You need better shoes, and you need to walk more. Jeff Galloway has a great run/walk program for new runners.

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is pretty normal. You need to start super slow. Try Couch to 5k!

I agree to start super slow, but I don’t think couch to 5k is that slow. It starts easy but there’s a fairly quick ramp up if you are a true beginner. I tried and failed twice but finally found success (at 50 yo) with None To Run.

Op here. I don't think I am pushing myself too hard. I try to power walk + sprints + run + walk for a mile around my building. It usually takes 1 or 2 miles total.

OP: as someone who has tried on and off for years to run, and always ends up hurting myself with shin splints, my advice is to try a different form of exercise. Your body might just not be built for running. I now walk about 8 miles a day, and I love it - and my legs and feet feel great. You can bike or do whatever you want. But it's not worth f**king up your legs for this.

That's my feeling anyway!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. How can I start slower?

I power walk/walk, sprint, run, walk on and off for a mile.

Should I do less than that?

Keep the distance and lose the sprinting. And do lots of stretching. You can use a roller on your shins (it is going to hurt like hell but then get better)

Anonymous wrote:Shin splints come from not running in the correct form. Make sure you are striking with your heel first with a full roll to your toes. You can go to a running store and have them check your gait....or just ask an experienced runner. Or find some YouTube videos!

Good luck...been running for 35+ years with no injuries so it is doable.

That's not my experience at all with shin splits. Has zero bearing on form for me.

I always get them after taking long breaks and not stretching properly. What fixes it is taking is slower and getting on my stationary bike with the clip on shoes and really focusing on the pull motion vs the push.

OP here. How can I start slower?

I power walk/walk, sprint, run, walk on and off for a mile.

Should I do less than that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is pretty normal. You need to start super slow. Try Couch to 5k!

I agree to start super slow, but I don’t think couch to 5k is that slow. It starts easy but there’s a fairly quick ramp up if you are a true beginner. I tried and failed twice but finally found success (at 50 yo) with None To Run.

Yes you may need to repeat weeks, especially the first 2.

I am just getting back into running and I am at the basement level of fitness. I am doing just a few light jogs a week for a bit and THEN will start couch to 5k.

OP it just sucks in the beginning. It's like when you start doing squats and every time you do it you can't sit down without being in excruciating pain.

All things people are mentioning are important, but honestly at the end of the day you need to just make sure you're resting, not go too hard, and push through to the other side.

I started running several years ago (in my early 30s, very close to your age) and had the same kind of pain. What totally solved it for me was buying my running shoes a full size larger than my street shoe size. I now run at least 5 miles every day and never have pain! In my 40s now Good luck, OP- running is my fave part of my day now

Running form is very personal. https://www.healthline.com/health/heel-strikes-and-your-run#tips

Take it slow, listen to your body, try to do what is natural - the best way to learn this is to run barefoot (not regularly ala "Born to Run", just to learn more about your natural movement)

Regarding the topic of running on balls of feet, that advice is just not good. I had heard the same thing as I started running, but if you take it literally it results in an unnatural gait that can lead to excess strain to certain parts of your feet and legs.

IF your natural gait has too much heel strike, you can try adjusting it by thinking of a slight “wiping your feet” motion. You land middle of foot, and then slightly “push the road behind you” with the wiping motion, resulting in a push off more from the balls of the feet. It’s slight, not as if you’re actually vigorously wiping your feet.

If you don’t have too much heel strike, just try going with your natural gait. I have found that my natural gait is just fine as it is. I do think of the wiping my feet motion as I run up hills, where I want a bit more ball of feet action.

Start out for the first month doing a walk/jog.

Power walk a half mile, then run a little bit, maybe an eighth of a mile. Not sprinting, a comfortable, slower pace. Stop if it hurts and return to walking. More walking than running for the first month. Build up slowly.

You have to build up to running in your mid-30s because you are not young anymore. You must build up the endurance so you don't hurt yourself. You can't sprint out of the gate.

Great advice in the thread. I would add:

-- make sure to get proper fitting shoes, do some research online then go to Pacers and get a fitting in person
-- start slow, it's okay to alternate run/walk to build endurance, run then walk intervals are great because you gradually increase your average speed without pushing yourself too hard

Try running on a track where there's some cushion under and just staying flat for now. Avoid hills until you build up more stamina.

How far and fast are you trying to go? I'd slow down and cut back on distance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is pretty normal. You need to start super slow. Try Couch to 5k!

I agree to start super slow, but I don’t think couch to 5k is that slow. It starts easy but there’s a fairly quick ramp up if you are a true beginner. I tried and failed twice but finally found success (at 50 yo) with None To Run.

Op here. I don't think I am pushing myself too hard. I try to power walk + sprints + run + walk for a mile around my building. It usually takes 1 or 2 miles total.