The First Step in Building Confidence

Talk to Yourself—and Listen

By Marc Bloom MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013, 12:00 AM (RUNNER’S WORLD)

Do you get the willies before a big race or tough workout? Do you feel edgy with “butterflies” in your stomach? Does your energy drain out of you? Do you have a sense of dread or fear but can’t quite figure out why? Do you ever feel so freaked out that you wished you’d joined the field hockey team?

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re like most high school runners at one time or another—even like someone as successful as 2012 Foot Locker cross-country finalist Patrick Gibson of Washington state.

“I have definitely freaked myself out at races,” said Gibson, a Stanford-bound Squalicum High senior who won the state’s 2012 2A 3200m championship in a sensational 9:01.86, as well as the 2013 2A 1600 in 4:11.85. “But I started to realize that this attitude was counter-productive. If you look at a race as an opportunity to demonstrate how hard you’ve been working, instead of worrying about falling flat on your face, then confidence will come easily.”

Can you stop worrying, relax and do your best? To do that, first you have to realize what it is you worry about, and why, and then you must develop strategies to let worry recede and confidence build. It’s a process.

“Lack of confidence leads to anxiety and tension and reduced motivation,” says Cindra S. Kamphoff, Ph.D, Director of the Center for Sport and Performance Psychology at Minnesota State University. “Confidence is one of the most important predictors of running performance. When I talk to runners, I tell them, ‘Confidence is up to you—you and your mind.’”

Just as you train your body, you must train your mind. Another Foot Locker finalist, national 5th-placer Karis Jochen, an A&M Consolidated senior from Texas, testified to the racing boost she received from learning confidence as an “insecure” freshman. She credited a senior teammate with teaching her. “By not putting pressure on myself to meet someone else’s expectations, I could focus on my own race and not worry about my competitors,” said Jochen, who will do her college running at Texas A&M. “I gained the confidence to better tune into my body and push to the limit.”

Helpful thoughts energize you. Un-helpful thoughts weaken you.

Listen to Yourself

Start the confidence process by talking to yourself. “Self-talk,” psychologists call it. You probably do it at times already. “You can easily ‘get in your own way’ and talk yourself out of a good performance,” says Kamphoff, a runner herself who’s competed in several marathons.

Try to avoid negative self-talk. What’s considered “negative”? Worry is negative. But negative thoughts can also be more subtle, deeper in the mind, harder to identify. Kamphoff suggests being closely attuned to your inner voice while training. Listen to your internal dialogue, what you say to yourself, says Kamphoff, and determine which thoughts help you and hurt you.

Start listening in workouts. It’s axiomatic that whatever you do in training you will likely do in racing (like being tough or caving in). Let’s say you have a tough session of 5 x 1000 with a 2-minute rest at tempo race. Pay close attention to your self-talk, how you think and run and meet your coach’s workout goals. Try to connect the dots. Did a positive thought result in stronger running? Did a negative thought result in a weaker effort?

Record all of this as soon as you can in your phone, on a notebook, or wherever. If you keep a training log (and you should), add these notes, and conclusions, to your chronicle. Do it for every practice, even easy ones. Soon, a pattern will reveal itself. You’ll find out how negative you’ve been — maybe a little, maybe a lot — and exactly what thoughts may have been standing in the way of reaching your potential.

Did you embrace those 1000 repeats as a chance to meet a challenge? Or when hearing the workout, think, “Oh, no…” and run just to get it over with?

The Comparison Trap

In particular, determine if you tend to compare yourself with teammates, contributing to your frustration and negative outlook. Kamphoff says, “One of the top five obstacles is negative self-comparison, especially in high school runners.”

There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to be as great a runner as a teammate or opponent or even a state champion. But if that aspiration makes you feel inferior and leads you to downplay your own abilities, it’s detrimental and hardly something that will keep your confidence high.

Even the best runners can be victimized by comparisons. Virginia state track and cross-country champion Sophie Chase of Lake Braddock High realized that for too long she worried about how she stacked up against her competition, hurting her efforts. “I focused on the wrong things,” said Chase. “When I didn’t meet the standards I set for myself, I lost confidence in my training and my goals.”

Chase, a senior going on to Stanford, conquered her self-doubt by re-framing her thoughts. “Re-framing,” an important concept in psychology, means changing the perspective from which you look at something. Chase said that instead of dwelling on “seed times, my competition and my splits,” she re-focused on being a team leader and then excelled as her Lady Bruins squad took the state 3A title. “By changing my mindset,” said Chase, who went on to win her second straight Penn Relays 3,000 title in April, “ and ignoring negative outside factors I found the keys to my confidence.”

One Goal at a Time

Another key is to realize that it is unrealistic, and potentially harmful, to try and accomplish every goal in every race or workout. Do you go into a cross-country race obsessed with your time, place, keeping up with a particular teammate, being a certain number scorer for your team and conquering the toughest hill all at once? That’s crazy. Who can handle such pressure?

When counseling runners, Kamphoff tells them to shrink their focus to one or two goals that are manageable, then, after the race, take stock. Did you achieve one of them? If so, be content. In the next race, go after a second goal. Work on that in practice. Use positive self-talk to help you. And keep an account of each success — like money in the bank, says Kamphoff.

A carefully managed focus is a hallmark of the nationally-ranked Carmel girls’ cross-country team of Indiana. With a big race coming up, says the coach, Mark Ellington, there may be a lot of “Oh, my Gods!” in the team vibe. To subdue that fright, Ellington has each of the seven varsity runners attempt to fulfill one goal, and one goal only. For example, a young runner new to the varsity may simply be told to stay as close to the teammate ahead of her as possible. Try and close the gap.

Ellington, whose Greyhounds team placed 3rd at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore., last December, is careful in deciding whether to address the girls as a group, or individually, and whether to do that close to the race or days ahead. Are you the type of runner who prefers immediate feedback? If so, after a race check in with your coach to see if there’s some quick advice to pick up that you can think about leading up to your next meet.

Trust Your Coach

One of the nation’s youngest stars, freshman Taylor Werner of St. Genevieve High in Missouri, has found confidence in trust. Werner, who ran her first 5k at a 3rd-grader, put a lot of pressure on herself last fall. “I wanted to impress people when I ran,” she said. “I was probably the most nervous girl on our team.”

Werner said that the St. Genevieve coach, Brian Jett, could tell she was uptight. “At practice,” she said, “he would come over to me, walk with me and say, ‘You put in the work, you can do this.’ He was able to relax me.” Werner went on to win state class 3 in cross-country and place 10th in the Foot Locker Nationals in the fall, then won the Missouri state track and field championships class 3 800, 1600 and 3200m in May. Her advice for others to stay confident: believe in your coach, your training and yourself.

Belief is a form of trust. To trust in others is to give up some “control.” Many of us like to feel totally “in control.” Trying to control everything is like trying to achieve a million goals in a race. That’s why you have a coach. Try to relinquish some emotional control to your coach. Speak to your coach. Confide in your coach. Lean on your coach. Don’t “hide” or disengage when you feel pressure. Open up to your coach. He or she has your best interests at heart.

This trust has led Mackenzie Barry of New Jersey to become one of the best distance runners in the country. Barry, finishing her junior year at West Morris Mendham High, captured the state outdoor 3200m as a sophomore in a nationally-ranked 10:18.24. She said that one of her coaches, Roy Hamblen, “gives me confidence because he knows how much my body can take. He helps me believe in my training.”

Last winter, Barry had some self-doubt after being diagnosed with anemia. She relied on her coach who, she said, helped her restore confidence. And she won the state indoor 3200m title with room to spare.

At times, going beyond your coach, and team, can provide an additional confidence boost. National indoor 800m runner-up Maddie Berkson of Classical High in Rhode Island looks to two compelling running videos from the past. On the web, she tracks down Dave Wottle’s come-from-behind 800m win at the 1972 Olympics. If that doesn’t psych you up, nothing will. She will also go to that other iconic “runner,” Rocky Balboa, for his boxing road-work and universally popular soundtrack.

Going to Arms

Sometimes, a runner just has to take matters into his or her own hands. Or arms. Even Kanghoff, the sports psychology expert, finds her confidence flagging now and then. “My personal goal for every race,” she said, “is not to say anything negative to myself.”

To insure that she would have a confident outlook before running the Omaha Marathon last September, Kanghoff, 36, counted up the training miles she’d run in the five months before the event. It came to 1,400. She wrote the number big and bold on her arm and looked at it while running. She repeated it to herself as a mantra: “fourteen-hundred, fourteen-hundred…” Kanghoff won the women’s division by over a minute in 3:05:12, her best time.

Why not consider that strategy for cross-country this fall. Add up your summer mileage. Be proud of it. Use it as a mantra. Write the total on your arm when you race. Feel the power of positive thinking. And run like the wind.

Notes for Parents of High School

Cross Country Runners

When should Mom/Dad contact the coach?

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2010, 12:00 AM (RUNNER’S WORLD)

Athletes almost never want mom or dad to call the coach! But the reality is that communication between parents and coaches is often beneficial. Of course, if an athlete has a concern, we prefer that she first bring that concern to the coaches. This is simply a good lesson for the athletes as they grow over four years towards adulthood. However, questions or concerns regarding training, scheduling, or just about anything else are bound to occur throughout the season. It's never inappropriate to contact the coach with a question.

Dan Iverson, coach at Naperville North, Ill., whose girls team has placed in the top 3 at 10 of the last 17 state cross country championships

Note To Parents Who Are Runners

Parents of runners who are runners themselves often have a tough time. They know a lot about training and racing -- sometimes more than the coach. A few things to keep in mind:

First, training for track and cross country is quite different than training for road racing and especially marathons, and 16-year-olds are quite different than 40-year-olds. While you may be discomfited by some things the coach does, understand that there are a variety of ways to prepare for racing, and many work.

Second, training is only partially physical. Athletes under top coaches regularly report that one key to the coach's success was the confidence they had in the coach's program: It works because they believe it works. By all means, don't express your reservations to your child. If you feel the need to talk to the coach, do so privately and respectfully. Ask questions, make suggestions. If you feel there's a real problem, contact the athletic director.

Roy Benson, coach of Marist High School, Atlanta, Ga., 16-time boys and girls state cross country champions

Be the Kool-Aid Parent

"Our runners are calorie-burning machines. One way you can help the team is to provide treats for the runners for after meets and long practices. Some good suggestions are fruit, bagels, granola bars, or popsicles on warm days."

Adam Kedge, coach at Albuquerque Academy, N.M., 10-time boys state cross country champions

5 Hydration Mistakes You Are Probably Making

Before your next sweltering run, make these small changes to avoid being sidelined.

ByNatalie Rizzo TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2017, 2:33 PM (RUNNER’S WORLD)

Staying hydrated is more complicated than just drinking water, especially during those summer months. Avoid these hydration pitfalls with a few small changes in your fueling strategy.

#1) You Don’t Drink Enough Water Throughout the Week

Just like cramming for a test, binge (water) drinking the morning of a long run won’t hydrate you properly. Aim to drink about 2-3 mL perpound of body weight at least 4 hours before your run. If you chug an entire liter of prerun water, the kidneys will flush it out, causing frequent midrun bathroom breaks. You may even dilute the body’s sodium balance and increase your risk of developing hyponatremia (or water overload) during your run. Instead, keep a water bottle handy all week and drink throughout the day. Your urine color should be light yellow (like lemonade). Once it gets too dark (like apple juice), you’re already dehydrated.

Another good way to determine hydration status is a sweat test, says Chrissy Carroll, R.D., USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. “Weigh yourself, without clothing, before and after a long run. If you've only lost 1 to 2 percent of your body weight, you’re in the hydration sweet spot. If you've lost more than 2 to 3 percent of your body weight, try hydrating a little more during your long runs.”

There is no standard fluid recommendation for runners because every runner has a different sweat rate, speed, body size, and training efforts. A good starting point is to drink 0.4 to 0.8 liters of water in the first hour. For a run lasting longer than an hour, consume 0.5 to 1 liters of sports drink to replace lost fluid, salt, and carbs. If you lose more than 2 to 3 percent of body weight during your run, drink 1.5 liters of fluid for each kilogram of body weight lost.

#2) You Avoid Salt at All Costs

We know a diet high in sodium can lead to serious health conditions like chronic high blood pressure. But that doesn’t mean salt is always the enemy. Salt losses vary greatly based on sweat rate, but many runners lose an average of one gram of sodium per liter of sweat, making salt a key player in keeping you hydrated. Hot and sweaty conditions mean replenishing your fluids and sodium levels is even more important. Add an extra sprinkle of salt to your dinner, or snack on a handful of salted peanuts.

#3) Your Fuel Consists of Gels and Chews But No Sports Drinks

“Many athletes prefer the convenience of gels for fuel,” says Carroll. Gels and chews have plenty of sugar to avoid midrun bonk, but they don’t always have enough sodium to maintain fluid balance. “Add an electrolyte mix to your water or incorporate a salt tablet during long runs or races.” But be sure to try this in training to make sure it works for you on race day.

#4) You Don’t Get Enough Magnesium or Potassium

Most runners know about sodium, but sweat also contains magnesium and potassium, which play a pivotal role in maintaining fluid balance and muscle function. Most Americans don’t consume the recommended 400 mg of magnesium and 4,700 mg of potassium each day. A deficiency in either mineral can exacerbate the symptoms of dehydration and cause extreme muscle cramps.

A well-balanced diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes will ensure you get enough of these nutrients.

These sources are particularly good choices.

Magnesium: Leafy greens, almonds, pumpkin seeds, tofu, flaxseeds, broccoli, lentils

Potassium: Bananas, sweet potatoes, beets, tomatoes, oranges, pomegranate juice

#5) You Don’t Listen to Your Body

You’ve seen the scary photos of runners being carried across the finish line or collapsing just after crossing it. But there were likely warning signs. Even if runners tried to hydrate, they may have ignored the symptoms of dehydration.

“I understand those Type A tendencies to ‘stick to the plan,’ but when conditions are different, like on a warm day or a more intense pace in a race, you may need to adjust your plan on the fly,” says Carroll.

The earliest sign of dehydration may present as dark colored urine or a slight headache. As dehydration worsens, you may feel extreme thirst, debilitating muscle cramps, fatigue, and sometimes even a decrease in heart rate. It’s necessary to recognize and listen to these signs because dehydration can do more than hurt your race performance—it can be life threatening.

As soon as you start to notice these symptoms, table the long run, grab a sports drink, and take small and frequent sips. You don’t want to overload your stomach with fluid, so stick to your original hydration plan of 0.5-1.0 liters per hour. If you lose more than 2 to 3 percent of body weight during your run, drink 750 mL of fluid for each pound of body weight lost.

Expert nutrition tips for high school athletes

By: Kevin Stevens, kstevens@pressconnects.com @PSBKevin | August 19, 2015 (USA Today, Sports)

Food is fuel. Fuel is essential for performance. Victories, championships, perhaps even college scholarships are tied to peak performance.

And so, teenage athletes, read this and absorb rather roll the eyes and tap over to Instagram.

Proper nutrition is about balance, discipline and, to an extent, common sense. It does not exclude all things palatable, and in fact, the more active the person, the more leeway there is in that diet.

Molly Morgan, Apalachin, N.Y., resident, RD, CDN and CSSD — i.e., an expert in the field — shared a mountain of information pertaining to the nutritional necessities of young athletes. And so, with the onset of the autumn scholastic season approaching, the time is right for a refresher on some of the basics.

Stay on schedule

Alarm clock conk out? Pressed for time? Or, simply not hungry? Oh well, some may believe, that snack at lunchtime will suffice until dinner hour.

Not a chance!

Make time for a sensible, ample breakfast — ditto for lunch.

An athlete’s body requires fuel by way of food. To expect something approaching optimal performance come practice or game without properly fueling the body is a hope as empty as that athlete’s tank.

Three well-rounded meals are not merely recommended — they are a vital part of the young athlete’s routine. Cut corners through the day and rely on gorging come dinner time, and the results on the field or court or in the pool will reflect such neglect.

For on-the-move athletes, have a snack at the ready. Perhaps tuck away some peanuts, a PB&J sandwich and a juice box or three.

Hydration

A rule of thumb to which Morgan subscribes: Listen to thirst and respond to thirst in order to maintain proper hydration, as the under-hydrated body is unable to work at peak efficiency.

Sip water throughout the day. Come time for practice or game, coaches are encouraged to provide repeated water breaks so that athletes may hydrate gradually rather than gulp excessively during infrequent pauses. For periods of continuous activity up to one hour, water should suffice. Should continuous movement exceed one hour — or in extreme heat — sports drinks are appropriate.

While an athletic contest is ongoing, hydration procedures should fall in line with common sense.

A cross country runner will not tote a water bottle through a race, therefore must carefully maximize hydration before toeing the start line. That is opposed to a swimmer competing in multiple events, or a tennis player with recurring changeovers, who have ample opportunities to hydrate. In soccer, with only halftime interrupting the action, athletes must take in fluids moderately.

Ted Hudock, multisport coach at Susquehanna Valley, is among those who harp on the need to hydrate in a prudent, productive fashion.

“They’ve got to be getting enough liquid and it’s got to not be the liquid that they’d prefer to drink,” he said. “If I could count the number of kids who show up with Mountain Dew or an energy drink or something … I just look at them like, you’re defeating the purpose of actually taking in the beverage because there is so much other stuff in there.”

He is among SV coaches who stress the need for proper, regular hydration — “especially in the fall season when temperatures can be just brutal at the beginning of the season.”

Balance also factors into the hydration process, as over-hydration can dilute the electrolytes in the blood and bring with it adverse effects. One way to gauge hydration is to monitor urine color. Neither too light nor too dark is good. Ideal is a pale lemonade color.

Pre-game plan

Ideally, an athlete might better plan to shove away from the pre-game meal table two hours before that game, match, meet or whatever, and most certainly should not venture beyond one hour before. The body requires time to digest what has been consumed, and during competition on the field or court is no place for said digestion to take place.

What’s on the plate? Quality protein is mandatory, so one meal that’d do the trick would begin with grilled chicken breast or salmon bumping up against brown rice and vegetables — perhaps asparagus or broccoli — washed down with a sizable glass of milk or water.

And do know, athletes needn’t be as afraid of consumption of salt as, say, couch potatoes. Perspiration contains sodium and active athletes perspire. The wise ones have had limited intake of processed foods, and so naturally the sodium intake has been lessened in accordance with that sensible diet. So, shaking a small amount of salt on the food can help the body retain fluids.

As for the popular night-before pasta dinner? If one so desires, go for it. A whole-grain pasta is advised, to go with a vegetable salad.

Post-game plan

The spent body is in need of refueling as it attempts to rebuild and repair muscles, and so the quicker that process can begin, the better. Prime time to get in front of that is the first 30 minutes upon completion, but best not to linger more than two hours.

A quick and easy starter-set option for the young athlete: Chocolate milk, which is an inexpensive, convenient blend of carbohydrates and protein. Another for back on the home front is a do-it-yourself shake consisting of, say, yogurt, fruit and a splash of milk or juice.

Or, if on the move from Point A to Point B, a submarine sandwich is an excellent choice. Lean toward a whole grain roll filled with grilled chicken or deli meats accompanied by an ample supply of vegetables with a dash of olive oil or sub sauce — the topping by way of introducing healthy fats. On the side, some apple slices or apple sauce.

Common mistakes/misconceptions

Morgan’s experience has been that young, male athletes too often determine protein intake to be their sole nutritional focus. However, while protein helps to build and maintain muscle mass, it alone isn’t about to fuel or enhance performance. There must be a balance of protein, quality carbohydrates and healthy fats.

With regard to protein intake, Morgan said, “It’s kind of like that, ‘If some is good, more is better.’ That’s another common misconception.” In fact, if one exceeds optimum protein intake, the body cannot utilize that excess protein and instead stores it as fat — not good.

Another myth: Fat makes you fat.

“Avocados, olive oil, nuts, peanut butter— high-fat foods don’t make you fat. It’s excess overall energy, overall calories, that lead to weight-gain over time,” Morgan said.

Healthy fats also include guacamole as a sub topping, pistachios, and olive oil used to saute vegetables.

“It’s certainly all about balance, but healthy fats are an important part of your eating routine,” she said.

Some no-no’s

While there is room for the occasional soda, the time immediately preceding a workout or practice or game is the worst time. Blood sugar soars, giving that quick rush of energy — but then comes the crash and obvious effects on the ability to perform. Feel a need to grab that cola at the drive-through? Do so after the athletic event, if you must.

Similarly, do not be the guy or gal exiting the vehicle in the parking lot pre-practice or pre-game with a satchel full of whatever from the nearby fast-food dispensary. Few options on those menus are smart choices before play.

SV’s Hudock, however, addressed one challenge with regard to heading off athletes choosing drive-through or quick pick-up fulfillment.

“It’s a dicey subject,” he said. “Ever since they have restructured the school meals and they have cut down portion sizes because they are worried about the overeating epidemic. It’s great that they are worried about that epidemic, but the portion sizes that they are giving for an athlete who is going to leave his house at 8 in the morning and is relying on a school lunch, a very small meal, that is not going to get him through practice from 3:30 to 5 o’clock.”

And so, some opt for quick and inexpensive — if unwise — alternative boosts to ward off hunger.

“Is it the best thing? No, but they need food, they need something to be able to have in their body,” he said.

As for full-blown skull-and-crossbones material: Energy drinks such as those on display in the colorful cans with the catchy names so easily marketable to teenagers. When Morgan addresses school-age athletes and coaches, she encourages coaches to institute a “Not In Our Locker Room” rule.

Final points

•Whole grains are an athlete’s friend. Since they digest slowly, they provide longer-lasting energy. An afternoon snack of a whole-grain granola bar, yogurt and fruit will have lasting benefits, as opposed to processed foods such as pretzels, white bread and the like, which are quickly digested.

Ah, but here’s a twist: During competition, “Plain old pretzels are great because they’re quick energy — it’s like fueling the fire, so to speak,” Morgan said, “versus your day-to-day (routine), you want to give your body the more nutrient-rich, whole grain food.”

Those preferred options for meal time include whole-grain cereal at breakfast, whole-grain bread for the sandwich at lunch and brown rice rather than white with dinner.

•What role should supplements of vitamins, minerals, etc., play in a teenage athlete’s routine?

“Generally speaking, if you’re eating healthy you don’t need a supplement every day, maybe just every now and then,” Morgan said. She does recommend that a young athlete consult with his or her pediatrician regarding supplements.

“In sunny Binghamton, certainly a Vitamin D supplement in the winter months is probably not a bad idea for most of us,” she said.

•Tim Hogan is a veteran multi-sport coach at Windsor, where the football program’s “Bend The Bar” program accentuates not only weight training, but nutritional needs as well.

“It’s not just getting in a stance and tackling and blocking, you do just that and you’re in trouble,” he said. “We used to joke: Get off the chicken wing and Mountain Dew diet. Pound the water and eat this and that, a well-balanced diet.”

Hydration schedule

•Two hours before activity: 16 ounces

•15 minutes before: 8-16 ounces

•During activity: Every 15-20 minutes, 6-8 ounces

•After: 24 ounces per pound of weight loss

(Check weight before and after practices and games.)

Day-to-day regimen

•You must stock up on healthy foods.

•Plan at least six meals and snacks throughout the day.

•Know your daily goals for calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates.

•Challenge yourself to try new and different foods.

•Include plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, as well as a variety of fats.

•Emphasize whole grains.

Protein tips

•Daily protein goal should be 1 gram per pound of body weight; i.e., 170-pound individual takes in 170 grams of protein daily.

•Incorporate protein into all meals and snacks.}

•Every ounce of meat, fish or poultry is equal to about 7 grams of protein.

•Vary protein sources. Options include almonds, pistachios, quinoa, peanut butter, almond butter and Greek yogurt.

•After workouts, aim to have 20 to 25 grams of protein along with carbohydrates to optimally refuel tired muscles.

About Morgan

Molly Morgan is a Williamsville native who was raised in Apalachin and was a member of Vestal High’s Class of 1996. She is a registered dietitian, certified dietitian nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and team dietician for the Ottawa and Binghamton Senators. Her website: www.mollymorganrd.com.

Everything You Need to Know About Shin Splints

THE RUNNER'S WORLD EDITORS, MAR 28, 2018

Shin pain is one of the most common injuries for runners. Here are expert tips and exercises to keep your lower legs healthy and strong.

Shin splints—also known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS)—are the catch-all term for lower leg pain that occurs below your knee, either on the front outside part of your leg (anterior shin splints) or the inside of your leg (medial shin splints).

While they’re the bane of many athletes (like tennis players and dancers), shin splints often plague runners who do not build their mileage gradually enough, or who abruptly change their workout regimen—suddenly adding too much mileage, for example, or switching from running on flat surfaces to running on hills.

But what exactly is a shin splint? There’s no end-all consensus among sports scientists, and theories have included small tears in the muscle that’s pulled off the bone, an inflammation of the periosteum—a thin sheath of tissue that wraps around the tibia, or shin bone—an inflammation of the muscle, or some combination of all of these. Regardless, the nature of shin splints most often can be captured in four words: too much, too soon.

Identifying Symptoms of Shin Splints

Shin pain doesn’t always mean you have shin splints. It might be a sign of some other problem. The following are two conditions that are sometimes mistakenly diagnosed as shin splints.

Pain on the anterior (outside) part of the lower leg may be what's called compartment syndrome—a swelling of muscles within a closed compartment—which creates pressure. To diagnose this condition, special techniques are used to measure the amount of pressure. Sometimes surgical “decompression” is required. The symptoms of compartment syndrome include leg pain, unusual nerve sensations, and eventually muscle weakness.

Pain in the lower leg could also be a stress fracture (an incomplete crack in the bone), which is a far more serious injury than shin splints. A bone scan is the definitive tool for diagnosing a stress fracture. However, there are clues you can look for that will signal whether or not you should get a bone scan.

The pain of shin splints is usually more generalized than that of a stress fracture. Press your fingertips along your shin, and if you can find a definite spot of sharp pain, that's more commonly a sign of a stress fracture. Additionally, stress fractures often feel better in the morning because the bone has rested all night; shin splints often feel worse in the morning because the soft tissue tightens overnight. Shin splints are also at their most painful when you flex your ankle or bring your toes toward your shin.

Common Causes of Shin Splints

There can be a number of factors at work, such as over-pronation (a frequent cause of medial shin splints), inadequate stretching, worn shoes, or excessive stress placed on one leg or one hip from running on cambered roads or always running in the same direction on a track. Typically, one leg is involved, and it is almost always the runner’s dominant one. If you’re right-handed, you’re usually right-footed as well, and that’s the leg that’s likely to hurt.

The most common site for shin splints is the medial area, which is the inside of your shin. Anterior shin splints, which are located toward the outside of your leg, usually result from an imbalance between your calf muscles and the muscles along the front of your leg, and often afflict beginners who either have not yet adjusted to the stresses of running or are not stretching enough.

Treating Shin Splints

Experts agree that when shin splints strike, you should stop running completely or decrease your training depending on the extent and duration of pain. Then, as a first step, ice your shin to reduce inflammation, says Jordan Metzl, M.D., a sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, creator of Runner’s World’s IronStrength workout, and coauthor of The Athlete's Book of Home Remedies. Here are some other treatments you can try:

• Gently stretch your Achilles if you have medial shin splints, and your calves if you have anterior shin splints. Try this stretch for your shins: Kneel on a carpeted floor or exercise mat, legs and feet together and toes pointed directly back. Then slowly sit back onto your calves and heels, pushing your ankles into the floor until you feel tension in the muscles of your shin. Hold for 10 to 12 seconds, relax and repeat.

• Start in a seated position, then trace the alphabet on the floor with your toes. Do this with each leg. Or alternate walking on your heels for 30 seconds with 30 seconds of regular walking. Repeat four times. These exercises are good for both recovery and prevention. Try to do them three times a day.

• If you continue running, wrap your leg before you go out. Use either tape or an Ace bandage, starting just above the ankle and wrapping to just below the knee. Continue wrapping your leg until the pain goes away, which usually takes three to six weeks. “What you’re doing is binding the tendons up against the shaft of the shin to prevent stress,” Metzl says.

• Consider cross-training for a while to let your shin heal. Swim, run in the pool, or ride a bike.

• Foam roll your shins to loosen up the muscles, says Metzl.

• When you return to running, increase your mileage slowly, no more than 10 percent increase in distance each week.

• Avoid hills and excessively hard surfaces until shin pain goes away completely, then re-introduce them gradually to prevent a recurrence.

Preventing Shin Splints

There are numerous things you can do to lessen your chances of getting shin splints:

• Make sure you wear the correct running shoes for your foot type. If you're unsure, visit your local running store to get a professional fit or analysis.

• Have two pairs of shoes and alternate wearing them to vary the stresses on your legs.

• If you frequently run on roads with an obvious camber, run out and back on the same side of the road. Likewise, when running on a track—switch directions.

• Strength train. “Good strength will keep you running in proper form and alignment, and that will help a lot,” Metzl says. He recommends exercises like jump squats, split squats, and single-leg toe touches.

• If you know you are prone to developing shin splints, stretch your calves and Achilles regularly as a preventive measure.

• Take in foods that are high in calcium and Vitamin D, which will improve bone density, Metzl adds. This is especially true if you are a woman with a family history of osteoporosis.

• Shorten your stride and quicken cadence. Metzl suggests keeping your cadence between about 85 to 90 steps per minute (with one foot) to put less load on your feet.