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Calf problem - please help
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I was recommended this forum by a friend who posts here. He says you are a friendly bunch and v. helfpul so here goes my first post ...
I've been training for the Bristol Half Marathon which is only 12 days away now. All was going great until two weeks ago when I got a strong pain in my right calf and had to stop running after 7 miles. I rested for three days then managed only a mile on my next run before pain stopped me again. Then I rested for 8 days. Even though I had felt no pain or stiffness for days when I next ran I only lasted half a mile before feeling the calf 'pull'.
The pain is at the top of the calf, at the back and it feels stiff and sore most of the time. It also feels itchy sometimes as well! Also the left calf feels tight and a little sore! When it goes I find it difficult to walk for a few days without limping. I've tried ice which helps a little.
I always do a ten minute fast walk before running to warm up. I run on concrete and until recently wasn't wearing dedicated running shoes. Haven't seen a GP yet but made appointmet today - but they can't see me until next week!!!!
I really want to complete the half marathon if at all possible. As I get no pain when I cycle is it sensible to maintaion fitness and stamina by cycling and lay off the running completely (until a few days before) as this is what causes the calf problem?
Hmmmnmm sorry that ended up being quite a long post! If you are still reading then I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
PS I've just moved to Poole in Dorset - would love to meet other runners in the area for a bit of encouragement and insight to good routes, etc.
I've been training for the Bristol Half Marathon which is only 12 days away now. All was going great until two weeks ago when I got a strong pain in my right calf and had to stop running after 7 miles. I rested for three days then managed only a mile on my next run before pain stopped me again. Then I rested for 8 days. Even though I had felt no pain or stiffness for days when I next ran I only lasted half a mile before feeling the calf 'pull'.
The pain is at the top of the calf, at the back and it feels stiff and sore most of the time. It also feels itchy sometimes as well! Also the left calf feels tight and a little sore! When it goes I find it difficult to walk for a few days without limping. I've tried ice which helps a little.
I always do a ten minute fast walk before running to warm up. I run on concrete and until recently wasn't wearing dedicated running shoes. Haven't seen a GP yet but made appointmet today - but they can't see me until next week!!!!
I really want to complete the half marathon if at all possible. As I get no pain when I cycle is it sensible to maintaion fitness and stamina by cycling and lay off the running completely (until a few days before) as this is what causes the calf problem?
Hmmmnmm sorry that ended up being quite a long post! If you are still reading then I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
PS I've just moved to Poole in Dorset - would love to meet other runners in the area for a bit of encouragement and insight to good routes, etc.
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Comments
It sounds as if you've got achilles tendinitis, inflammation of the big thick tendon which runs down the back of your calf, picking up the fibres of the calf muscles en route, and is attached to the back of your ankle. You can feel the lower part of it like a thick, almost bony cord just above your heel at the back. Your problem is higher up, at the insertion of the gastrocnemius (running) muscle.
It's a very common injury in runners, especially those who run on hard surfaces (concrete is about the most unforgiving of all - one notch better than cobblestones) and aren't gifted with flexibility. Repeated minor injuries pull the little muscle fibres off the tendon, and you get inflammation as your body pours in the fluid and healing cells you need to repair the process. And it hurts.
So, what's to do? You've made a good start by getting proper running shoes. I trust they fit you properly and are right for someone of your size and gait. Ice the painful area - 5-10 minutes at a time with an ice pack wrapped in a cloth to prevent freezer burns. Don't take anti-inflammatories to allow you to train as you'll just make things worse. And do good, sustained stretches of your calves, hamstrings and gluteals - all up the back of your legs.
If the pain comes on soon after starting to run and interferes with walking afterwards, you ought not to be running at present. Cycling is fine, and you may find swimming or indoor rowing a good alternative was of keeping your fitness up. It's best to avoid the elliptical cross-trainer and the step machine as they put a lot of strain on your calves unless your technique is perfect. Walk, if you can walk comfortably. Walking mainly uses a different calf muscle (soleus) and puts far less stress on your legs than walking does.
If the problem persists, you might need a gait assessment and shoe inserts, but often achilles tendinitis settles down given that essence we cannot put in a bottle - time. The junction between the muscle and tendon will remodel itself and should end up stronger than it was before.
As for the Bristol Half Marathon, you have two choices:
1. Drop out. If you're a seasoned runner with a full season of races ahead, don't even think of doing a half-marathon in two weeks. Judging by your shoe confession, I gather this is not the case!
2. Grit your teeth, take a dose of anti-inflammatory on the morning of the race, be prepared to walk some of it if necessary, and get yourself sorted out properly afterwards with a long recovery period. If you're running for charity, this is "your" race for the season and a lot of people are going to be let down if you don't do it, this would be...well, I'm not going to recommend it, but it's what I would do personally! All runners are complete nutters - it's the endorphins.
Whatever you do, if your GP suggests putting a steroid injection around your achilles tendon, run fast out of the consulting room. I doubt if he/she will - I hope nobody is injecting achilles tendons nowadays - but just in case...(steroids weaken the tendon and can cause it to rupture, which you really, really do not want, I promise you).
Long ramble, I'm afraid, but hope it helps a bit. Do keep us posted with what you decide to do and your progress.
Cheers, V-rap.
Cross training is FAB - I used all the machines (but got nagged by the fitness instructor if I lost posture on the stepper - you need to do it hands free so you're not leaning forward)- and yes if you're fit then you can maintain your running fitness by doing it - altho I found a gym far far better as cycling flat out on the roads round here is impossible and I'm no good at hills - you need to be able to work hard continuously - and it takes something like 3 times as long to get the equivalent running exercise by cycling.
Check out this site as well
http://www.califmall.com/footherapy.html
its worth a try - you won't lose anything by it and I've found the exercise invaluable - I'm never more than 9ft from a (hard) tennis ball now! Some on the forum have found this exercise has helped them - others have found it hasn't - I guess it depends on what the problem really is.
If it is your achilles tendon then whatever else you do - if you go swimming do not work your feet up and down thro the water trying to strengthen it - there isn't enough time to get over the strain you can cause the damaged tendon by taking up a new exercise intensively - its good therapy - but using it just twice as a sudden substitute for running gave me 3 weeks of achilles nightmare last October - when my achilles was already inflammed.
Good Luck
I told you they'd come up with something... good to see you in here - I'll look out for you around and about...
I'll be looking at all the advice over the next day or so. First thoughts though, I'm tempted to follow Velociraptor's suggestion and still give the Bristol Half Marathon a chance. However, I'm a little concerned to be taking advice from a vicious carniverous dinosaur who just be trting to make me easier to catch!
Okay in an attempt to be talked out of it. If I still do the Bristol Half Marathon then this is what it will mean for me:
1) I will continue to rest my legs from running for the next 8 days and will then do one short run of about 3 miles 3 days before the Half Marathon. This will be the only running I do.
2) I'll take ibuprofen every day for the next week (I haven't been doing this so far).
3) To keep up fitness and stamina I will do 4 long cycle rides on alternate days starting from tomorrow. These will be about 40 miles, easy pace, no really big hills. (Even when my legs where at their most painful when walking cycling didn't hurt at all.)
4) Because I've already rested for most of 2 weeks I won't have done any serious running prior to the Half Marathon for almost a month!
5) The furthest I've ever run continuously is 8 miles which is the distance I got up to before the injury (when I was right on schedule with my training - damn!). This was after an already fast-track training programme which may be the cause of the injury in the first place. Although reasonably fit after lots of cycling earlier in the year, I only started running the day after I got back from the World Cup in Japan (sorry but I HAVE to drop that in whenever I can) which I think was the 2nd July. I trained every other day since I stopped due to the injury two weeks ago.
5) I'll take Ibuprofen on the day to help stave off swelling in tendons / calves. To be taken 1 hour before run.
6) I'll go slow! and take lots of drink breaks!
The legs aren't actually hurting right now but is it still worth using ice and massaging? Also when people talk about RICE what exactly is the compression part all about? Should I be doing that too?
Someone please talk me out of it or is this actually still a goer?
Oh one other thing - yes as you suspect I've only just started running recently and this would be my first event. Whatever happens I intend to keep training and enter future events.
Cheers, grasshopper.
Don't worry about my agenda. Velociraptors don't eat grasshoppers. No meat on them, and they get stuck in our teeth.