Can't help you with the shoes. However, I am in the saem boat you are. Shin splints suck. I've been running for years and this is my first time with em. Theyve gotten better, but still like to rear their head every once in a while.
Heres what I have been doing: ICING..a lot. Every night. I would do it more if i had time. Stretch, stretch, stretch. Time for new shoes? What kind do you normally run with? They recommend cushioned supprt for shin splint recovery... already in em? Try some softer insoles. I now have Sole brand Athletes insoles. The difference can be felt on the run. Stay of the sidewalks. Stay of the crappy St. Augustine grass. Try aqua joggin one day instead of a run. Thats about all i can think of...

Adjust your technique. Most runners use technique that rely solely (pardon the pun) on their shoes for cushioning. The elastic tissues in our feet, ankles, and calves provide much better shock absorption than our shoes can, IF we use them. Ever wonder how barefoot runners could ever run 26.2 miles on pavement? They use their body's natural shock absorption system.

Below is more information about footstrike and how adjusting it can help your shin splints.

Try this drill: Stand on a hard surface with your feet together. Bend your knees slightly and shift your weight forward onto the balls of your feet. Allow your heel to come 1/4 inch off the ground. Bounce about 1/2 inch in the air very quickly, keeping all your weight on the balls of your feet. Continue this for 30 seconds. Now repeat this with your weight on your heels. Which way do you want to run?

The information below will help you develop a footstrike that will mke you faster and more efficient as well as reduce injuries.

Optimal Footstrike: Techniques for Efficient, Injury-Free Running
© 2003 by Ken Mierke

One great thing about technology is that machines do not have opinions, they do not lie, and they are not afraid to break with traditions. I have personally performed over 6,000 VO2 Max tests, which measure an athlete’s fitness as well as how efficient he is (how much energy he uses to run a certain speed). One thing that has surprised me is that performance differences between runners are due as much to running economy as to fitness. Better runners go faster because of efficiency as much as fitness.

Economy is not a basically inherent talent, such as high-level aerobic capacity, but can be significantly improved. Any runner who wants to improve should make the effort to learn about correct biomechanics and implement them into his stride.

The primary goals of efficient running technique are to minimize energy expenditure at a given speed (economy) and to minimize the risk of injuries. Fortunately, the techniques to achieve these goals coincide. Though there are many aspects of efficient running technique, this article will focus on one important element of efficient technique: the footstrike.

Analyzing the technique used by most runners shows a common theme. Most runners reach forward with the foot, land on the heel (heelstrike) or the heel and ball simultaneously (flat-footed), and then pause while their weight moves forward to the ball of the foot before pushing off. There are a number of problems with these techniques.

The first is braking. The moment the heel touches he ground, the runner slows down. This braking causes constant acceleration and deceleration and increased vertical displacement, both of which waste a tremendous amount of energy. You are literally spending energy to slow down.

Either heels-first or flat-footed footstrike reduces the shock absorption capabilities of the feet. Muscles and connective tissues of the foot and calf are designed to absorb shock. When the heels touch the ground, this system gets bypassed and impact stress is sent up through the heel, ankle, shinbone, knees, hips, and lower back. None of these tissues are designed with significant shock-absorption. Imagine running barefoot on pavement. Would you let your heels hit the ground? You wouldn’t even make it through the warm-up without an injury. Learn to run on the balls of your feet and see how much lighter you land!

The third problem with either of the heels-down methods of footstrike is that they prevent correct elastic recoil. The muscles and connective tissue of the foot and calf are remarkably elastic and, with a correct footstrike, they return the energy they store, as horizontal propulsion. This is free speed because the elastic components don’t use energy and they don’t fatigue. Unlike a rubber band, the elastic recoil of human tissue dissipates if the stretch is held, even for a very short time. With either incorrect footstrike, the pause required for the runner’s weight to move forward over the center-of-mass dissipates energy stored by a pre-stretch. Any energy that hasn’t dissipated will be returned vertically, wasting energy that could have been used for propulsion and increasing impact stress at the next footstrike.

You may hear that correct running techniques are not for you. Correct technique is for every runner, beginner to elite, who is interested in improving performance. Learning these techniques is not difficult. It simply requires studying, performing drills for a few minutes several times per week, and concentrating on your form while you run. Correct technique applies runners of all levels, beginner to elite. What runner, of any level, wants increased injuries and wasted energy? Correct technique also applies to events of all distances. What are the distances at which a runner should waste energy and risk injury?

You may hear that the calves don’t have the endurance to run long-distances with correct technique. The calves, in fact, are the most endurance-oriented skeletal muscles in the body. Calf muscles, however, that have not been used correctly due to poor footstrike will not have the necessary endurance to be able to keep up with the other running muscles. Just like any muscle, they need training to develop their tremendous endurance capacity. Many of the Kenyan runners grew up running barefoot. When they begin wearing running shoes, they continue to run correctly. Obviously, their calves have no problems keeping up with the other running muscles.

If you want to run faster with fewer injuries, adjusting your footstrike is a necessity. Remember to give your calves time to develop to the level of the other running muscles, and you will reap the rewards and enjoy your running more.

More information about running technique is available at [url]www.EvolutionRunning.com[/url]

Check your mileage on your shoes. Are these new shoes old shoes etc. Examine yourself as a runner as well. i can prematurely wear out a shoe that is suppoesed to last 400-500 miles in 300 or less. I strike hard and i kick off hard. Look at the shoes you had before the shin splints and compare them with the ones you have now has anything changed (new brand make model etc )

Yes, the calves will adapt. They are the most endurance oriented skeletal muscles in the body - they are just untrained. Also, you probably carried your heel up too high in the air, poutting additional stress on the calf muscles. Forget about keeping your heel up in the air and think about getting your weight onto the forefoot. You probably need to cut your run mileage anyway, so I recommnend cutting to 50% of normal weekly mileage and adding 10% a week ... 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% until you are back up to normal mileage. Also, don't run on consecutive days for several months. More information is availagle in my book The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training and my video Evolution Running: Run Faster with Fewer Injuries. Both are available at [url]www.Fitness-Concepts.com[/url] Give your boyfriend a hug, don't kick his ass. Good luck, Ken