So, I was on the second day of the 5 minutes of running and 2 and a half minutes of walking. Last night, before I went to bed, I felt an aching in my left shin. I worried for a moment, but decided not to give it too much thought. Realistically, it couldn’t be anything. I mean, I haven’t increased my mileage dramatically and I haven’t been heel striking or anything. Right?
Well, today I began running and my left shin ached a bit, but I decided to run the first interval and ignore it. Sure it would go away, I plowed through the first five minutes and walked the two and a half. When I ran the next interval, two minutes in, I felt it intensify. It wasn’t a crazy pain, but I don’t want to let it get to a crazy pain that put me out of the game in the first place.
Frustrated, I stopped and decided to do some weightlifting. I humored myself with the tool machines (or at least that’s how I like to refer to them). You know the ones, the crazy giant machines that giant, overly roid’d guys spend hours on.
I tried to use the elliptical, but it wasn’t like the one at my college’s gym, so I felt like I wasn’t really doing anything.
When I got home, I used a heated sports pack and left it on my shin for a while. It felt better, but upon walking around again, I realize it’s pretty apparent. Every step I take, I feel it. It’s almost like my leg was saying, “you fool! You fool!” but I’m not quite sure what I did wrong.
Could it be the fact that I did that one heel strike two days ago? I did it one time and I felt an intense shot of pain in my shin, so I stopped and continued my regular midfoot strike instead. Could one strike cause this? It seems unlikely.
Maybe it is my shoes. Are my shoes really the culprit? I find it hard to believe, because I’ve run in them all summer and fall with no injury. Why are they suddenly shin splint prone shoes?
If they aren’t the problem, then what is the problem?
If they are the problem, how would I ever even know? I felt a pain in the ball of my foot with the Newton’s on. I never ran in the Merrell’s, due to the fact that they fit oddly. Maybe I’ll try a pair of Brooks PureFlow 2 and see what happens.
I just hate to blame a shoe for something if it’s actually just my poor running form. And if it IS my poor running form, why didn’t it injure me WAY earlier (aka over the summer as opposed months later when I was averaging 12 – 15 miles a week). I mean, I get that that could be a lot vs the summer’s interval training, but in all honesty, going from not running at all to running 4 – 6 miles a week was a huge jump without any injury.
!
the easiest way to know if it’s form or shoe is to go to a shoe store that specializes in running, and have them check your gait and shoe selection on a treadmill. they can tell you if your mechanics are off, and if they are, what might correct it. if it’s the shoes, they can put you in something more suitable. jumps in training can cause injury when nothing else seems to fit, but if you don’t feel that is the problem…. that’s where i would start.
happy running!!
Thank you! I am going to check out a special running store this Wednesday. I have been meaning to, but thought it was just my mileage increases. I’m afraid it’s not. Thank you for the advice!
the only thing about running in newtons is that they require a “build up” in running in them, just because of the kind of shoe they are. you “can” injure yourself running in them if you aren’t used to it, or haven’t run in them in awhile, but if you are used to them… then i think it’s unlikely that’s the problem. check your mechanics! you might roll your feet in when you run, or not have strong enough ankles to support your running yet. you can do some strength work to get that ironed out. these are all fixable issues.
I had the Newton’s for several days, but I really didn’t like the way my feet hurt in them. I agree that they require a build up, but I was hoping to get right back into running (without any injury), so I stayed true to my Asics. I was fine for the first week, but now I’m having that pain again. I can’t decide if it’s me or the shoes. Wouldn’t the shoes have been a problem from day one? I don’t really know. I’m definitely going to do strength work in my legs, because I know regardless of shoes, I need to strengthen that. I just find this awful, because this never used to be a problem. Thank you for your input!
hang in there!! just have someone check your gait and give you some input. sometimes just having someone else look at what you’re doing can make all the difference. i’ll be interested to see how it plays out for you. xo
Check your shoes are meant for running. How long have you had them? They’re meant to be good for up to 500km, which sounds like a lot but it isn’t if you’re a regular runner.
I’ve had them since July, but have only put about 50 miles on them, but when I go to the store Wednesday, I’ll bring them along and ask for their input. Thank you!