I run long distances and I used to have lots of problems with shin splints and more. Everyone's advice here are things that I've tried and they work. What I'd add is that you should try looking at your legs sequentially to see what you can improve, starting from the feet and going up. Eg. Do you have flat feet? Any ankle deformities? Do you have any swellings in your shins? Any knee deformity/instability/pain? Any weakness in your quads/hamstrings? Any issues with your hips? Are your glutes engaged when you run? etc. You might need to consider things like knee straps or insoles for extra support. For shoes, this time of year is usually good for specials since shoe companies will begin releasing their 2021 models for shoes, meaning stores will want to get rid of their 2020 stock. There might be some places selling 2019 shoes which should be even cheaper, and the reality is they're barely any different to the new shoes anyway so they'll still be high performance and last for years.
At the end of the day, the biggest thing is that you start slow. Walking half a mile a day is better than doing a 3.5 mile jog once a week and being in excessive pain.
I run long distances and I used to have lots of problems with shin splints and more. Everyone's advice here are things that I've tried and they work. What I'd add is that you should try looking at your legs sequentially to see what you can improve, starting from the feet and going up. Eg. Do you have flat feet? Any ankle deformities? Do you have any swellings in your shins? Any knee deformity/instability/pain? Any weakness in your quads/hamstrings? Any issues with your hips? Are your glutes engaged when you run? etc. You might need to consider things like knee straps or insoles for extra support. For shoes, this time of year is usually good for specials since shoe companies will begin releasing their 2021 models for shoes, meaning stores will want to get rid of their 2020 stock. There might be some places selling 2019 shoes which should be even cheaper, and the reality is they're barely any different to the new shoes anyway so they'll still be high performance and last for years.
At the end of the day, the biggest thing is that you start slow. Walking half a mile a day is better than doing a 3.5 mile jog once a week and being in excessive pain.