stuff you can do with a (mild) calf strain?

[Mitchy1nge]

want it (soleus if that makes a difference) to heal completely and utterly before I run again but have a half marathon in March and a full in May so a bit anxious about losing what fitness I have. it's got better enough to do calf raises so it is well on the mend but still hurts round the clock whether am doing anything or not

spin is off the menu because that seems to aggravate it more than running

so far I have yoga, riding and possibly swimming (scared, trying today) - grateful for any ideas, thanks

[Mitchy1nge]

thanks for the sympathy, I really do appreciate it

managed 5 very slow miles and think all the many other benefits of running (especially outside despite the weather) far outweigh what possible harm I could be doing - physio was booked for Tuesday anyway so will see what she thinks, initially she could see the injury without even needing to prod it but hopefully it won't be so bad, am in a really good routine of stretching and icing then spending plenty of time lolling around with a heat pad on it so am going to ask for her help to run with it, I know people do manage to run with this sort of thing, I can commit to any amount of strengthening exercises or whatever is needed but it is bad for me mentally not to run at all, much as I enjoy everything else

the big main event for me would really be Berlin in September but I can't get my head round not doing Edinburgh and there is no way I could have any more time off now

[kaizen]

Sorry you are still struggling Mitchy - it won't always be there but will probably need about 4-6 weeks rest. I've stopped fighting this now as i've timed most of the recovery of my injuries and i've never managed to do it properly in a shorter period. Calf strain was 2 weeks of total rest and then gentle cycling and build up to a jog. I pulled it twice more by trying to ignore it and run sooner.

if it has "pinged" it has probably got a mild tear - that will get worse if you run on it especially when it gets tired. You could try a physio for a proper diagnosis and that might make you feel a bit better, i might avoid a massage if its torn but the physio with know.

sorry again - i really do understand how shit it is when you have an event coming up.

[orangeflutie]

It won't always be there but annoyingly it is going to take time to get better and in the meantime limit your running. Have you thought about having a sports massage? Also maybe check your shoes too.

Not running is shit I remember it well. I had to take a year's break from it in 2011 due to a 'Mortons Neuroma' on my left foot. I could hardly walk in the end it was so painful and everywhere I looked I saw runners. I finally had foot operated on in 2012 and then had to start the slow journey back to fitness. I was so happy when I managed half a mile.

So sorry you've had a setback but it WILL get better. Hang on in there.

[Mitchy1nge]

maybe it is just always going to be there now? There isn't time to keep waiting for it to heal so will strike some sort of deal whereby I keep it warm and mollycoddle as far as possible as long as it lets me run, then after the Edinburgh marathon it can have a lovely long rest

I was running with it before and it was just annoying, not really disabling, although it had started waking me up at night but even that was not the end of the world - I think not running is more shit than running with a grumpy leg and foot

[orangeflutie]

Oh no sorry to hear that Mitchy x

[CMOTDibbler]

Oh no! Get the ice on it now

[Mitchy1nge]

it 'pinged' at precisely 4.6k of my planned 4 miles today -

[orangeflutie]

Yay calf survived speed work, that's great. I haven't done any of that yet. Glad you enjoyed running club too

[Mitchy1nge]

am not sure mine was serious, I was probably making more fuss than you

8 miles is great, will be thrilled when am doing that (is supposed to be 9 on Saturday but dunno about that) but running club was a boost tonight and now I am icing my precious calf, that is the thanks it gets for doing speed work with barely a murmur

[orangeflutie]

I do so know what you mean about your calf letting you know when you try to do a bit more. Although my injury was not as bad as yours it still niggles.

On Sunday I went out early for my long run. I started off very slowly but was aware calf was tightening. Anyway after a mile I stopped and did a few stretches. Initially it felt worse but then was absolutely fine and I managed 8 miles which made me feel better.

I've decided to pull out of the hilly half marathon but instead have entered the mostly flat Eastbourne half which is also on the 2nd March. I'm probably bonkers but hey I do need to be doing the distance by then or there's no way I can do London. I'm just hoping my body is up to it!

It's a shame you may not be able to do your half but it may then mean you're properly fit for your marathon.
So tricky to decide what's best to do though sometimes. As it all gets nearer I veer between excitement and panic

[Mitchy1nge]

how's it going?

I might not make my half in March either, in fact am experiencing weird paralysing anxiety about running more than a couple of miles at a time but will push through that

it's not an irrational thing, I can still feel my calf telling me off if I do anything sprinty or uphill or whatever

[orangeflutie]

Great that you are back running and it sounds like the training should work out nicely too

I'm also back running although have been told to increase mileage v slowly. Physio said to do no more than 6 miles last weekend and then to creep back up by about a mile a week until I'm back to mileage before injury and see how it goes. I'm also now religious about stretching

I have half marathon coming up next month but it's hilly so now not sure whether it's a good idea. Might be too much for calves, maybe best to save self for London? So want to do it.

[Mitchy1nge]

keep me posted :)

and good luck for your next half! I had hopes of actually running at half decent pace for a while there but now I will be profoundly grateful to get round at all

[CMOTDibbler]

I keep telling myself that once I can breathe, everything else will sort itself out. Will do a lesson a week/ 2 weeks for the forseeable future, plus swimming on the weekend. Would like to get another session in too, somewhere , but that can wait till the summer.

I have a hybrid bike too. Its not like I'm going to be a contender anyway, the main aim is Not Making a Fool of Oneself. Fortunatly on the bike front, DH won some vouchers before christmas and has bought a turbo trainer, so I'm putting in the miles on that

[Mitchy1nge]

front crawl and breathing are two utterly incompatible activities for land mammals though? although swimming in general is a total hypoxic experience for me until I am out of the pool

glad it was good, how often will you train in the water? I wondered about the roads because only have use of an off-road bike, it starts getting expensive and complicated otherwise but yes what you describe sounds easy enough!

[CMOTDibbler]

On road, round the town. So really, its just a pootle up and down the pool, a cycle round town, and a run to the shops and back. Easy right?

Swimming lesson was great - just one hour made so much difference in seeing what I need to do.
I have to swim with just the one arm as bad arm dislocates some bits and flaps others around. Its taken a lot to rebalance this, but feel like I'm getting there now. Backstroke is ace, breast stroke OK but slow, front crawl is still rubbish and breathing is my nemesis.

[Mitchy1nge]

is the cycling off road or on?

hope swimming lesson was good, stupid question but how much difference has (reduced use of) one arm made to your swimming? it seems like a sport that is quite accessible to a wider range of physical difference than many activities

[CMOTDibbler]

The one I'm sort of planning on doing (and it seems like it is getting more solid) is swum in a lido pool - I couldn't do open water as my bad arm does not do cold at all.

Sounds like you are doing brilliantly in overcoming your water/swimming fear

[Mitchy1nge]

argh only 6 or 7 weeks until my next half

I forgot about that

[Mitchy1nge]

thanks :) and good luck cmot (I am nurturing thoughts of doing some sort of tri in the summer but it can't be open water as am still prone to bouts of clinging to the edge of the pool in tears, also very severe panic if people swim within about 3 metres of me - but am working on it!) it would be the last of my confrontable major fears (unless any new ones pop up to take the place of those I've overcome )

[CMOTDibbler]

Glad to hear you are back running Mitchy

4 weeks till my next half, and tomorrow I have swimming lesson with a Proper Trainer which is scary as though I've been able to swim since I was 5 I don't think I've ever had a swimming lesson. This is in support of my mad idea of doing a sprint triathlon later this year

[Mitchy1nge]

hello :) am excited because have resumed running exactly 16 weeks before the marathon so I can start straight away at week 1 of one of their plans - adapting it to start with so am not running on consecutive days

I ran on a treadmill over the weekend, it was fine so am hopeful it will be ok on the roads (or off if I can find somewhere dry enough!) will continue with my fanatical attention to stretching, the yucky golf ball and keep checking in with physio

how about you?

[orangeflutie]

How are you doing Mitchy?

[Mitchy1nge]

glad am not alone in feeling anxious about it - it's stupid because I was running with it for ages and ages before it annoyed me enough to stop and do something about it

I keep thinking I should just try another 2 or 3 mile run, maybe even with a walking break, but I don't want to have taken all this time off for nothing

but also I can feel all my running powers dwindling away to nothing :(

[orangeflutie]

I hope it won't be too long before you can run again. The not knowing if your calf's going to be ok when you go out though is unsettling.

I came down with a cold last Fri and felt too ill to go out for a test run. Instead on Sat I went on the bike and cross trainer at the gym for a little while, which at least made me feel as though I was doing something to maintain fitness. On Sun I felt well enough to attempt a short run. I managed about 2 and a half miles without pain but decided not to go any further due to cold. I stretched during and after run. Calf felt ok but did tighten again towards the end of the day. It's all making me very anxious at the moment.