Joined the Army and leave for basic in Jan. I can run the mile in little over 9min. Minimum requirement is 8min and 30sec. I dont have problem with stamina, its my damn shins hurt

I try to run 3-4 times a week and its on concrete. Will be running on concrete at basic so figure do it now.

What kind I do to make my shins not be so damn sore and can what are a decent pair of running shoes that don't break the bank??


Thanks Everyone

I'm curious as well my shins hurt too.

Your shoes are nowhere near as important for injury prevention as your mechanics.  Some of our more experienced runners should be along shortly to prescribe a fix.

Never had shin splints, so I never bothered to find out where they come from.

What do you mean by don't break the bank?  Your boots and your bed are two things you should never go cheap on.  If you're not in one, you'll be in the other.  



That said, I wear a pair of New Balance 1064s.  They cost $130.  Lots of cushioning.  To me, it's worth it.  You'd probably do good to go to a specialty store to get properly fitted too.

I dont mind paying around $100-$150 for good shoes.  I cant do anything in the 200 or higher range..if they even have them.

When I was younger, shins never bothered me. Don't know why now

2 of the biggest things that helped me when my shins bothered me were good shoes and good insoles. When I was running longer distances I wore the Asics Gel Kayano (or something like that) they are about $130. I also tried some insoles, I think superfeet that also helped.





Lately, I gave up on thick cushion shoes and have switched minimalist shoes and run with a mid-foot/fore-foot strike. This has also greatly helped shin and knee issues. I recently ordered some Inov-8 f-lite 220's that I think will work out very well...think Nike Free's without the super thick heel. This method works really well for me (and a lot of fastest people out there too).

I don't really think people were meant to run with a heel strike.

The pain that manifests itself as shin splints can come from different sources, but most commonly it's tendonitis.  Take a few days off, ice your shins, and take some NSAID until the inflammation goes down.

Go to a reputable running store or a PT and get a gait analysis and some recommended shoes.

When you start back running, start slowly.  No more than 30 minutes every other day.  Stick to firm surfaces and keep the pace mellow.  Packed trails are fine, but the beach is not.  If you want additional endurance exercise, swim, bike, or hit the elliptical.  After 2-3 weeks of this, you can increase your volume, no more than 10% per week.  As you increase volume, you can run on consecutive days if you want, but keep it to 2 on, 1 off for another 3 weeks or so.

Hopefully by then your lower legs will have adapted and you can increase volume again if you want, but try to keep it to no more than 10% per week.

Find a running store near where you live and pay them a visit.  They will have you run on a treadmill and will breakdown your foot strike.  This will help in recomending what type of shoe.

Here ia link to a good article..

www.runnersworld.com/.../0,7120,s6-240-319-327-7727-0,00.html