Hi - does anyone else suffer from shin splints? I tried running a couple of years ago using the Couch to 5K programme and had to give up after a couple of weeks as I was in so much pain. I put it down to running in old trainers on concrete surface and decided to ditch running for a while.
In November I started going to the gym and my favourite piece of equipment by far is the treadmill - I stick an audiobook on my ipod and get myself in the zone and I can walk at moderately fast speeds (usually 6km p/hour) for as long as I have time for. Given the softer surface of the treadmill and the fact that I bought new running trainers in November specifically for going to the gym and using the treadmill, I thought it might be time to start running again. What happens? After just 1 1/2 sessions of the Couch to 5K (12 minutes total running at intervals) I'm in debilitating pain, so much so that I had to give up even walking on the treadmill for a while as it hurt too much. I'm now back to my brisk walks but I'm still keen to run - I'm not a great fan of the crosstrainer but it burns so many calories compared to walking that I feel like I should really use it - however I'd much rather run.
So - any suggestions?? Do I just try 1 minute running in a whole session or something to start off with and build it up even slower than the Couch to 5K programmer does? I just feel like this programme is designed for couch potatoes so the expectations shouldn't be unrealistic (particularly given that I'm already exercising) yet I can't seem to manage it. Are some people just more prone to shin splints than others? Or is it something to do with my weight putting too much stress on my joints? Having said that, when I was trying a couple of years ago, I was over 4 stone lighter so it shouldn't be that. Any ideas at all? I just want to run and really don't think it should be this difficult!!
In November I started going to the gym and my favourite piece of equipment by far is the treadmill - I stick an audiobook on my ipod and get myself in the zone and I can walk at moderately fast speeds (usually 6km p/hour) for as long as I have time for. Given the softer surface of the treadmill and the fact that I bought new running trainers in November specifically for going to the gym and using the treadmill, I thought it might be time to start running again. What happens? After just 1 1/2 sessions of the Couch to 5K (12 minutes total running at intervals) I'm in debilitating pain, so much so that I had to give up even walking on the treadmill for a while as it hurt too much. I'm now back to my brisk walks but I'm still keen to run - I'm not a great fan of the crosstrainer but it burns so many calories compared to walking that I feel like I should really use it - however I'd much rather run.
So - any suggestions?? Do I just try 1 minute running in a whole session or something to start off with and build it up even slower than the Couch to 5K programmer does? I just feel like this programme is designed for couch potatoes so the expectations shouldn't be unrealistic (particularly given that I'm already exercising) yet I can't seem to manage it. Are some people just more prone to shin splints than others? Or is it something to do with my weight putting too much stress on my joints? Having said that, when I was trying a couple of years ago, I was over 4 stone lighter so it shouldn't be that. Any ideas at all? I just want to run and really don't think it should be this difficult!!