Look into Jeff Galloway's Run/Walk/Run and come up with a plan. Use a watch or app to make you take walk breaks. I still do this on my long runs after 10 years of running. I target a 11:00 to 12:00 minute pace and run 0.90 miles and take a walk break of 0.10. At this point, I can pretty much do that all day long (until my IT band tightens up or prior mentioned toenails get angry haha).
This is also why I prefer trail running with elevation. The terrain naturally forces you to slow down. Road running sucks in general, but I do it out of necessity since it's easier at work.
I do focus on a run/walk approach. Based it on C25K at first and am now just kinda doing my own thing with it on the treadmill.
New shoes will def help... especially if you have issues with the impact of running on hard surfaces. Get some poofy ones to mitigate that. Try to run on dirt/grass/nothardsurfaces too... it really makes a difference.
Have you exercised your lower leg muscles? All the tib muscles? Do you make sure to warm up before a run?
Also, do you run on your heels? It puts a lot of strain on your shins. So probably not the best.
I know I'm yapping, but there's lots of factors that can contribute to shin splints...
I have a tib machine I've been meaning to unbox and set up as I've noticed some weakness/fatigue there as pace picks up. Always do 5ish minutes of semi-spirited walking before running. Not really a heel striker.
This. Hoka max cushion are like running on clouds. I replace my shoes every year or 300 miles, whatever comes first. I usually have 3 or 4 pair in rotation to make them last longer and for various surfaces.
I'm notoriously bad at warming up pre-run haha.
I did spend quite a bit of time transitioning to more of a mid-foot strike. Full toe running takes a long time to adapt to. Zero drop shoes can help as well, but you need to transition to them because it takes a while for your achilles to stretch.
Mine eventually went away on their own once I started to hit like 20-30 mile weeks. Not sure if that is typical, but I just sort of beat them into submission haha.
Mine are probably a year and a half old at this point so probably time for new ones. I used to be a Brooks fan but switched to Altra for the toeboxes and zero/minimal drop - I wear zero drops for my day-to-day shoes as well.
One of the things I have been trying to focus on is ensuring I'm getting a good midfoot strike even at slower paces. I feel like I'm more consistent with the mid strike starting around a 12 min/mi pace.
I was not always a heavy guy - I was fairly to very fit up until about 25 or 26, so I've got some decent foundational knowledge. Played competitive sports in HS, some competitive sports but mostly IMs in college and a good "gym to get fit for da girls" routine, played some amateur soccer and rugby for a couple years post-grad. Silly how fast a 9-5 desk job, penchant for brews, etc can result in 60ish lbs of weight gain. Also silly how easy it would have been to maintain some semblance of fitness instead of just pissing it away and starting over like I'm doing now.
)))
