Pain in the.....

legs. I've been getting this dull sort of pain in my lower legs, between my ankle and my foot. It only seems to effect me when I'm walking and not when I run, which is good for now, but I am worried it might get worse and stop me from runing.

I had a chat with a mate who is a bit fitness crazy, and he suggested that it could be shin splints, caused by my sudden take up of exercise. So I googled it to find about a bit more and found this nhs.uk/conditions/shin-spli....

Turns out that shin splints are caused by a number of reasons, many of which apply to me:

* Sudden take up of exercise (or increase in intensity) - Check (rather unfair I think - I am trying :P)

* Poorly fitting/ inappropriate running shoes - Check (my ten quid cheapies that I've had for four years probably aren't cutting it)

* Being overweight - Well according to BMI I fall into this category, but I'm not convinced of the accuracy of a test that tells me that the Williams sisters are overweight!

* Previous ankle/ leg problems - Check and double check.

So basically I need a new pair of trainers (if anyone has any good but cheap suggestions they would be really welcome!), to lose some weight (as if that wasn't the point in the first place), and to generally get a new pair of legs!!

A little unfair on all counts I think!

He did however suggest stretching as a good tool -- so I might do that and see how it goes!!