Shawn Crockett says:

Hey all,

I guess I'll start off with I'm a 30 year old male 5'9" 205 lbs and I just quit smoking a week ago.

I cycle 2-3 times a week 13k (8 miles).
And I recently started the following running plan:
www.canada.com/vancouversun/sunrun/pdf/LearnToRun10K%20Program.pdf

I run Mon-Wed-Fri and cycle Tues-Thursday and sometimes Sat just to space out the activity.

Question 1:

I have shin pain when I run. It is not like the intense splints people have mentioned but more like an strong burning sensation. It is bad enough that I had to pause my run a couple of times today and stretch it out.

Is this something I should be concerned about or is it likely to disapate as my lags / ankles become more accumtomed / stronger?

Question 2:

Is this running plan too ambitious for me? Or am I likely to find my stride in 2-3 weeks time?

 spiffmaster says:

1. I'd give it a little longer before I worried about it. I had similar pain when I first started running. If it's still there after a week or two of regular running (so your legs have had a chance to get used to running), then it might be something to be concerned about.

2. The plan doesn't look too ambitious. If you don't feel like you're really pushing yourself, you're doing yourself a disservice. If you find that you just can't complete some week, repeat it until you do before moving on to the next week.

 lipsticklust says:

I think its great your starting to run! To answer your first question in my experience, shin pains are not uncommon. If is is the general shin area, it is probably shin splints. When your muscle starts to rub against the bone in the shin. My advice is to ice after each run. And it hurts too bad skip a day and wait until the pain is gone. If it is a "pinpoint" area in your shin it is most likely a stress fracture. When your muscles start to chip away part of the bone in your shin leaving dents in your bone. If your not sure, it may be a good idea to visit a sports medicine doctor.

 tanned_va lter says:

1st, excuse my english. I hope to be clear enough to explain this.

Most of pains a new runner suffers is related with his/her shoes.
Are you an overpronator (or maybe a supinator)? Search for a proper pair of shoes. You don't need an expensive pair of shoes but a proper pair of shoes.

 CarpeViam says:

Way to go on the quitting smoking!!! And running is a great compliment to your changing lifestyle.

Don't be afraid to spend some of the cigarette money you're now saving on running gear as a reward and to help you enjoy the sport more. I.E. heart rate monitor, training watch, fuel belt and clothing.

Proper clothing is important as you'll find out when you run longer distances because of chafing issues. Splurge on good materials from a good running store. You can purchase anti-chafing sticks (looks like deoderant) and little round band-aid type stickers for your nipples (Trust me on this and get the nipple guards, you'll thank me later)

Most importantly, as Valter pointed out, purchase proper shoes! You don't have to spend a fortune but you need to have a trained salesperson look at your legs and watch you walk around a bit so he/she can match your pronation.

Again, grats on the quitting smoking!

Now that you are not a smoker you may want reliable health information. If you enjoy podcasts then check out FitnessRocks. I would suggest starting with episode 1 and catching up.