Shin Splints

After two days on the beginning runner challenge, I had shin splints. Not the "I am uncomfortable because it has been awhile" shin splints but holy moley "I can barely walk up the stairs" shin splints. Rest, ice, stretching and ibuprofen fixed me right up. I thought it might be my shoes so I went to the Salt Lake Running Company (Draper location) store. My husband and I had been there before and purchased shoes for him. They offer a 30-day return policy, even if you have worn the shoes, which is why I was willing to pay more for my shoes than I would have at Dick's or some other sporting goods store. Through discussions with the employee, I discovered that the shoes I was wearing were great for walking on the treadmill but may be over-correcting me on pavement, thus shin splints. The employees are trained on how to do an evaluation of your running style. You run on the treadmill and they use an iPad to record you. They analyze the video to determine what type of shoes you need. He selected several pair and I tried each one on. They even allow customers to run back and forth on the sidewalk outside of the store.

Another great thing about Salt Lake Running Company is that the employees are familiar with the products in the store.  I was surprised that the guy who helped me was also able to knowledgeably discuss the sports bras they had available. He was also not put off by the fact that I am just getting back into running after more than 20 years and had questions. He recommended using a foam roller to help with stretching. I have seen them before and this will be on my list to pick up later.

I wore the shoes this weekend and had no shin splints. If this continues to be the case, the shoes were worth the $110 price tag. If you need running shoes, I highly recommend Salt Lake Running Company and the person who assisted me in the Draper store was Zac.