Hydration and shin splints.

[ChainsawCharlie]

Does anyone have any ideas regarding green tea? I get rapidly bored drinking water so have been alternating water and green tea. Is this a good source of hydration?

Also a question about shin splints. I suffer from these while running, not painful enough to stop, but a niggle. These continue into the evening from running in the mornings. I have recently invested in a good pair of running shoes and these have improved the situation. Should I be seeking medical advice or are these just my body adapting to the new experience of running?

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Green tea is claimed to have many benefits for health, but in respect of general hydration you do need to be aware of its caffeine content.

Caffeine in large doses can have all sorts of undesirable effects and it's diuretic impact on hydration.

I drink green tea every morning.

Regarding shin splints, are you following the advice in the guide to the plan on minimising impact.

You might find this helpful runnersworld.com/shin-splints/

[ChainsawCharlie Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I am trying hard to follow the advice in the guide, slow then slow again. I am just starting week 4 of the C25K and have now invested in a gait analysis and a good pair of proper running shoes. These have reduced the shin splints, but not eliminated them completely.

As for the green tea, I was aware of there being caffeine in it but didn’t know that it was enough to be problematic. I drink it because I like it and am trying to cut down own the huge amount of coffee I was drinking.

I look forward to reading the Runner’s world article.

Many thanks.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to ChainsawCharlie]

Overstriding is one of the main causes of shin splints.

[Buddy34 Graduate]

Water is the best when it comes to hydrating your body. Tea etc can make you pee more then you lose your fluids and can then make you dehydrated.

Concerning your shin splints , you already have good shoes so my only other suggestion would be when you land your feet try to land softly as possible and not thud thud. It helped me a while back and just takes practice . Good luck 😊😊

[Brooko Graduate]

I used to have same issue but usually when I was not taking a full day of rest or trying to run further than the plan said. Once I started to get with the plan it got quite a lot better and then I have taken to wearing compression socks for an hour after my run. Shin splits gone.

[ChainsawCharlie Graduate in reply to Brooko]

I now wear compression socks when running, following advice from a more experienced runner. Nobody had mentioned wearing them beyond the actual run. This does seem to make intuitive sense though and I shall see how it goes.