I've had problems with shin splints on and off since my school days. Only in the past 2-3 years have I started paying proper attention to why I get them and how long they last. If you are lucky enough not to be familiar with shin splints, it's basically a painful condition in your shins, that can vary from mild to quite severe, and it could also turn in to a chronic condition where the only solution is operation. In runners (and certainly in me) it's generally caused by increasing the level of training too quickly. It feels like there are tiny weights in your shins pulling down every time your foot takes the impact of running, and it progressively gets worse until it's no longer possible to run. It can take weeks and months to heal.
Last time I got them I invested in new trainers, also new shock absorbent insoles and I try to make sure I stretch out my calves properly every time I run. Despite this, and despite only running twice a week at the moment, last night when I ran I could feel a hint of pain on the front of my lower legs. Damnit!! I was trying so hard to be sensible this time...I'm thinking that perhaps my morning walks have added to the impact, even if I don't think of that as training really - hm maybe I should start wearing my running trainers on my way to work to make sure it doesn't get worse - at least they have proper cushioning. Maybe a quick calf stretch when I get to the office wouldn't go amiss either!
The annoying thing is that rest seems to be the only thing that makes shin splints go away. In light if this, I've decided to change back to the original plan for Feb, and do swimming instead of badminton. I'm going to try keeping up the running once or max twice a week as long as the shins aren't bothering me too much, but I think adding the extra impact of running around a badminton court will be asking for trouble.
Damnit - I even had badminton dates already lined up for the next 2 weeks!
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