Can't run due to a calf strain, but IMAZ is coming soon. What do I do?

I had a similar thing going into IMFL last year....some soreness etc but then I tore the muscle on the run and DNF'd at like mile 20 of the run.  ANY WOOO

As a sports trained orthopedist this would be my advice RE the injury. 1-don't run 2-Get to PT 3-If you can afford it get a home electric stim unit 4-don't run 5-Try a calf sleeve.  I actually like the neoprene ones over the calf compression sleeves you can get at running stores.  google DJOrtho and you can order one there 6-don't run 7-give kinseotape a try

The bottom line is muscle heals with scar and it will take about 6 weeks for it to heal.  Every time you think its better and go try to run you injure it again and have to start all over.  There just is no magic bullet to heal it faster.  The timing sucks but it is what it is and running the marathon UNinjured will yield a far better result than running it injured even with taking time off.  Let your PT guide you as well.

As a triathlete with 9 years of experience and 5 Ironman finishes this is my advice 1-Don't run (see the theme?) 2-get yourself as healthy as possible to the start line.  Better to be healthy and undertrained than injured 3-Let the time go...seriously.....LET IT GO. This is your first IM...soak it in, have fun enjoy the day.  You never get to do your first one again.  Even if you were healthy I would offer that advice.  I know its really hard to let projected finish times go but LET IT GO.  Do the best you can with what God gives you on race day.  A million things can happen over 140.6 miles. Control the things you can control.

As for me and my injury and handling it etc............You know I totally don't regret stopping.  That injury sidelined me for months post race.  I could hardly walk when I stopped and I knew I didnt have enough time to finish.  I might have soldiered forward if it had been my first but at what cost?  I am extremely injury prone.  (I was a collegiate gymnast and that tore me up pretty good......lots of surgeries) so I am typically always fighting something.  I'm never going to be fast and it took me a long time to embrace my inner slowness but everyones experience is different.  If I were a talented runner (I completely SUCK at running) it would be a different set of emotions to be dealing with so its hard to extrapolate someone elses experience to your own.

Hope this helps. feel free to PM me if you have other questions about your injury

Listen to this advice.

I'm not an orthopedist, but I have 10 years of triathlon experience, 7 HIM and 9 IM finishes.  When you get a calf injury from running, STOP RUNNING.  As Socks says, that just keeps the calf from healing.  You can swim, but don't overkick.  You can bike, but not a lot of hill climbing, keep the RPMs up and the effort down, and don't do something like standing hill climbs. 

I too am training for IMAZ and last Saturday hurt my calf muscle.  I did a 15 mile run with a 1 mile 8% grade at the end, and later that evening could really feel a deep muscle ache and it forced me to slight limp. Going down stairs was awful.

I cut my planned Sunday 4 hour ride to 2 hours, and the calf didn't get worse but didn't get better either.  I don't think I made it worse.  Monday I skipped the bike and run planned and instead I did a 2200 yard straight swim with a pull buoy to avoid kicking.  I skipped Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday (yesterday) my leg was fine.  Today I'm going to try some swimming and biking.  I won't run again until Sunday, and I'm going to take it easy. 

Undertraining is a much easier problem to deal with on race day than injury.  Let your calf heal!

Sue,

Would aquajogging aggregate the injury or be okay while healing from strain?

aquajogging in a vest in water over his head without touching the bottom probably not. Also not sure it would benefit him at all.  I am not a fan of elliptical.  It alters your running gait and probably WILL injure his calf