I’ve been using 2XU calve compression sleeves for a while now for recovery. Never used to run in them until a few weeks back. Thought I would give them a go for my 20K weekend run, and also because it was damn cold so would keep my legs a bit warmer !! And to be honest I loved they way they stopped any calf strain. I normally get a bit tired after about 17-18 K’s but with these nothing. But one thing I did notice, my quads ached like crazy afterwards!! has anyone else experienced sore quads when running in calve sleeves? My pace was pretty normal for me, at 1 hour 40 mins so didn’t run any harder than normal. And my HR was about the same. Just seemed weird to me.
I race in calf sleeves; never noticed increased quad soreness as a result. For recovery they have done wonders in clearing up my shin splints. When I first ran in them I did a writeup here: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=2285192
I’ve run a good bit in calf sleeves (2xu and CEP) - distances between 10k and 50k (mtn/trails). I, too, have found that my quads get a bit more sore as a result - but it more evens out soreness that used to concentrate somewhat in my calves. Regardless, I really like running in them and will continue to do so for most races - even though they look ridiculous. And, as you noted, they are spectacular for recovery - at least, in my experience.