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Shin Splints Anonymous
s­up /fit/,
I've been running a lot lately (6 days a week), because quite frankly, I have little to no endurance. I've been running since January and I'm up to running 30-40 miles a good week. However, this was only my treadmill and the campus's 400 meter track. I'm home now so in order to keep running I have to run through my neighborhood. Only problem is that my neighborhood is extremely hilly. Good for building strength, but horrible for distance running. Since my shins aren't used to this type of terrian, I killed them on tuesday, and was a moron and decided to run on shin splints wednesday. Tried running today (rested yesterday), and couldn't even do a 400 under 70 seconds.

Long story short, my shins are fucked up and I still want to run. can /fit/ recommend anything for me to do so I can still run?

I don't have access to any cardio machines and my bike is broken.

tl;dr anon fucked up his shins and wants to run on them

pic related
>> Anonymous
OP here, in b4 google.

all i got was to stop activity for 2 weeks, which really isn't an option for me.
>> Anonymous
>>38612
I used to get really bad shin splints. When I started running to get in shape 2 months ago, I fixed my form. It's relatively hilly over here as well, but I don't get shin splints anymore. My problem was basically that I was overstriding. If I stopped sticking my foot so far past my head, I would stop getting shin splints.

Honestly though, you should rest them until they feel normal before you go back out. There is too much potential to mess them up again if you go out too soon.
>> Anonymous
>>38623
Thanks, I'll try giving them some rest, I'll try taking some ibuprofen too to help offset the pain.
Hopefully, it doesn't take too long or I'll be a tad pissed.
>> Anonymous
>>38625
Yeah, the main cause of shin splints for me was heavy heel strike. When I changed form and landed on the ball of my foot and heel at nearly the same time, everything felt better.

Currently, I'm working on fixing my form to reduce some knee pain I've picked up.
>> Anonymous
>>38626
Okay, cool. I'll start doing some form drills once I'm not limping as much.
>> Anonymous
Your stronger calf muscle is overpowering your weaker shin muscle. Try exercising your anterior shin muscle to strength it, I use to have bad shin splints in track but was able to over come them by making this muscle stronger.

copypasta
The exercise that was recommended is, as I tend to refer to it, best described as figure-eights. Although, that description confuses some people ... maybe just calling it circles in both directions is clearer. Find yourself an old bicycle tube (bike shops will usually give you a punctured tube for free) or some surgical tubing, and tie a loop at one end to put your foot through. Position your foot so that the ball of the foot is making contact with the tubing so that you have good leverage. This is best done seated. Pull back on the other end with as much resistance as feels comfortable, and rotate your foot in circles (point your toe, rotate clockwise toward you, then away from you, etc.). Vary how hard you pull so that the resistance stays fairly even as the foot comes closer and moves further away. Change directions from time to time, making slow, controlled movements. After five to ten minutes a day of this, my shin splints were gone for good within a mere week or two.

Another trick is getting a bunch of marbles, dumping them by your feet, and picking them up one by one into a cup using just your feet.