Painful calves

It almost sounds like a tear. A cold pack will assist with controlling the swelling. I think you need to back off for a few days, and if you still have a prob go to the Doc. How are you doing your warm ups and cool downs. This is the most common area (stretching) that people stuff up bacause they are not doing it properly, not saying you are doing that !!!!! Lets us know how you go

Chin up buddy

Craig

Just had a look around, some of this might help

Warm-up. Proper warm-up will gradually increase muscle temperature, circulation, blood pressure and joint range of motion. The following is a proper sequence of warm-up activities to be performed for 5 to 7 minutes, prior to vigorous exercises:
a. Slow, double-time in place for 1 to 2 minutes. This will cause a gradual increase in heart rate, blood pressure, circulation and muscle temperature.
b. Slow joint rotation exercises (e.g., arm circles, knee/ankle rotations) to gradually increase joint range of motion (rotation exercises should be performed for 5-10 seconds at each joint).
c. Stretching the muscle to be used for the upcoming activity. Slow, static stretching will "loosen up" muscles and tendons and enable them to achieve greater ranges of motion with less change of injury. Hold stretch position for 10 to 15 seconds. Avoid bouncing or bobbing movements.
d. Callisthenics exercises may be performed to increase the level of intensity before the conditioning period.
e. Slow mimicking of the activities to be performed

Cool-Down. Individuals should cool down properly after each exercise period, regardless of the type of workout. The cool-down serves to gradually slow the heart rate and helps prevent pooling of the blood in the legs and feet. Stopping suddenly after vigorous exercise can be very dangerous and even fatal. You should gradually decrease your activity to bring the body back to its resting state. The following is a proper sequence of cool-down activities to be performed for 5 to 7 minutes after the conditioning session:

a. Don't stop suddenly - slow the activity down (e.g., walk 1 to 2 minutes after running). The body has limited blood supply. Adequate blood flow to the bring and heart must be maintained, while large quantities are being pumped to the exercising muscles. Suddenly stopping may cause blood to pool in those muscles and restrict adequate quantities to the heart and brain.
b. Repeat the stretches done in the warm-up to ease muscle tension

Shin Splint Syndrome. The term "shin splints" is a lay term that refers to any lower leg pain resulting from a running activity. It is a non-specific term - avoid using it. A physician should make a specific diagnosis, however many physicians only refer to this type of problem as shin splint syndrome. Shin splint syndrome can involve one or all of the following:

a. Pain and tenderness along the inside of the tibia - most common area.

b. Pain and tenderness directly on the tibia.

c. Pain and tenderness on the front inside of the tibia.

d. Pain in the lateral compartment of the leg.

e. Pain and tenderness directly on the fibula.

f. Pain on the back of the lower leg.

Standard practice in the sports medicine community is R.I.C.E., which means:

a. Rest. Rest is necessary because continued exercise or other activity could extend the injury. Stop using the injured part the minute it is hurt.

b. Ice or Cold Application. The application of cold is a very important first-aid procedure. Cold is used in the acute soft-tissue injury because it decreases the metabolism of the injured tissue, thereby reducing the need for oxygen at a time when there may be a limited amount available at the cellular level. It also limits the extent of the injury and controls the amount of the swelling. The severity of pain and spasm may also be lessened. The various types of cold applications include the following:

(1)Ice. Place crushed ice in a double plastic bag, a wet towel, or a conventional ice bag. If available, use an elastic wrap that has been presoaked in cold water to hold the ice in position. The time schedule for the ice application depends on the type and severity of the injury, but twenty to thirty minutes every hour for the first twenty-four hours is a good rule of thumb.

(2) Chemical Cold Pack. Though there are many varieties of cold packs available, their ability to lower the temperature of the deeper soft tissues is limited, and their use should be restricted to emergency situations where there are no other options.

(3)Ethyl Chloride and Related Chemical Sprays. Sprays are used in soft-tissue injury, particularly when it is accomplished by muscle spasm. These sprays must be cautiously applied because skin damage from freezing may occur.

c. Compression. Compression is usually accompanied by application of an elastic wrap, which can first be soaked in cold water to aid the cooling process (a dry elastic wrap has insulating properties and may counteract the effect of cold).

d. Elevation. Elevation is most applicable to an extremity. Where practical, the involved part should be elevated higher than the heart for much of the first twenty-four hours following injury. Again, elevation works mainly by limiting the amount of dependent oedema and swelling that can occur after an injury.

Craig

On Tuesday I did my usual of walking 24, running 6 through the 5k course. On this day I did intervals, 6, 2, 6, 2, 6, 2, 6 and then walked the rest of the way to finish the course. On Saturday I started off running instead of walking but since we weren't allowed to wear watches (prizes were given out for the best predicted times) I can estimate that I ran 5, then walked a lot, ran 2-3, then walked, then ran for maybe another 1-2 minutes, then finished walking.

Craig- thanks for all the tips, the ice pack last night really helped, I'll take it easy this week, perhaps try out a stationary bike.

Christina

great tips Craig! Christina, what kind of pain is it? Is it a sharp or dull pain. Dull pain is often from over training or when you increase run load. I often get them in my calves week after longest runs. If it is sharp, you might have an injury )someone said sounds like tear and you should probably back off until feels better.

since your logs seem to indicate that u have had no problems, then maybe it was just not enough warm-up and stretching to start before your 5k.  another thought i had is that u were 'caught up' in the race environment and were walking faster than usual...this will tend to lengthen your stride and put new stresses on your legs...shinsplints/sore tendons.  example: i was running consistently and i decided to follow the advice of my buddy (cross-country runner) he told me to lengthen my stride.  i did that for the whole run and had shin splints for the next month!!!...bad advice on his part...(he's a know it all ) 

I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV, but there is also a condition that has something to do with increased blood flow to the calf muscles and shins. It can cause them to feel really tight because of a pressure buildup. I couldn't find anything when I just searched for it, but it is a problem some folks have. Take a couple of ibuprofen and take a day off to rest. I have had similar problems when I have walked more and it seemed to be associated with an increase in toe flex when walki

Give it a little time, it's probably not something serious, but if it persists see a physician.

Still Tri'n
Michael

Buddy also found this site, might not only be of use to you but all the other guys and gals on the site. Its a bit in debth, however covers pretty much all calf/lower leg injurys

http://www.physsportsmed.com/physsportsmed/cgi-bin/perlfect/search/...

Craig

Thanks for the link Craig. I will have to peruse it for my calf aches I sometimes get.

Im beginning to think the generalized soreness in my calves is something Im just going to have to live with. Has anyone felt as though they are completely recovered with ZERO soreness from previous workouts when going into the next? I in no way feel im overdoing it. I have plenty of energy and no fatigue just general soreness.

hmmm it actually sounds logical believe it or not will be trying it starting tonight

Ok I'm not a health professional or anything, but last year I torn a calf muscle, actually the Soleus muscle of the "calf" muscle and did a lot of research on what happened and how to heal it. It runs under the outer calf muscle that you see and was very painful and hard to manage during the heeling process. I had to stop running for 4 months and limit my biking, I did a lot of RICE. Your symptoms sound like how my leg was acting before I tore it.

First make sure your sneakers heels are not too soft for running/walking or that you’re not pounding too hard with a heel strike. One of the items I found in my research was that if the heels are soft and/or you are a heavy heel striker, the compression in the heel of the shoe actually forces more of a stretch in the soleus muscle. The stretch always happens when you heel strike and as your leg is moving forward in the stride, its the little extra stretch that cause the muscle to go beyond its normal bounds. Mine continues to get slightly sore and tight on me when I push it really hard but is now manageable with stretching and rest.

The best stretch for the soleus muscle it not with your leg straight but with it bent. Do some searching on soleus and stretching for the proper technique.

Just be patient with it and don’t force anything, trust me!

Don