been much easier on my legs. Squats in particular helped me strengthen many muscle groups that used to bother me after a longer run.

I ran my first half marathon yesterday. I can honestly say that my legs feel better today than they did after my first 5k on December 1st (prior to starting squatting).

As you can probably guess from my user name I disagree about the comments regarding inserts as they only treat the symptom and not the underlying cause (weak muscles, and possibly improper running form). Inserts or lots of heel cushioning may feel more comfortable while you run today, but they will only encourage you to land on your heels putting more pressure on your joints. Minimalist shoes (without any cushioning) will take some time to get used to but will greatly increase the strength of additional muscles groups as you begin to land on your forefoot/midfoot instead.