I recently read through the book with the intention of creating a more structured plan going into the summer and fall. However, I’ve been having shin issues and I was wondering what the best way to modify my training while addressing these issues is.
A little background on myself- I ran competitively in University, with peak mileage at 80 MPW, but have spent the last five years training on and off. I’ve never had reoccurring shin issues before despite sometimes jumping into training probably too quickly. It’s been hard for me to tell how much to back off or modify my training with no baseline knowledge of what “shin splints” pain is like.
This year I’ve actually had a very slow and patient build up, running on average 4-5x weekly and building up to 35-40 MPW 4 months in. Ideally I wanted to create a training plan using TFTUA principles to be able to run 50-60 MPW with appropriate zone specific work-outs to do some long mountain routes in 3-4 months.
About three weeks ago, I started having an aching/burning sensation in my right shin, mid tibia. Oddly enough most of this pain occurs when I’m not running. I don’t seem to have symptoms of a more serious injury (no shin hotspots when pressing, pain when going, etc). I took a week off and halfway through all pain stopped, but after a few days running again it’s back (maybe at lower intensity).
I’ve been incorporating a lot more rolling, massage, lower leg strengthening exercises, and ice in the last few weeks.
The pain is quite mild, maybe 3.5/10 and nothing that makes me feel the need to stop during a run.
Any thoughts on:
Is this fairly normal for shin pain (especially the sedentary pain)
Should I take more full rest?
Or, can I maintain training in a modified way? Is lowering mileage best, or should I hold mileage with continued aggressive treatment for a few weeks to see what happens. I don’t really want to start incorporating Z3/Z4 work outs if it’s going to jeapordize the rest of the year.
Currently, I’ve been training 6-7 days/week, but each day is fairly short. Would I be better off training 3-4 times a week and have each day be a longer session? This would allow me to take more full rest days but maintain over-all volume.
I’m trying to reign in the desire to train through a minor injury before it becomes something serious. Having trained at a high level before it’s easy to be tempted into striving for that high again. I’m guessing after five years of training my muscular endurance is lacking and is struggling to keep up.
Apologies for the wall of text, I figured I’d be thorough with details from the get-go.
