Overweight Beginning Runner, Help!

I am by no means an expert, but when I started running and was experiencing shin pain I slowed my pace down and shortened my stride. I also focus on trying to land my foot mid foot instead of heel striking. This has all helped me.

First the brutally honest part: You didnt get to be 300lbs ASAP it took a while. So will losing it. Concentrate on a permanent healthy lifestyle and the weight will come off and you will be able to move more easily.

I started at 288lbs and attempted to run. It was not pretty. Lots of pain and could only jog for 30 seconds at a time. Ankles, shins, knees all are painful. So, I walked for two months and adjusted my diet; became 20 lbs lighter and tried again. This time, minimal pain and I am now halfway through C25K and a total of 50lbs lighter.

I suggest walking until your wheels are stronger and not in pain before getting too aggressive.

Dont be in a hurry. Slow and steady will win this race without you getting injured.

I'm no expert but I am guessing you are doing too much all at once. I started my running at 257lbs. Like you I wanted to be able to do it all at once. However I discovered once I slowed things down and took it one step at a time, I performed much better. I was experiencing planters facilities. I would suggest you start a proper running program like Couch to 5k. It will help build you up. I also suggest running on a softer surface until your joints and body get use to the running. If you let your self build up, you will have less problems in the long run.

I'm by no means an expert, but I have been running most of my life. First off, you shouldn't try to run a mile straigt-especially if you have never run or haven't run in several years. You are asking to hurt yourself even worse. Start out slow and set reasonable goals. Shoot for run a lap and then walk a lap. The bottom line is that you are moving, even if you aren't running. It is a slow process, but in the end you won't risk hurting yourself worse.

Another good thing to do is the Jeff Galloway method. You start out running for a minute, then walk for a minute. It gradually builds from there, so that may not be a bad start point for you either.

Keep after it!

Hi, I had shin splints on and off the first couple of YEARS I ran. They went away as I got fitter and lost weight (80 pounds). Some tips:

- Form really makes a big difference. I agree with the advice above to try to land mid-foot. Chi Running is also a good method and promotes mid-foot landing.
- Run slower than you think you should, and take shorter steps than you think you should. You might feel silly, but seriously it will help you build up strength and endurance.
- Keep your runs short and milage low for a while. Build up verrrry slowly!
- Ice your shins after you run!

Good luck!

I started even heavier. I could run about 10 seconds before I was in agonizing pain. I started walking instead. A leisurely pace at first. Just started going as long as possible. Slowly increasing speed and distance over the next several months. It's worked great! I'm now up to 5 miles per workout. It took three months to get where I am now. It won't happen overnight!

i can feel your pain in that . when i was 300 lbs i couldnt even hardly walk. so thats what i did ...walk a short distance and then back home .. i got to a point i could walk a little farther ..then i started timing myself .. today im proud to say im working on a c210k .. been in a few 5k and 8k races but only to do it .. was usually in the middle with my timing .. all this took time and patience. im not a fast running and most i could ever do was five miles in an hour but it took me forever to get to that point

but I'm finding I cannot do very much at all because of shin splints.

Well what you need to do first is rest until the injury heals. If you persist in running on it you'll exacerbate the situation.

That said, what you're describing doesn't sounds entirely like shin splints. When I used to get shin splints it wouldn't "come on", it'd stop me walking without a stick for days after it started. It may be that you're not suffering shin splints, you're just out of condition and trying to overdo it.

Essentially shin splints are microfractures on the front of the shin bone as a result of overuse, where the muscle tears itself away from the bone. The only thing that's going to heal it is a break from the stress. Whilst that's happening you can think about how to deal with the underlying cause.

there are a number of potential causes of shin splints:

Shoes being inappropriate, ill fitting or worn out - You've already addresse this and the Beast is a good shoe for the very overwight runner. It'll have a life of between 300-500 miles, probably the lower end of that given weight and inexperience.

Doing too much too quickly. I would suggest using a structured plan to get yourself running, rather than just going out and running until it hurts. That allows you to develop the condition, and also allows the muscles and connecting tissues to develop as you increase the stresses on them. fwiw an ellipithell doesn't simulate an appropriate running motion, so it's not comparable, but it's useful therapy while the injury heals.

Form - Many new runners over-stride, or use an old fashioned heel strike. This means that the lower legs go through an awful lot of additional stresses through rotational forces and levering the main body mass vertically rather than forward. When you run try to focus on taking a very short pae, just landing the front foot slightly ahead of the main body mass. Keep the rate of steps high. That manifests as landing on the midfoot, which places a lot less stress on the system.

Muscular imbalance - Where the calf and shin muscles are developed differently. This involves building up the shin muscle, lifting a sandback with the toes, while the heel is on the ground, or using a resistance band to do similar. I prefer cycling with toes clipped into the pedals and consciously lifting the foot rather than just pumping it down.

In the meantime, ice the injury until it heals and work on identifying a plan that you can follow,