Help - runners & doctors

[Eddie]

Or anyone else who knows stuff that might help me.

I'm training for the Ogden marathon in just over a month, and I think I've pulled something in my calf. I'd love any advice/suggestions I could get to help me recover and just get into the race. I used to have a basic time goal, now I just want to run it and finish.

Back on 3/27 I was going 16 miles for my weekly long run and got what felt like a sudden cramp in my left calf right around mile 15. I stopped and stretched it for a couple of minutes, rubbed it out a little, and then hobbled home.

I iced it that day - and it was pretty sore. Still sore on Monday - more ice. Tuesday morning (3/30) I woke up feeling fine so I tried running - same thing happened but at mile 3 this time. Since it hung around I decided it must be more of a pull than a cramp and didn't do any running for a full week. More ice and rest - by Thursday it was feeling fine.

I waited until Tueday to run again - and again about mile 3 I feel a twinge. I stopped immediately, so it didn't hurt nearly as much as it did the other times. It is still a little sore today, but feels like with some more ice, etc, it will be feeling good by tomorrow.

So now I'm a little nervous about running on it - yet I want to be ready for this marathon in just over 5 weeks.

What do I need to do? If I'm off it for two weeks, that doesn't leave much time for building up to a 20 mile run and then cutting back my workouts.

Anything I can do for cardio in the mean time to not lose it all? Like is swimming enough to give me some maintenance?

Crap - I can't tell you how disappointing this is. Everything has been going so well and I've been very excited for this race. Reading everything I can about prep, etc. I don't know that I can accept that I am just out of it now.

[beelzebabette]

A question that will tell you just how little I know what I'm talking about: how far can you walk on it before it bothers you?

[Eddie]

A question that will tell you just how little I know what I'm talking about: how far can you walk on it before it bothers you?

Right now it hurts when I walk - due to just pulling it again yesterday. I might have a slight limp. I am guessing that by morning I'll be able to tell where it hurt, but it won't be enough to even limp.

When it is feeling good, I can walk all day. Over the weekend I was at the St. George Art Festival and was on my feet for 4-5 hours at a time - no pain or discomfort at all. Took a long walk around town - nearly an hour of not just standing but walking enough for my wife to call it exercise. Nothing.

That was why I was hoping that a week off of it would help and I was so optimistic Tuesday that I would be OK.

Now I'm just hoping that I'm not delusional to think 2 weeks will cure me.

[WashingtonCoug]

I've had something similar. When I talked to my doctor about it he pretty much gave me the I don't know talk and sent me on my way. I've been dealing with it for a year now.

[Eddie]

I've had something similar. When I talked to my doctor about it he pretty much gave me the I don't know talk and sent me on my way. I've been dealing with it for a year now.

That's really NOT a good sign.

It is kind of weird, to be honest. It doesn't feel like the big muscle. It almost feels like it is some small muscle that is inside the larger muscle. Like when I stretch it out - carefully of course - the main muscle that is stretching isn't the same one that feels like it was pulled.

[Slim]

It might be the soleus (underneath portion of calf muscle with more slow twitch fibers used more for support) and not the gastrocnemius (outside part of the calf with more fast twitch fibers).

Try stretching the "calf" two different ways.

1. Stretch the calf with the knee fully extended (not bent). If this causes pain, it is likely the gastrocnemius.

2. Stretch the calf with the knee bent. If this causes pain it is most likely the soleus.

The reason this works is that the origin of the gastrocnemius is above the knee joint while the origin of the soleus is below it.

[Jarid in Cedar]

The other thing that I recommend for injuries that you want to try to heal quickly is a good focused massage by a professional. They can do wonders when you have a basic strain that doesn't seem to improve with your basic stretching. Good luck!

[Eddie]

It might be the soleus (underneath portion of calf muscle with more slow twitch fibers used more for support) and not the gastrocnemius (outside part of the calf with more fast twitch fibers).

Try stretching the "calf" two different ways.

1. Stretch the calf with the knee fully extended (not bent). If this causes pain, it is likely the gastrocnemius.

2. Stretch the calf with the knee bent. If this causes pain it is most likely the soleus.

The reason this works is that the origin of the gastrocnemius is above the knee joint while the origin of the soleus is below it.

I tried the stretches, and to be honest as the day has gone on the pain has diminished. To the point that it doesn't hurt to walk and I don't have even a slight limp any more. So that limits my ability to tell some.

That said - I think I felt it a little more with the knee bent than without.

This is also more consistent with what I remember from pulling it on my long run. When I just stretched it - standing straight legged and leaning/pushing against a fence or wall - I could feel the muscle stretch but not not the muscle that hurt. When I lifted my foot and rested it on a park bench to massage it some, I felt the pain in the muscle more pronounced.

So - assuming it is the soleus - any guesses at how long I need to rest this thing before running?

[Eddie]

The other thing that I recommend for injuries that you want to try to heal quickly is a good focused massage by a professional. They can do wonders when you have a basic strain that doesn't seem to improve with your basic stretching. Good luck!

I'm willing to give it a shot.

As another thought. Does anyone know anything about those running stick massage things? I could be talked into trying one I suppose - if it does the same thing as a professional massage but allows me to do it daily for the same cost as a professional.

Here's a link to the thing: http://www.thestick.com/index.cfm

Anyone tried it?

[Eddie]

Just posting an update.

I waited two weeks. Did some heat - stretch - ice time most days. A little bit of massage.

Last Monday I picked up a neoprene compression brace for the calf and ran while wearing it Tuesday for the first time in a couple of weeks. Went 3.5 miles - feeling good. Wednesday I upped it to 4.5 miles. Still feeling good. Thursday I made 3 and started feeling a slight tweek. Not enough to make me limp, but enough to quit running.

I've been doing ice and wearing that dang compression brace most days. I haven't done much stretching because I wanted to wait and make sure I don't make things worse. I haven't felt anything in my leg since probably Saturday - but I can't tell you how frustrated and anxious this makes me.

The marathon is now just over 2.5 weeks away - and I haven't run more than 4-5 miles in a month. My highest mileage run is 16 miles.

I've kind of decided that I'll just swim for now to try and maintain some kind of cardio fitness. Continue with the ice and compression. Start doing some serious stretching next week. Maybe take a couple of slow jogs for 2-3 miles the week of the race. And then see how it goes and just hope to finish.

All goals outside of just crossing the finish line have gone out the window. And to be honest I'm not sure how well the calf will hold up to even do that. But I figure I can always give it a shot and if it doesn't work out that is what the bus is for - right?

[beelzebabette]

Oh, that just makes me , Eddie. I hope everything clears up in the next two weeks.

[BigPiney]

Oh, that just makes me , Eddie. I hope everything clears up in the next two weeks.

no kidding. My biggest fear is that I will hurt myself and not be able to participate up to my standards in the events that I have planned for this summer.

[Eddie]

I keep telling myself it will be OK. I read the Hal Higdon running book and he says something about not setting a goal on your first marathon. Something about wanting to set a low bar so that you can improve on your time with your next race.

So I've convinced myself that this is what I'm doing. Just finish and set a time that will be nice and easy to beat next time around.

Worst case scenario is that I really mess it up and take too long to recover for the triathlon the end of July. But July is a long time away - so I'm not going to worry about that.


On a side note, I did pick up the Garmin 305 and my last three runs were all with it. Seriously cool. I love the fact that I don't have to worry about laying out a course and determining the length in advance. I can have a general idea and then head back home when I reach the distance I want to run.

[Pheidippides]

Just posting an update.

I waited two weeks. Did some heat - stretch - ice time most days. A little bit of massage.

Last Monday I picked up a neoprene compression brace for the calf and ran while wearing it Tuesday for the first time in a couple of weeks. Went 3.5 miles - feeling good. Wednesday I upped it to 4.5 miles. Still feeling good. Thursday I made 3 and started feeling a slight tweek. Not enough to make me limp, but enough to quit running.

I've been doing ice and wearing that dang compression brace most days. I haven't done much stretching because I wanted to wait and make sure I don't make things worse. I haven't felt anything in my leg since probably Saturday - but I can't tell you how frustrated and anxious this makes me.

The marathon is now just over 2.5 weeks away - and I haven't run more than 4-5 miles in a month. My highest mileage run is 16 miles.

I've kind of decided that I'll just swim for now to try and maintain some kind of cardio fitness. Continue with the ice and compression. Start doing some serious stretching next week. Maybe take a couple of slow jogs for 2-3 miles the week of the race. And then see how it goes and just hope to finish.

All goals outside of just crossing the finish line have gone out the window. And to be honest I'm not sure how well the calf will hold up to even do that. But I figure I can always give it a shot and if it doesn't work out that is what the bus is for - right?

I had to take a month off too, right near the end of my training, and I still managed to finish. It wasn't pretty, and I didn't meet my time goals, but I finished. I will say that the first moments after my IT stabbed me in the back at mile 4 were some of the darkest in my life, and made finishing - even if slower than I had wanted - that much sweeter. Hopefully the same will be true for you.

[Eddie]

I had to take a month off too, right near the end of my training, and I still managed to finish. It wasn't pretty, and I didn't meet my time goals, but I finished. I will say that the first moments after my IT stabbed me in the back at mile 4 were some of the darkest in my life, and made finishing - even if slower than I had wanted - that much sweeter. Hopefully the same will be true for you.

Well - hopefull the same will be true for me except for the stabbing part.



I'm seriously re-thinking everything. I was breaking in a new pair of shoes when this all started and I'm now getting ready to toss them and try something new just in case. Of course, if I'm breaking in new shoes I'll have to do it just wearing them walking rather than running. I'm having all kinds of unreasonable superstitious thoughts.