The last few runs for me have been painful (both figuratively and literally). I’ve managed to get major shin splints which have caused me to do more walking than running. This past Saturday the wife and I went to Fit2Run over at International Plaza in Tampa so I could have a gait analysis done to see if it was my shoes. After arriving we were greeted by one of their sales staff and we proceeded to tell him about my issues. We discussed many things and then we proceeded to doing some tests so we can see if I had the proper shoe. They first did analysis on my feet which would show them the arch of my feet and how my weight is distributed. We then discussed shoes and we tried out a few pairs with me taking the new ones for a test run on the treadmill. I only ran for a minute on the treadmill but I could tell immediately the difference between my shoes and the proper shoe. That being said I made sure they came home with me so I could test them out. After trying on several pairs I ended up with the Asics Gel-Nimbus because they seemed to be the best fit for me and my training needs. The fit was perfect and the padding made it feel like I was walking on air.

Sunday morning the wife and I woke up and went the Memorial Causeway for our weekly challenge of the bridge. It’s not really a challenge, but more like a test to see how we’ve both progressed in our training. She’s managed to progress and I’m at a stage to where I’m maintaining, which I’m perfectly fine with given the current issues with my shins. I’m very pleased to announce I ran my first day in my new shoes with far less shin issues than I’ve had in the past. I did have minimal pain, but I believe they could be irritated from running with the wrong shoe for so long. Given time I’ll make it to my end goal, but for now I’m taking it day by day. I’m now armed with the knowledge and the proper shoes to take me to the next level.

Have you ever experienced pains or discomfort during any physical activities? What did you do to help correct the problem?