8 Weeks to go/ Shin Splint

All that above and stretch your calves and hamstrings!!!

I used to get the shin-pains (don't know if i'd call them shin splints) but once I started really stretching the calves and using a rope to stretch the hammies, I have had no back pain nor shin pain.

Give it a try.

I have always stretched and warmed up before workouts ( I swear)... and I have some new sneakers from the running store.  I was just braging a few weeks ago that after the new shoes, I had no more cramping or pain... then I did a race... and now the shin pains again. 

It could be the new shoes, but I doubt it.  They spent a lot of time analyzing my stride, footfall etc...

I've been pool running - which is deadly boring - but non-impact.

and AFTER WORKOUTS???

That's when I HAVE to stretch.  Before, I usually skip and just jog to warm-up.  After, I stretch good.

I had a bad shin splint in one leg, bad enough that I had my leg checked for a stress fracture as I had difficulty walking on it.

During recovery, I rested it for a few days, then started running on a treadmill without any incline. The treadmill absorbed much of the impact, and avoiding incline for a couple weeks helped the injury heal. It also helped me maintain my run fitness, as I could still run 45 min at a time.

After a couple weeks of limiting myself to indoor treadmill runs I gradually re-introduced myself to road running and hills. No problems ever since.

I know I'll probably catch some flack for saying this because I have here before. But since you're "frustrated and disappointed" I'm going to say it anyway... (I'll try my best below to qualify what I say to avoid some of the flack.)

At least 20 times, I've had a condition that "we" used to call "shin splints". My "shin splints" are now called something more specific that I can't remember but if you care you can search my posts because in my last post on shin splints I did determine exactly what "they" now call the condition that I had. This only applies to the "shin splints" that I had specifically. When I say "we" above, I'm talking about my football team's players, coaches, and training staff. We practiced in a stadium that had an artificial turf field. So many of the players would develop "shin splints" as they transitioned from summer workouts at home on various surfaces to two-a-day workouts on the turf field.

The standard treatment back then (early 1980s) on our NCAA Div 1 football team as prescribed by our training staff was taking the maximum dose of buffered aspirin two hours before each workout. Nobody missed a single practice due to shin splints and everybody's problem resolved even during the rigors of 6 weeks of two-a-day football practicess using this method. This was a miracle cure for me personally because I was haunted by this condition in High School athletics which I just suffered (and trained) through.

At my first go at triathlon starting in the mid-1980s I developed "shin splints" again a few times and was always able to easily train through them, and quickly resolve them with this method. Other people who I know personally have used this method with good success including my wife at least five times.

Long story short, there is no way that I'd personally "rest" shin splints. Honestly, in the last 2.5 years if I rested all the injuries I've trained through, I wounldn't have improved at all (3+ fractures, separated AC, torn rib cartilage, severe knee swelling from an impact on an old ACL surgery screw in my leg, lots of road rash from two crashes, and some othe minor stuff). I trained through those problems with the OK of my docs letting "pain be my guide."

But EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT. I'm not a doc and I'm not advising you (or anybody) to do anything. I'm just putting the information out there. Hope you get well soon!

Thanks for the advice.  This is sort of how I feel.  I have been in pain for years because I have a wonky hip, so my biomechanics are all screwed up... I have just dealt with it with advil (and scotch) but not at the same time... usually : 0 )

What surfaces do you normally train on?  I know when I transition from the indoor track (rubberized surface) or the treadmill to the road in the springtime I get pain on the front of my shin.  I'm not sure I'd call them shin splints, but it may just be from the additional hardening of the surface that you're running on.  I know it's probably stupid but I just train through them, take it easy on my outside workouts for a few weeks and they eventually go away.

Treadmill (if it is raining) or pavement (outside) with up and down hills

:0)  are there any other kind of hills? 

I'd replace most of your running with biking.  You will keep up the cardio, get better on the bike which will make the run on race day easier.  For the running you do, try to minimize the impact by bending your knees a little more, shorter stride, less speed. 

Then go all out for the race!

Do you have High arches? I was having bad shin pain for awhile then read they could be caused by not enough arch support. Put some  inserts in and no pain.