Two of the biggest causes of shin splints are 1) a sudden increase in running volume, or 2)running on a hard surface. So I’d suggest easing into the program if you haven’t been doing any running lately, as well as starting by doing the running on a grass surface if at all possible - especailly due to the fact that you are prone to developing shin splints. Also, make sure that you are wearing a good pair of shoes, and if the problem develops again, you may want to look at seeing if orthopedics may help alleviate the problem.
I only developed shin splints once in the past - after a hamstring injury caused me to have to stop sprinting. The physio gave me a series of stretches for the tibialis anterior that really ended up helping. Kneel on the ground and sit of your heels so that the top of your foot is being pushed into the ground. Hold the stretch for about a minute, then turn your towes outward (externally rotate) your feet 10-15 degrees and repeat. Turn tham out another 10-15 degrees and repeat again (all after a good warm-up of course) As you rotate your feet out more and more, it shifts the stretch from the front of the shin, more to the inner area where the shin splint pain occurs. Also, make sure to stretch both you calves and soleus as well.
Due to the increase forces involoved in sprinting, I would assume that you would be more likely to develop shin splints from sprinting than any other form of running, even though the number of footstrikes in a given session would be less than say a 5 km jog.