Another attempt to return to running and triathlon is hanging by a thread as I have just yet again come back with that old familiar pain in the left calf half way down the leg, quite deep, around the soleus musculo-tendinous junction. Not a muscle tear a calf, a “heart attack” some call it.
I just want to know I still have no idea how to fix this as nothing I have tried changes anything, I just seem to end up with the same old.
This thing happens like clock work and countless times over the last decade. I virtually gave up running, doing nothing for 2 years, then last year I had a crack at a comeback, same result. no running for a year and then this summer, have another go, things were going well until yesterday. I haven’t even jogged over 22 minutes! All on grass and mostly pretty flat. Don’t go near hills these days. Can anybody who has had a similar problem help? Does anyone know what I should try? I am now 49 yrs old and would like one last go at running before I am dead!
I dont think i’ve completely solved my calf ‘heart attack’ issues properly, but i managed a full year of racing without them this year. After cramping and crawling every race in 2012, its progress.
Main things that worked for me (in no particular order):
- Lots of slow, slow running before doing anything resembling fast.
- Slowly increasing my frequency of running while keeping weekly mileage roughly the same (substituting long runs with lots of short runs, etc)
- Foam rolling 2-4 times a week, max 2-3 mins at a time on each leg.
- Running with my hips. This made the biggest difference to me. Turns out my hips had a lot of tightness and over 2 years of chronic tightness, I began “pushing off” my feet during my stride, overloading my calves every single time I tried to run hard. I had to consciously shorten my stride a bit and visualize the change…took about 3 months for my muscles to adapt. This helped even more during hill repeats as I lifted my knees more than I used to.
- Hot water baths with epsom salt (2x per week).
- Massages (~2x per month for 3 months).
- Trigger point poking (every time I remembered the achiness was still there during my day at work)
The deep soleus pain eventually subsided, but never went away fully. Usually its still a very sore spot after a run, but nothing more.
My advice is to pay attention to little things, and make those little things a habit. Its free, so take it what it’s worth! 
Good luck!
TriCat,
I too have had calf issues over the last 2 years. With my insurance premium paid up I went to the ortho Dr. He sent me to PT for my achilles/calf. started doing some aggressive stretching 3 times a day holding for a min of 30 sec. Followed by eccentric loading of the calf (calf raise with slow lowering over 8-10sec for 15 reps) and a new treatment called ASTYM. very similar to graston technique. So far so good, BUT I haven’t really pushed it. Hope this is of help.
Fighting it myself at the moment, this strategy is helping.
http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/calf-heart-attacks?page=single
I’ve struggled with this my first two years of running. It seems that for me most of it is fitness related. When I have a layoff and I start running again, it seems to happen. I have to toe the line of not aggravating it while remaining active. It’s very frustrating because it always slows my training down. For me the key has been to slowly work thru it and really alway remain active thereafter. It seems that once I have gotten thru a ‘spell’ of the cramping I can slowly increase my mileage and haven’t had further problems.
What has been your comeback runs like? How much rest or recovery are you giving your legs?
You went from zero running to …
What kind of effort are you doing in these runs? Are you changing the paces throughout the different runs?
What kind of shoes are you using?
Try Hokas for now, find the biomechanical cause (may take time), but start with your hamstrings. I have a tight soleus on the right, which plays up if I don’t stretch the medial hamstring on that leg, but it comes from a broken shoulder years before. I always recommend Feldenkrais for these chronic problems. Hope that helps as a bad calf makes for a terrible season. -k
I went to a PT who did Graston Technique http://www.lthaw.com/services/graston-technique--.html, it worked
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Hi same issue this ST article helped me http://www.slowtwitch.com/Training/Running/Mad_calf_disease_926.html
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Thanks, I bought some epsome salts, just had a good massage and I have been rollering trigger points
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Thanks I’ll have a look at ASTYM
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Yeah I saw this article a few years ago, it works for some, I still have problems, have tried so many ways to get back to running, I am sure it works, I might have just been unlucky
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I also think I need to get some consistency, but ATM I can not jog more that 5 mins without pain.
Hi
I have tried everything over the years
From walk a minute jog a minute for 20 mins
Follow ten percent rule
Run alt days only or no more than 3 times a week.
Once I ran once a week in the bush, for ages, seemed to work for a while
This time I just jogged 20 mins on grass flat 4 - 5 times a week for 8 weeks, no increase in distance or speed ( also swim and cycle and have been fairly fit)
However I do it I get the same result eventually
Sjes have changed over the years
ATM I use Brookes Infinti with orthotics
Ash
You’re right It’s been ten years since I was able to train for a race
Hokas … MM interesting, never heard of them, will have to import a pair
my hammys are tight, always have been and my left soleus always seems a little tight cf right, but physio says I have equal dorsiflexion left and right
Great article and comments section thanks
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Don’t think there is a practitioner near me in NZ?
I’ll check it out
Graston. Prolo therapy. Platelet therapy.
I ditto this remark and would add that fast running in cold weather is contraindicated. I cannot run in weather below 40 degrees or so without starting out really slowly, wearing compression socks and a long pair of pants. The cold weather seems to make the tendons and ligaments more brittle.
-Robert
Seriously? prolotherapy? Platelet therapy? Did it work for you?
Did you have MRI? If so what did they find?
Ash