Wow, that brings back memories from high school track days :-) As I recall, the reason for the cramping was a vitamin/mineral deficiency (Potassium, I think). I seem to remember being told to eat Kiwis, Strawberries & bananas. I modified my diet & the problem went away.

Hope this helps.

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Paul "Speedy" Gonsalves
http://www.rollingthundercanada.com
RollingThunderCanada

Canadian distributor for HED Cycling, Blue Competition, Akona Biospeed & Aerus Composites

I don't have cramps (except when I swim after a long run). On normal runs, no cramps, but just tight.

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http://trainingoferic.blogspot.com/

You could give this a try (the entire sun salute sequence though). In that sequence, hold this pose for 15 good seconds, breathing. Do three or four salutes.





Here are 17 other poses for your calves...

http://www.yogajournal.com/...?AnatomicalFocus=C02

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Don't hold back

Here is what my PT prescribed for my tight calves: Sit on the floor. Put a rubber ball under your calves. Preferably this is not a tennis ball (which has too much 'give') but something a little harder - it should have the consistency of a Superball but the size of a tennis ball - you can find one in a toy store. Rest one calf on top of the ball and COMPLETELY relax the muscles - do not contract them. Gently move your leg over the ball. This is way more intense than the roller!

On a tight-calves day I do this both before and after my run.

Also, review your calcium/magnesium/potassium intake. Mineral supplement taken at night works for me.

Oleander

Eric, I had the same issues when I ramped up my running. I came from a cycling background as well, and have a "heel up" style of pedaling which seems to lead to tight calves and achilles. I have had great results in improving flexibility and reducing calf tightness by religiously using a "Xerdisc" (essentially like a swiss ball, but much smaller) and a calf stretching incline board before, and especially after running. These muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) are chronically shortened by cycling, and need consistent, repeated work to lengthen them.

Tony Verow, MD

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Tony Verow MD
Durango, CO 81301
Averow@bresnan.net

Other than the stretching, I would recommend using a massage stick to keep your calves loose.

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"Yeah you point a finger back far enough and some germ gets blamed for splitting in two."

Colonel Saul Tigh from Battlestar Galactica

i have the same troubles. do all the stretching (hamstrings too) and foam roller etc. and one thing i find helps is to do calf raises. just body weight and with toes in, toes out and neutral. it was recommended to me by a PT and i thought he was whacked, but gave it a try and it helps.



k

My tight calf was caused by an overly tight/knotted up soleus muscle. A week massaging with the TP Massage Ball made a world of difference.

Make sure you stretch BOTH Gastroc & Soleus!

If you forget one, it's almost as bad as not stretching at all

-Gastroc - the big muscle on top, it's the one you see.

*One way to stretch;

Face wall with arms outstretched at shoulder height & palms on wall. Leg you wanna stretch is extended behind you about a foot or so with sole of foot flat on floor and knee is straight. Also support yourself with non stretching leg by having that leg directly under you with foot flat on floor& knee sorta softly bent. So, you're leaning in towards wall and this stretches out the Gastroc of the leg behind you. Hold 30 seconds or more.

-Soleus - Same position as above - but then slowly & softly bend knee of leg extended behind you until you feel the stretch move into the soleus muscle. You'll feel it a little further down on the calf, toward the achilles tendon. Hold 30 seconds at least.

Stretch Hammies, too. It's ALL connected!!!

Hope this helps!

BTW, I'm stretching both the soleus and the gastroc muscles when I stretch. My PT told me to start doing it. I started getting tight calves when I cycled much more than I biked because I had a foot injury. Now the injury is gone, but my calves are still tight. It was way worse when I pedaled with my heel up, but still bothers me. I didn't have tight calves until about 1.5 years ago, which was before my triathlon career began.

I'll just keep doing stretches and throw in some exercises as well.

Thanks.

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http://trainingoferic.blogspot.com/

Try wearing compression socks, like old men wear....the ones that go to your knees. They help stop some of the vibrations when pounding your feet on the road and improve circulation. They also add another layer for warmth!

Also, here are some journal articles on stretching....brings up some interesting points.

PROBLEMS WITH STRETCHING MYTHS AND THEORY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/wilkinso.htm


STRETCHING REDUCES FORCE PRODUCTION
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/behm.htm


STRETCHING REDUCES PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/evetovic.htm


TOO MUCH FLEXIBILITY CAN BE DETRIMENTAL TO RUNNING ECONOMY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/jones.htm


MUSCLE AND JOINT STIFFNESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RUNNING ECONOMY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/craib.htm


STRETCHING DOES NOT REDUCE MUSCLE SORENESS OR PREVENT INJURY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/herbert.htm

I got some bad news for you. As you get older, every time you get up after sitting a while your legs will be stiff. I look like a 90-year old when I get up from the couch to get another hydration unit (beer). My kids make fun of me (but can't beat me in a race).

Hah! I'm never getting old!

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http://trainingoferic.blogspot.com/

Hah! I'm never getting old!



That's the spirit! Make sure you keep tabs on Dr. Kervorkian's whereabouts.

I used to get really tight calves (and shins!) from every run also. Stretched gastroc and soleus, massaged, rolled, etc. It all helped some, but not completely. One thing I've been trying to do this off-season is work on my technique now. I bounce a lot when I run, which puts a lot of strain on my soleus and achilles on every footstrike. I've been trying to stay lower and "glide" more lately, and I've noticed that my calves and shins are not nearly as tight as they usually are afterwards. It does work my quads a bit more, but I'm more than happy with that trade-off after years of calf tightness!

Not sure if you bounce a lot when you run too, but it seems like it's working for me. Not to mention it's more efficient and should save some energy!

Also, here are some journal articles on stretching....brings up some interesting points.

PROBLEMS WITH STRETCHING MYTHS AND THEORY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/wilkinso.htm


STRETCHING REDUCES FORCE PRODUCTION
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/behm.htm


STRETCHING REDUCES PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/evetovic.htm


TOO MUCH FLEXIBILITY CAN BE DETRIMENTAL TO RUNNING ECONOMY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/jones.htm


MUSCLE AND JOINT STIFFNESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RUNNING ECONOMY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/craib.htm


STRETCHING DOES NOT REDUCE MUSCLE SORENESS OR PREVENT INJURY
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol111/herbert.htm[/reply]

Wow, that is quite a bomb for your FIRST post - good job I must say. The British Journal of Sports Med article has been "repeated" by a recent U.S. Journal as well in that stretching has NOT been shown to significantly prevent injuries (but most on this board don't want to hear this). Hard to break the age old habits/wisdon. The world was thought flat for longer than it has been known to round as well...

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

The ZONE is strong with him...

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Repeat after me:

For my ally is the ZONE. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it. Makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the ZONE around you. Here between you, me, the rock, the tree, everywhere.

Doc, if I am prone to AT trouble, I should not stretch first? Should I warm up by walking a while and then run? Confused.

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_________________________________
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

Stretching while cold is bad. Walk, stretch if you must, then run.

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Thanks for the links. I took a look at them. Actually there are several other interesting links on that same site.

http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/...csa/vol111/table.htm

• STRENGTH TRAINING DOES NOT IMPROVE CYCLING PERFORMANCE
• STRENGTH GAINS ARE LARGELY NEURAL
• STRENGTH CYCLE TRAINING IS INEFFECTIVE FOR STRENGTH ADAPTATION
• STRENGTH CYCLE TRAINING IS INEFFECTIVE FOR AEROBIC ADAPTATION
• RESISTANCE EXERCISE RECOVERY USUALLY OCCURS WITHIN TWO HOURS
• MODERATE DEHYDRATION DOES NOT AFFECT STRENGTH
• STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAMS SHOULD OCCUR BEFORE ENDURANCE TRAINING PROGRAMS
• MAXIMALLY FATIGUING SINGLE SET OF STRENGTH EXERCISES RESULTS IN SIGNIFICANT BODY COMPOSITION CHANGES
• ONE IS AS GOOD AS THREE SETS IN EXPERIENCED RESISTANCE TRAINERS
• ONE SET IS AS GOOD AS THREE SETS IN WEIGHT TRAINING

Agreed on the stretching. There are certainly some challenging papers coming out, but I think that more research needs to be done before any definitive conclusions can be made. I thought that some of the recent studies casted doubts on the benefit of pre-workout stretches specifically (like sac mentioned), but general stretching outside of your workouts as a recovery tool was still considered beneficial.

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Don't hold back

I second the sun salutations. A good deep tissue massage also works well, but is too expensive for me to do regularly.

I have a knot in one of my calves that is basically permanent. Daily stretching (sun salutations), occasional massage, and nightly beatings with a Stick keep it under control, though.

Not sure if it's just me, but has anyone noticed that when we're not out training or racing, triathletes are the slowest walkers?

I get this comment a lot from co-workers as I they whiz by me in the hallways headed to meetings.

I tell them that I'm..."recovering".

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"Yeah you point a finger back far enough and some germ gets blamed for splitting in two."

Colonel Saul Tigh from Battlestar Galactica

I had problems with really tight calves and my PT person had me strengthen my shins and sent me to a MT whom worked on my hamstrings and piriformis (spelling?). To massage at home I bought a 4 pound medicine ball to roll over my calves. It gets in there better than a foam roller. I still use it all of the time, but now on everything. Good Luck.