Stretching before running

I don't stretch before a run...and it is a rarity that I stretch after (insert collective gasp here). Your muscle soreness (IMHO) is most likely due to muscles getting a workout. Try doing some weight training on your cross training days.

Stretching is more important after running than before. I don't like to stretch cold muscles. Sometimes I might stretch a mile into my run, but not very often.

A foam roller is a MUST for any runner. I spend about 15 mins after my runs stretching and then rolling all parts of my legs on the roller.

MTA: I also wanted to add that in the beginning it's very common for the muscle in the front along the outside of the shin bone to be very sore. Massaging it with a rolling pin really feels good!

I would say try stretching before and after your run. Bending over and trying to touch your toes or trying to touch your toes sitting with your legs out is good if you're tight behind your knees. Also try doing pulses when you're stretching, it hurts less and you may end up stretching farther. Also hold stretches for more than 30 seconds or you might not be getting any benefits.

You wont have to take a day off, actually better if you dont. Are you saying you run in a stationary position for 20 minutes? Or is it on a treadmill? If it is in a stationary position I would record it as aerobics rather than a run, it is also not the greatest thing in the world for your joints, as your body mechanics are not the same as if you were running outside or on a treadmill. "Shin Splints" generally come when you start a new exercise regimine that includes alot running, especially running on extra hard surfaces, with poor foot wear, or improper form; all of which you very possibly could be experiencing due to stationary running. There are really no great stretches that are going to help you out, just time and more exercise. You can sit on your knees and then lay back, this stretches out the shins a bit. An older preseason trick I used to use (running in cleats causes some serious shin splints) is to buy dixie cups and fill them with water then freeze them. Then peel back the dixie cup and just rub down your shins with that ice. Going between ice and heat tends to help, as they are really just strained muscles below the knee.

It sounds like shin splints to me. They are very common, and it could be your shoes (how the fit) or starting out to fast to soon. Not stretching properly before your run. OR a combo of all. Also running on the spot is tough, so kudo's to you!!

Google "stretching for shin splints" or go to www.sportsinjuryclinic.net .

I hope this helps.

I just started running this year after not doing so for 20 years.
I did have pain like you in the beginning, and started to get pain enough to stop since I know my body is telling me to stop.
I looked online on running technique, and it led me to looking into minimalist shoes/barefoot running.
This brought me to read "Born to run" by Chris Mcdougall. I highly recommend it.
I now run in skele-toes (they say you can't run in them, but vibrams used to say the same until people used them to do so.)
It took some getting used to, but guess where my leg pain has gone?

If you aren't interested in that route, slow yourself down and get your body used to running.
Use a couch to 5k program. Just google c25k and pick one you like.
I know what you're thinking, I can run 20 minutes straight and am strong enough to do so by my cardiovascular strength.
Why should I start at the beginning? Your legs need to accustom themselves to the work.

Simply put... Warm up, Stretch, Run, Stretch. Don't stretch cold muscles as you are more likely to tear something. Do a 5 minute warm up to get the blood flowing. This can be a light jog, some jumping jacks etc. Once you are warmed up, then do some gentle stretching. Don't bounce during stretching either... make them slow easy stretches (30-40 seconds).

Make sure you stretch after running. This is when your muscles are most pliable. It is also when they will start to knot up (as they cool down). Stretching after a run, speeds up recovery significantly.

You may want to look into either a foam roller or a product called The STICK . Use these to roll the knots out of your muscles after a workout. I use the STICK and have great results from it (it hurts like heck when you use it, but will get the blood circulating thru the area and speed recovery)

Let's look at the underlying causes. How new are your shoes and are they properly fitted?

Poorly fitted shoes will actually increase your chances of injury. Go get properly fitted for some decent running shoes (Sorry ***mart brand will not do).

Shoes with over 300 miles on them have no cushioning or support left and should be disgarded (or at least relegated to working in the garden). They can cause issues as they are no longer supporting your foot or cushioning properly against impact.

A gait analysis will tell you if you have any mechanical issues in your running (pronation, suppination) that could be addressed by the right type of shoe (neutral, stability or motion control). My own gait analysis told me I have a tendency to pronate and also a hook in my upper body motion that has now been corrected.

Treat shin splints with an ice massage and ibuprofen if it is serious. Rest or backing off your workout would also be a good thing as you don't want shin splints to fester.

Hope I made sense with this? Feel Free to add me as a friend if you want to ask more details.

Interesting indeed... wonder if they is any correlation between the fact that an infantryman should be in better condition than a beginning athlete? at the very least I wonder about the reasoning behind it. I understand the logic behind not bouncing and would be interested in the rationale. I would tend to agree with you when you say that experts never agree.

My own experience (and what works for me and many others) is that the warm up is a requirement and to avoid the bouncing.

Hmmm... Curious....

Interesting, the Army just dumped static stretching about 18 months ago, and actually replaced it with active stretching which includes warm up drills, and actually bouncing during stretching, its a gentle bounce....different schools of thought. Sports medicine experts never agree and then when they do they change everything six months later. The way you described below is how all of my workouts used to go when a skied professionally.

Simply put... Warm up, Stretch, Run, Stretch. Don't stretch cold muscles as you are more likely to tear something. Do a 5 minute warm up to get the blood flowing. This can be a light jog, some jumping jacks etc. Once you are warmed up, then do some gentle stretching. Don't bounce during stretching either... make them slow easy stretches (30-40 seconds).

Make sure you stretch after running. This is when your muscles are most pliable. It is also when they will start to knot up (as they cool down). Stretching after a run, speeds up recovery significantly.

You may want to look into either a foam roller or a product called The STICK . Use these to roll the knots out of your muscles after a workout. I use the STICK and have great results from it (it hurts like heck when you use it, but will get the blood circulating thru the area and speed recovery)

Let's look at the underlying causes. How new are your shoes and are they properly fitted?

Poorly fitted shoes will actually increase your chances of injury. Go get properly fitted for some decent running shoes (Sorry ***mart brand will not do).

Shoes with over 300 miles on them have no cushioning or support left and should be disgarded (or at least relegated to working in the garden). They can cause issues as they are no longer supporting your foot or cushioning properly against impact.

A gait analysis will tell you if you have any mechanical issues in your running (pronation, suppination) that could be addressed by the right type of shoe (neutral, stability or motion control). My own gait analysis told me I have a tendency to pronate and also a hook in my upper body motion that has now been corrected.

Treat shin splints with an ice massage and ibuprofen if it is serious. Rest or backing off your workout would also be a good thing as you don't want shin splints to fester.

Hope I made sense with this? Feel Free to add me as a friend if you want to ask more details.

I hear ya! Not that I can run 2 miles in 16 minutes... I top out at 18 minutes... but them I'm 40 and have had multiple leg injuries to boot. I think your bang on when you blame Xbox and Playstation. That and the idiot box and you have a generation of kids who don't know how to shoot hoops, throw a spiral or shoot a puck. Who knew?

To be honest I never know why the Army does the things they do. Most Soldiers are not infantry man and believe it or not alot are in pretty crappy shape. I have new 18 yr old privates who ARE combat arms guys and they are not even getting here in shape enough to run 2 miles in under 16 minutes. Hell when I was their age I was running 2 miles in under 12, pretty sad when the out of shape 30 yr old (at least compared to the shape I used to be in) is out performing the 18 yr olds. Too much XBOX and Playstation I presume.

Interesting indeed... wonder if they is any correlation between the fact that an infantryman should be in better condition than a beginning athlete? at the very least I wonder about the reasoning behind it. I understand the logic behind not bouncing and would be interested in the rationale. I would tend to agree with you when you say that experts never agree.

My own experience (and what works for me and many others) is that the warm up is a requirement and to avoid the bouncing.

Hmmm... Curious....

Interesting, the Army just dumped static stretching about 18 months ago, and actually replaced it with active stretching which includes warm up drills, and actually bouncing during stretching, its a gentle bounce....different schools of thought. Sports medicine experts never agree and then when they do they change everything six months later. The way you described below is how all of my workouts used to go when a skied professionally.

Simply put... Warm up, Stretch, Run, Stretch. Don't stretch cold muscles as you are more likely to tear something. Do a 5 minute warm up to get the blood flowing. This can be a light jog, some jumping jacks etc. Once you are warmed up, then do some gentle stretching. Don't bounce during stretching either... make them slow easy stretches (30-40 seconds).

Make sure you stretch after running. This is when your muscles are most pliable. It is also when they will start to knot up (as they cool down). Stretching after a run, speeds up recovery significantly.

You may want to look into either a foam roller or a product called The STICK . Use these to roll the knots out of your muscles after a workout. I use the STICK and have great results from it (it hurts like heck when you use it, but will get the blood circulating thru the area and speed recovery)

Let's look at the underlying causes. How new are your shoes and are they properly fitted?

Poorly fitted shoes will actually increase your chances of injury. Go get properly fitted for some decent running shoes (Sorry ***mart brand will not do).

Shoes with over 300 miles on them have no cushioning or support left and should be disgarded (or at least relegated to working in the garden). They can cause issues as they are no longer supporting your foot or cushioning properly against impact.

A gait analysis will tell you if you have any mechanical issues in your running (pronation, suppination) that could be addressed by the right type of shoe (neutral, stability or motion control). My own gait analysis told me I have a tendency to pronate and also a hook in my upper body motion that has now been corrected.

Treat shin splints with an ice massage and ibuprofen if it is serious. Rest or backing off your workout would also be a good thing as you don't want shin splints to fester.

Hope I made sense with this? Feel Free to add me as a friend if you want to ask more details.

With any workout its always good to do some type of warm up. Before a run though, I do a 3 to 4 minute warm up that I learned from a Jillian Michaels DVD. I prefer to warm up my entire body...I even do some deep breathing!! It works for me and I've not had any aches or pains afterwards. Even walking for 5 minutes is a good warmup prior to running.

Thats more or less what shin splints are. Sore muscles that are close to the bone.

I'm getting quite worried about all this shin splits talk!!!

I don't think it's shin splints at all. You're just sore! Massage the area, it will feel good.

The term shin splints is used to describe a number of conditions, the least serious being sore muscles around the tibia, to as serious as tendonitis and stress fractures. People make a big deal out it probably because either way it hurts like hell. But in most cases ice, heat, and exercise will not prevent and cure shin splints. If the pain persists all day regardless of if you are exercising then the more serious variety of shin splints may be going on and a Doctor should be seen.

Thats more or less what shin splints are. Sore muscles that are close to the bone.

Oh, I always thought shin splints were the muscle sort of tearing away from the bone. I know when I switch from running and go on a swift 3 mile walk, my shins are sore the next day because I don't use that muscle very much while running, and obviously use it while walking. And it just feels more like a regular old sore muscle instead of something more serious. If a shin splint is just a sore muscle, then why do people make such a big deal out of it?