Fix Shin Splints and Get to the Starting Line Pain Free with these 4 Exercises

Karen had her eyes on the Marine Corps Marathon with the race circled on her calendar for months.

She was dialed in, her mileage was building, and her long runs were finally starting to feel strong.

But about eight weeks out, her shins started getting... sassy.

At first, it was tenderness after a long run.

Then came the sharp, stabbing pain during speed work.

By the end of her Tuesday workout, she was limping through her cooldown, and even felt it into the next day when walking felt off.

If you’ve ever battled shin splints while training for a marathon, you know this moment.

When your body starts whispering (or yelling) “hey, something’s not right."

Panic sets in.

Because you’ve worked too hard to back off now.

But will pushing make things worse?

For Karen, the hardest part wasn’t the pain itself.

It was the mental tug-of-war.

She knew she needed strength training to fix it, but she didn’t want to be sore from lifting and running.

And yet… avoiding strength training was exactly what landed her here in the first place.

So, we got to work.

We adjusted her runs, added one simple pre and post run test and focused on running specific calf and shin exercises that didn't crush her recovery.

After just a few runs, she messaged me:

“OK … no pain before the run. 1 min walk / 2 min run for 30 min. Felt a few minor niggles toward the end, maybe a 2/10. No pain after. A little ache that went away within 10 minutes.”

Exactly what I wanted to see.

Progress.

A few weeks later, she was logging double-digit long runs again, reporting:

“14 miles: felt the shin maybe 3 times, very briefly. It went away by the end. I’m not even sore today!”

And when she finally hit her marathon-pace workouts again?

“3 x 5 min @ marathon pace felt good!! A little spicy at the start, but it went away.”

That’s the magic of catching shin splints early and addressing them the right way:

no total shutdown required.

The Early Signs You’re on the Edge of Shin Splints: How to Test for It

Most runners don’t go from pain-free to sidelined and crippled by shin splints overnight.

The first signs are subtle:

• a little tenderness on the inside of the shin after a long run

• or a tight, burning feeling that shows up mid-run

• soreness in your shins that linger a little too long after a work out that starts to get irritated even just walking around.

• adding in an extra rest day only "works" for about 2 runs and then your symptoms come back

The "tipping point" I tell my runners to look out for:

• if those dull aches start showing up earlier in your runs and the aching gradually increases in intensity and doesn't go away as you warm up

• or if easy recovery runs start feeling harder than they should

.... your shins are trying to tell you something.

For Karen, the turning point came when her “tightness” turned into a sharp, stabbing pain that made cool downs and eventually walking uncomfortable. But ideally, I don't want you to get to that point.

But it can be hard to tell sometime. "Is this pain in my shin just fatigue or even my nervous system doing something funky? Or is there an actual injury brewing?" The trickiest part? Early shin splints can mimic other issues: calf tightness, ankle stiffness, or even general high mileage fatigue.

That’s why I have my runners use a “shin check-in test” before and after their runs. It's never failed me yet to quickly test and assess whether your shin pain spot is either "all in your head" or if your shin is truly starting to revolt.

Gallop Test // What you're looking for:

• perform on both sides; start with the "good" leg in front and gallop BOTH forwards and backwards

• Then switch, placing the potentially niggly leg in front. Notice does this side feel clunkier, just not as smooth as the other side? Do I have pain in that exact same spot that I get while running? Do I have more pain or increased soreness going backwards OR forwards?

• Typically: it's going backwards with the niggly-leg that causes pain. That's a positive test for "you should check out the exercises below".

Shin Splint Exercises to Save Your Marathon Training

My goal with any runner I work with: keep them running. I asked Karen to take 3 days off from running and to do whatever cross training made her runner-heart happiest, just to take the edge off of the soreness and inflammation.

But I wanted to get her back to training asap so we didn't lose what we call capacity, the naturally built-up strength to handle miles on end that comes with years of running. It became a balance of "what can Karen's shins handle (rebuilding tissue tolerance) and what does her body need to maintain her running fitness?"

You might think I'm crazy but my "secret" to fixing shin splints that I'm giving you below with this exercise circuit: strengthening your hamstrings and soleus.

Yes, calf raises and anterior tib raises are important. And they work for you, use them!

But if you find that your shin ache/niggles relentlessly pop up with:

• speed work

• running down hills

• or during the second half or last third of your long runs

...this could be the missing piece you need.

Circuit:

2-3 sets each // medium -heavy weights

Elongated Runner's Lunge on Step Halos

• x12 ea leg (ex: R leg up: 6 halos clock wise, 6 halos counter clockwise)

Soleus Calf Raise on Wall

• x12 ea leg with 2 secs up, 3 sec control descent

Elongated Runner's Lunge Soleus Calf Raise

• x8-10 ea leg with 2 secs up, 3 sec control descent

Hamstring Long Bridge Iso Hold

• 30 sec iso hold (weight at hip optional)

Elongated Runner's Lunge on Step Halos

• Your body is going to want to cheat.

• PRO TIP: I need you to remember: keep 90% of your body weight in the FRONT LEG! Because as you get tired, I promise you, you're going to start shifting backwards, asking that back leg to do more of the work.

• The magic of this exercise is how it asks the hamstrings and glutes of your forward leg to stay strong and stable in a position that look like your running stride. I know this exercises doesn't look like a booty blaster, but if you do it right, you might feel it the next day ;)

Soleus Calf Raise on Wall

• Think of this as a cup of coffee for your soleus

• THE SECRET: you're not going to feel a "major burn" with this. And that's the point. Pay attention to how I've written the reps. This exercise does two things: helps you practice finding your soleus and then helping you build better mind-muscle awareness and control with the 2 second up; 3 second down soleus calf raise.

• Because chances are, you might be developing repeat shin splints because your body "can't find" and use certain muscle groups. So we're giving it a crash course.

Elongated Runner's Lunge Soleus Calf Raise

• That was the warm up act. This is the show

• THE KEY: I like doing these after the bridge version of a calf raise you just did, but be sure to give yourself enough rest in between. I'm not looking for you to cramp up.

• But it's important that after you "find" a muscle and bring awareness to it, that we begin to work into the muscle and start to make it objectively stronger with exercises that can be progressed with progressive overload. Don't be afraid to start with body weight here, because again, I've got you doing 2 seconds up; 3 seconds down in your reps.

Hamstring Long Bridge Iso Hold

• I know what you're thinking: "how is THIS going to help my shin splints?"

• THE REASON: every time I try to ignore hamstrings and focus solely on strengthening gastrocs, soleus, feet muscles etc, my runner doesn't make as speedy progress as I'd like. But once we had hamstring exercises, they take off like a rocket.

• I find that bringing mind-muscle awareness to your entire hamstring muscle even with an isometric exercise like this one can significantly, and almost immediately, reduce pain and improve your runs. But I also want you to be able to progress it, if you want to. Hence, the optional "add a weight to your hip" if you like, but not necessary.

WRAPPING UP

Remember: here's where we started...

"OK … no pain before run. 1 min walk/ 2 min run for 30 😬 min. I don’t think I’d have noticed anything at all if I weren’t being hypervigilant. Felt a few minor niggles in the shin, more toward the end, and some minor random calf/ankle twinges on that side that kind of moved around / popped up then disappeared. No more than 2/10. No pain during test post-run; a little soreness/ache in the lower leg overall that went away within 10 mi"

And here's where we're ending..

"Successfully completed 14 mi yesterday - a little tiny tinge early on (maybe a 1.5) that got sporadic toward the middle and went away by the end!! Yay!! I’m not even sore today other that oddly feeling niggles in that shin spot sporadically while just sitting around the house "

The major point I want you to take away from Karen's story:

• you can keep running with shin splints; you just need to support your body and goals with the right running-specific exercises

• as your shins heel and your body understands how to use other major muscle groups like your hamstrings correctly, your shins will occasionally pipe up and complain...and that's normal. So no freaking out!

• Always use the shin splint check-in test, the gallop test. I personally like to use it BEFORE and AFTER the exercise circuit above. And, don't forget: that exercise circuit should be your new favorite running warm up ;)

And if you're looking for your own comeback story like Karen, I got you. Let me show you Running Rescue, my 1-on-1 rehab and strength coaching for runners fighting to stay on track with their training while still recovering and getting stronger from niggley-running injuries.

Let's keep you running.

Sign up for Your Running Rescue Here!

Until next time running fit fam...

Dare to Train Differently,

Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit