Leg pain

Hi, I am new to the site. I started exercising in November. I am 42 and about 40 pounds overweight. I have not exercised in years and now I would like to start running. I have the stamina now but whenever I try either outside or on the treadmill I get shin splints and pain in my legs. What am I doing wrong. I warm up by walking for several minutes. I do ok on the Elliptical.

First thought - how are your shoes? If they are worn out or not appropriate for your foot and stride (not enough or too much support), that could be a part of the problem.

I had thought of that too. I have Nike but am not sure how old they are or if they are for running. Where should I go to get a good pair of running shoes? What is the difference between running, walking and training shoes?

There are specialty stores (read: not footlocker) that have people who can assess your stride and help you find a good shoe. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the differences between types of shoes are, except that I imagine running shoes would have additional support/padding for higher impact?

Make sure you stretch too! I find that if I walk for a while, stretch for about 10 minutes, then run, I don't get shin splints.

Also make sure your treadmill's incline isn't too high. I read somewhere that there's no reason to go above an incline of "1".

Running is really hard on the body, it puts a ton of strain on your joints and honestly the extra 40 lbs your carrying aren't helping.

I'd recommend holding back on the running, put most of your focus on your diet (which will be the most helpful in getting the weight off), keep up with the walking and the eliptical and get on a weight program designed to get you in shape for running (Rachel Cosgroves has a good one here) and eventually start adding in short burst of running into your walks.

Hey thanks for the link. I really like the workout she has on the page. I will add it to my routine and hold off on the running. I do like how I feel when I go for a long steady work out with burst of speed so I will do that as well. Thanks again.

I started running fifty pounds ago.  OK.  I started out doing the run/walk thing.  The C25K program is a great example of this.  Only thing is, I didn't transition to straight run for over 18 months, including 2 marathons. Run/Walk is lower impact on the body and you can transition to straight run down the road when it suits you.

Getting fitted for running shoes is an absolute must!!  You need shoes that fit yoru foot type, be that pronator, cushioned, neutral, what ever.  I second everybody that says "get ye to a running specialty store and buy good shoes".  That is the single most important thing you can do for the health of your legs and feet.

yes, please do get fitted for proper running shoes, that's probably the most important thing.  also when i had shin splints, a sports doctor recommended calf strengthening exercises.  a good one is calf raises - stand on a step with your heels hanging off the edge, then push up using your toes (think like a ballerina or something).  do this 8-12 times on each foot, and feel free to put your hand on a wall or banister for balance.