killerasp:

I don't know much about shin cramps, but I do know that I am prone to shin splints if I run on hard surfaces like concrete sidewalks. Basically it's an overuse injury that, I think, involves swelling in the tissue that surrounds the tibia. You can do a Google search and probably find better info than this. If it is shin splints the only thing that really helps is me is rest and running on hard packed dirt/gravel paths instead of sidewalks, etc.