UKC

As I often find with my running, I get to a comfortable level of fitness and then I get hit by yet another injury.  This time its a calf strain.

I was out on Saturday, enjoying a particularly sadistic run in the rain and wind and hitting a lovely and lively pace (for me).  I git to 5 miles in and, BANG!, my right calf went.  No warnings were given, just a sudden acute pain half way up and then I had to limp home. 

I could barely walk on Saturday afternoon but yesterday it eased off a bit.  Today doesn't seem to be an improvement on yesterday which is frustrating.  I guess I will have to simply hold off the running until I cant feel any pain at all.

I have two questions for the UKCRunners.  Firstly, do you do anything to prevent calf strains in your routines.  Ive never had this before and it was particularly painful.

Im 44 years old now and running is my primary mode of fitness as I tried cycling and didnt like it and I'm an awful swimmer.  What things do you more mature runners do to to hold off the injuries or is it simply a case of accepting that niggles are a part of life when running into your older years?

I run off road on the fells as much as possible, and my injures are much less frequent than they used to be. possibly because of the softer ground, and also the varied terrain so you are not hitting the same muscles in the same ay all the time

I also do strength work in the gym - squats etc, which also seem to help

I am 46. when I was younger and stuck to the roads, I was blighted by injury, but had no major problems for 4 or 5 years now

Worth trying to identify just which bit of your several calf muscles has the problem, as they are quite complex and it could be related to your feet and ankles, as much as the calf. A trip to a good sports physio is seldom wasted money. 

I was looking at your Strava profile over the weekend and thinking how well you seemed to be doing....

I can't really over any advice other than to sympathise and note that soft tissue injuries can usually be recovered from and prevented in future. Plus you're 10 years younger than me, you jammy sod.

I'm beginning to suspect the odd, infrequent attack of gout I've had over the last 12 years might have been the precursor to arthritis in my feet, which might well mean I need to rethink my vague plans to start working towards longer fell stuff over the next few years.

The slow decline towards death might deserve it's own thread. 🤔

I got a calf strain 18 months back and very annoying it was too...took a while to settle down. I foam roller now before and after runs. Haven’t got a clue if it helps but it doesn’t take long.

I also now do Lunges with light weights: I thought I was OK at them but it turned out I was actually rubbish so now I do sets every other day...

a half hijack/half reply to your thread...

i'm the same age as you and like you, my running has been going really well - especially given that we've just had baby #2. i've been combining some road runs at lunchtime in manchester with a weekend run on trails.

then noticed my left achilles: feeling particularly tender especially when i pinch it lightly. i also have a tight calf. i'm off for some physio this lunchtime to learn more. couple of questions i'm going to ask: is whether the tight calf is the cause or the effect of an achilles issue. also, i have a pin in my right ankle after fracturing my talus - is this a cause? i'll report back!

to your second question about what what mature runners do to hold off injuries? in short, i try to maintain core strength especially lower back and glutes. there's loads of exercises out there if you search "core strength for runners" etc.

good luck with your recovery - hope you get back out there soon!

44??  I didn't start running until 45 .  Youngster....

I am regularly beset with illness and injury even when I was doing regular yoga and strength work.  At the start of this year, I went right back to basics and am building up slowly.  My aim is a STRAIGHT LINE to fitness.  Previously if I were increasing mileage, I'd up it half a mile every other week until I reached my goal distance (usually half marathon).  Now I stay at the distance longer; until I'm champing at the bit to increase.  I also plan my weeks very carefully to fit in the number and type of runs I want to do in the week so that I can revise my plan if I'm not feeling up to it.  Steady going is my plan.

I really understand how frustrating this is and wish you all the best.

X

Ava

P.S. Now 57

just hobbled my way back from an appointment at the sports massage. was told that there was no damage to my achilles (joy) but that i had a very tight calf muscles and this was causing the achilles tenderness. cue the most excruciating 30 minutes of calf massage. akin to having red hot bots drilled into them. follow up is to to do regularly do some heel drops off a step to stretch them out.  maybe consider a massage/stretches once the pain has gone? good luck! 

Lots of strength work, not weights, just body weight squats and one legged squats and band work, then rolling.

Being 40 myself it seems I can't get out of bed without a strain. With me though its almost always something I can work through.

C

My advice is to drop the pace. Since I did this a few years ago I have never had an injury. Prior to that I was always in trouble with calves and Achilles. Now I run at 10 min/ mile pace. Instead of focusing on a fast time I focus on being able to get out running again the next day. And for me this means running a lot and running slow. It has really changed my running life for the better and I have been a runner for over 50 years. Hope this advice helps.☺

The 'problem' is likely your footwear. Stretching and strength work are also key.

I've been running barefoot for years now, am 40 and do about 40 - 50 miles a week. No injuries and running feels fantastic. 

Another thing to look into is the Wim Hof method.....practise this for a few months and I strongly suspect you will feel a whole lot better

Test your piss to see what PH it is. If its acidic at all then this is something you need to change first before chasing what are likely to be symptoms. 

Read your post with interest especially the bit about barefoot running. I have been experimenting with this for a few years and would be interested in finding out what works best for you as a foot covering. Cheers.

Have you been experimenting with barefoot or experimenting with minimalist shoes?

Any foot covering hampers the benefits of barefoot running.

Even after several years of barefoot, when it gets cold and I put on pair of minimalist shoes I can feel my technique regressing a bit again.

Having run for many years now and had many people tell me I'm running 'wrong' I have to wonder what their motivations are. Unless you're competing and have a professional coach I can see little benefit in changing the way you run or your footwear unless you have a chronic injury to protect.

I have recently changed my form to recover from a chronic knee injury, but it's taken 3 years to be running injury free and I've had all sorts of ankle, achilles and calf complaints along the way as my body has got used to it. All I changed was my hip angle and position.

I'm no faster, it's no easier and I'm still prone to aches and pains and overtraining.

Barefoot is forefoot and that's no good for calf strains. So suggesting this in answer to a short term problem is questionable. And when people start talking about piss acidity it all gets filed under nonsense.

The way to prevent injuries is to build up slower and be realistic about recovery.

Plus. The answer isn't necessarily no footwear, just better or more appropriate footwear, that match that runner. We are almost certainly all different in terms of support, cushioning, pronation..  

Good to have something to agree with you about.

The likelihood of injury increases the more you are improving.

I find I don't get any injuries since I no longer improve at all.

What sort of cycling did you try?

I've gone off road, as I hated the traffic, and it's much more enjoyable, I do need a partners though as I lack enthusiasm to get out but always come back happier.

Went over on my ankle on Monday mid hill reps, swore, leaned on tree for a bit, gently jogged down as it eased, 'phew got away with it', finished rest of session. Bit crunchy but fine. Climbed next day, no bother. Sleepless night and limping like a bad un first thing Wed, back to normal again Wednesday night. I have concluded 'it's a funny old world'. Look after yourself, don't push all the time, accept the decline towards decrepitude with a shrug

I wish that approach worked for me!

I was interested in minimalist shoes really as I couldnt imagine doing some of my runs without protection. I guess a persons feet will toughen up enough in the end though. It was after reading the book 'Born to Run' about the barefoot mexican runners in the Copper Canyons. I was trying to develop better technique to avoid injury. In the end shortening my stride so that I would strike midfoot worked best for me. That and going slower.