Adding miles and stressing shins (Read 673 times)

I know this topic gets beaten to death but please bear with me. Medial (inside) shin soreness has cropped up lately and is a little worse. Last year, stability shoes like the Nike Air Structure Triax (the worst shoe ever IMHO) and the Brooks Adrenaline seemed to be too much support and caused shin splints almost immediately. For the past couple months, neutral ASICs Landreths with Superfeet Green were doing the trick. But as I’ve added miles over the past month and gotten the long runs to 8-10 miles, the shin soreness has crept back in, especially after my first 10-miler Saturday. I do overpronate but a video gait analysis shows that my knees and hips are still aligned – my lower leg does not bend in like severe overpronators do. Even the ortho said my arches are low but weren’t that bad. So, I’m officially weird. I ran a 7.5 mile race in June pretty hard and had no shin pain after at all. I’m taking an easy week this week and icing and stretching. The shins improved the first couple days this week but have leveled off and still ache a bit after the last 2 days of easy runs. I have my first half-marathon 10/12. I don’t want to end up not being able to run. So, my questions: 1. If you look at my log, I’d be interested in whether you think I’ve added miles too quickly or whether I should further explore a biomechanical fix. 2.Is it likely that running more miles requires a shoe with more stability? I hear about people switching to a “high mileage trainer”. I’ll answer these before you ask: I don’t over-stride. Feet land pretty much right under me and I land more mid-foot and have a quiet foot strike. Cadence averages 170-178 or so, can be a little less when I run real easy. Really don’t think it’s a running form issue. OT: This week, I went to a New Balance store that opened a year ago near my house. Useless. Untrained high school cashier was the only person in the store. No gait analysis, didn’t ask questions or anything. I really expected more out of New Balance store since they’re marketing themselves as an elite shoe for elite runners. I’ll go back to my local running store.

Thanks for the reply. Update: Went to my local running store yesterday after an easy 3 miler made my shins hurt again. They immediately spotted a biomechanical issue and I could feel it too. I think the biomechanical issue didn't really cause me problems until I increased my mileage. Ankles were rolling in. Superfeet greens weren't quite enough to stop the rolling in of my legs in the ASICS Landreths. Stability shoes like Triax and Adrenalines were too much. Tried Mizumo Wave Inspires which are neutral but have a little more posting than a pure neutral shoe. These shoes felt like they were made for my feet. I tried several others but the Mizunos felt perfect - and better w/o the Superfeet. Can't wait to try them for an easy run tomorrow.

Kirsten, it's getting creepy. I too am narrow in the heel. One reason the store clerk had me try the Fortitudes was that the heel was snugger than the Landreths. But, not enough stability. I could feel my ankle rolling in. And I also need room in the mid and forefoot b/c I spread when I land. My feet aren't THAT wide but in a lot of shoes, my arch would be hanging over the medial post. Only way to describe the Mizuno Wave Inspire 4s is that they felt natural. No rolling in and nothing felt funny about them. Radiohead quote: "Everytihng in its Right Place" . I'm trying not to get too excited until I've run in them a bit but they just feel great wearing them around. Half marathon coming in October so hoping this is it.

So maybe the Guide is a shoe to check out in the event that the Inspires don't work. They are very mild stability and soft cushion, but with a flexible forefoot.

Tried them. Arch hangs over the side. If you saw my other post, I went to a NB store recently and they had no staff, no gait analysis, no knowledge about running. May as well have been in a mall. My local running store only carries a couple NB models. Ran in NBs a few years ago and wasn't crazy about them. But if these don't work, it's something to try.