I've had a ton of stress fractures, most recently last May when I had one in my tibia (same spot as you, mid-tib toward lower third). I had initially aimed to be back to easy running by six weeks, but still had pain even walking. I did intense water running two times a day nearly every day during the six weeks.When I felt it was not healing quick enough, I went to the doctor at week 8. I still had a little bit of pain when he pressed hard but didn't tell him. He said it should be close enough to start back slowly as long as the pain was minimal. He said no hard surfaces.
So after 9 weeks in the water, I finally ran. On grass.
I ran on grass and trails all summer, never on roads, and my pain diminished.
When I went back to school, there are not many soft surface areas to run, so I was forced to run the roads again. I was worried at first but still no stress fractures, nor any shin pain after a month and a half ont he roads.
My suggestions in summary:
Do not run till you're ready to come back
While waiting, x-train like crazy (anything that doesn't irritate the fracture) I thought water running was best but make sure you do hard workouts
When you do start back, start easy (It was awful, but the first week back, I ran every other day for 20-30 minutes. Build up your mileage gradually)
I think the most important thing is to run on grass or trails for an extended period of time. No roads at all for awhile. It'll work, trust me.
Finally, preventitive ice! Even when you think your leg is fine, stick it in a bucket of ice and add some water for 15-20 minutes. This will keep it feeling good.
Also, my doc told me that some pain is ok when recovering from a stress fracture, just get concerned if the pain worsens or gets sharper.
Good Luck