Shin pain running - where do I go from here

[Mumlifeandstuff]

I started couch to 5K

I am currently on week 8 and up to 28 minutes of running - but I am seriously getting progressively worse shin / ankle pain.

I was running / walking a few weeks back in went in for gait analysis and got some Hoka trainers. Then I started to increase running and decrease walking and now running 25/28 minutes of running.

I am unsure where to go from here.

do I take a break from running, so I need different shoes again (although spent £120 on mine 🙃), do I need to run shorter distances? Certain exercises to do, do I keep running? Just feel stuck and deflated as had done so well from being a couch potato before hand!

Any tips welcome - I am warming up and stretching before and after atm.

Bump

it might not be the same issue, but when I had shin or knee pain it was usually that the muscles above below and to the sides of my knees were too knotted. Thai massage fixed it more me and now I make sure I get a regular full body massage once a month and seems to keep the pain away. But of course it might be something different! Hope you find a solution that works for you!

Could be shin splints

Rest and ice

Maybe linked with the muscles, do you do much stretching and flexing of your feet? Or do ankle rotations to loosen up before and after running? Are you warming up and cooling down thoroughly?

Have you 'ankle laced' your hokas? I find mine still let my ankle roll unless I do the additional lace hole. Google/youtube for how to do it

When you say shin pain, do you mean shin splints? In my experience these come from over training- rest and they should go, then build up more slowly when you do go running again.

What surface are you running on? Hokas tend to be better for off road. For tarnac or concrete I would go for ASICS or Brookes. Compression socks may help too.

well done on the C25K too.

Unfortunately, this sounds like a classic case of your bones and joints getting used to running. Shin splints are really common in new runners, particularly if you're landing heavily on your feet (which you will be doing if you're running more steadily - it's a lot easier to "fly" if you're fast) and if you're on the heavier side yourself (you may not be, but a lot of us are when we start c25k).

A few days' rest will generally sort it out, and then you can pick up where you left off. Some cushioned insoles for the shoes will help (Enertor are great) and also think about running as lightly as possible on your feet- driving forward from your glutes and then pushing off on your toes rather than "plodding" down hard.

Most of us suffered with this when we did c25k for the first time, and then it goes away once you're body adjusts.

I won't comment on the shoes too much, as you've spent a fortune on them, and I'm one of those who hate Hoka ... but it will be worth looking to see if you can get any Brooks Ghost, Nike Vomero or Nike Pegasus on offer at Sportsshoes. You want a neutral, cushioned, shoe that helps you move, not a built-up Hoka-type mattress that encourages you to land heavily.

This is called shin splints. I got them when I wasn't wearing trainers with enough cushion

I agree with Powderblue1. I've been running 5k for several years and the only time I have had shin splints was wearing trainers I bought online during lockdown and which weren't cushioned enough. I always check the cushioning when buying in person and have found Asics work well for me. (Not expensive, I buy them in Sports Direct!)

Shin pain is really common in new runners.

It's often because there's an imbalance in strength between the muscles on the front and back of your leg.

When does the shin pain come on? Is it straightaway or a while into the run?

I would try thinking about how you're landing as you run. Try and land as lightly as you can. If you're landing on your heel rather than towards the front of your foot, what often happens is because the muscles that hold your toes up are relatively weak, your foot just slaps down and that makes the impact and shin splints worse.

I love Hokas myself but as a more experienced runner I think they can make your feet 'lazy' and stop you building resilience in your feet and ankles. I have a rotation of shoes to try and prevent it.