5k Training/Running tips

wannabefitgirl25 wrote: »

I used to be a runner, but not as serious.

Recently signed up for a 5k and have been training daily for it. I want to get back into running but more seriously this time. I am feeling so motivated to get stronger, healthier, and to lose the weight. Lately Ive been suffering with severe shin splints to the point of limping and crying on my way back home from the gym. I have been stretching, icing and took 2 rest days but worried this time off will slow me down and need to keep prepping for the run since theres 2 weeks left. Any tips on better running form, shoes, breathing techniques, other exercises to strengthen my legs or other muscle groups to recover more quickly from shin splints and become a stronger runner?

I also have a brother in law who says he has never experienced shin splints and he is a runner. How is it possible that some people suffer with it and others never have?

Back off. You are effectively starting from not having been a runner. To develop the ability to run a 5K, you should start with no more than 3 days a week running, and not running on consecutive days. That won't last forever, but it's an important stage in conditioning your body to support running for longer distances. You need the time off for your body to repair all the small damage done by running and rebuild itself stronger and better suited to run.

Couch to 5K is popular on MFP, because it works. I have not used it, but I turned myself into a runner using similar program. The absolutely necessary thing about a program like this is, it gives you structure to train. It's important that you do not run as far as you *can* on most days, in order to build the ability to run further consistently.

With 2 weeks left till race day, the best you can do is rest, ice, seek medical attention if the rest doesn't fix things within a week. And maybe you end up walking this particular 5K, then coming back and training smarter for the next one.

As to the "never experienced shin splints" thing; I have never experienced shin splints. That doesn't mean anything. I've experienced different types of repetitive motion injuries, and had my own lessons in learning how to back off to avoid getting hurt. I would not be surprised to learn that your BIL has had some other form of overuse injury at some point in his running career.

Shin splints, specifically have been said to be caused by running in certain ways. But as soon as you post that theory, someone will come along and post that they run that way and never got shin splints. Good form is important, but backing off when you need to is even more important.

wannabefitgirl25 wrote: »

Thanks for the tips. I do use a program app on my phone similiar to the C25K. It guides me to run 3x a week for 30 mins and it has me basically run 2 mins and walk 1 min and repeat. Maybe my problem is Ive been doing it 5 days a week instead of the recommended 3, so therefore overusing/overexercising myself to injury in the shins.

It seems likely that this is the underlying cause of your issues. There is a reason the app only wants you run 3 days a week, and you found the reason the hard way. Now you recover from the mistake as well as you can, and come back with a better understanding of why you limit how much you do.