* * * * *

Dear Michele,

I do not know your age or the state of your fitness when you began your quest. It appears to me that you went way too fast in your enthusiasm. I would expect to reach 30 minutes of brisk walking to be achieved in about 6 weeks. You have given yourself shin splints that will take many weeks to recover even as you use them gently. If the pain gets worse please see your doctor as you may have what is called stress fracture and which requires treatment. Listen to the advice of the United States Department of Health and Social services.  Start with 5 minutes twice daily, out side is grand, but anywhere is fine, even a treadmill. Add two minutes to each walk each week for six weeks. By then you will be walking 17 minutes twice daily, this may be a good point to join them into one 34 minute walk daily. Then add 4-5 minutes daily to each walk until the twelfth week and you will find yourself walking about 2 miles in just 30 minutes, and that is just half of your walk!!. If music helps, 3.5 miles per hour will correspond to about 120 beats of music per minute.

G. L. Dixon, MD