"Shin splints, stress fractures and spine problems are the reward for splitting the difference between running and walking, and then doing it for years on end."
Been jogging for oh, nearly 30 years, and have none of the problems you mention.
You sure you've been "jogging" and not "running"? Jogging is an unnatural act, more like marching really fast than it is like anything else, and very few people actually do it. Fortunately. It'll really muck up your legs ... running, in which up-and-down movement is minimized, is a whole different sort of thing. We're pretty good at it, and optimized for endurance. We're predators; our running is for chasing prey, not for evading predators.
Probably has the wrong shoes and is running too much. I weigh 195-200 pounds and cannot run more than every other to every third day. I run between 7-8 miles each time. It is a lot of stress because of my large frame so I allow ample time to heal and make sure that the shoes I am wearing are not worn out (past 250 miles or over 4 months old) and that they are the correct shoes for my foot type. Also, I exercise (between runs) cardiovascularly on machines. I also lift weights and eat somewhat well. I find juices and fruits give me an extra boost of long sustaining energy.