Have managed to stop heel striking and land on the ball of my foot and have had no problems with the transition (besides frustration) except for tight calves on runs over 10k. A friend of mine suggested that I might not be landing properly but I can’t figure out where exactly I should be landing if I am not doing it correctly. I land on the outside, roll in and pretty much get my whole foot on the ground give or take a few times where my heel might not make contact - which I thought was okay.
Anyone have any suggestions on what I could be doing wrong or how to fix this? Just read “Born to Run” and currently on “Chi-running” to help myself out but am wondering if it just that my body isn’t used to the distance (just started running in May with 5-10k runs usually) yet or if this is going to be an ongoing thing. Would rather nip it if it is on going and more than willing to deal with it for a few weeks if it is just conditioning thing.
It’s normal to experience calf tightness when you switch over to a forefoot strike, it will subside once your muscles get used to it. Also it could be magnified by pushing off with the toe.
Same issue with me. My podiatrist recommended lots of toe raises and of course - stretching. But I can’t seem to stretch enough. I think my years of cycling and limited running mileage contributes to the tightness. I do lots of weighted toe raises at the gym, that seems to help elongate the muscles.
Foam roller. You need to roll out that tightness. It will hurt, but if you do nothing about it you can easily get calf strains or Achilles injuries down the road due to tight calves.
Made the switch several yars ago and had the same issue, though even worse. Spent three months in PT trying to get it fixed. Still bothers me a bit and seems to come from pushing off the toe, though I can’t get myself to stop.
I’ve used those heel gel pads (Dr Schols?) in the past to help shorten the amount of extension of the calf muscle while getting used to a midfoot strike. I really can’t do the forefoot thing over distance myself. Perhaps experiment with the heel pads a bit along with focusing on improving your form whilst your body adapts to your new form? Also, we’ve probably all read the Chi running thing. Your mileage may vary. I found some of it useful but really cannot subscribe to the method in its entirety for me personally. Maybe it works for some. But I’ve heard more guys getting hurt (calf muscles, Achilles, etc.) after they read that book and get all excited thinking they need only lean forward, run like a kid and let their chee run through them. Whatever… Again, some useful ideas but I for one think you need to experiment and perhaps consider having a coach or sports PT help you with your form and what works for you.
i also just worked on switching to a midfoot/forefoot strike rather than a heal strike and it did take a couple of weeks to get the tightness in the calves to go away. just be pacient and it will get better. i would also recomend some light massage. i found that a pingpong ball works really well for a deeper calve massage. just apply some pressure and roll it up your leg
A few months ago I moved to a mid foot strike from 15+ years of a heel strike. I’ve had some calf and achilles issues, but what I still do now is rotate different shoes. I train in racing flats (Nike Lunarspider R), mid support shoes (Asics DS Trainer & Speedstar) and support shoes (Asics 2150). I find the less supportive shoes can give me sore calves and achilles but the 2150’s with the higher heel lift eliminate the problem. I’ve been working on a mid foot strike for 6 months and slowly getting to where I want to be. As you are used to a heel strike, I would rotate shoes and progressively move to a shoe with less heel lift as your legs adapt.
My guess is your condition is only temporary, especially since you only get it for longer runs. I’ve switched to forefoot landing (after reading about “Evolution” running) for a few years now and I can tell you from experience that its been great, as for me it helped to eliminated a long standing shin splint issue I had. Anyway, hope you stick it out. As for what you can do, I suggest you try some hill workouts, which naturally puts extra stress on your calves and therefore it should help to strengthen them in a targeted manner. You can also do some drills, such as jumping in-place. To do it correctly, remember to keep your knees locked, jump only an inch or two in the air but quickly, equal or faster than your running cadence. Jump with both feet to begin with and gradually switch to one foot at a time when it gets too easy. Finally, just be patient and give your body time to adapt. Better adapt slowly but correctly than ending up with an injury.
Wow genkigirl, I wish it wasn’t the case but all of the above sounds like me. In short:
Been battling chronically tight calves for about 2 years.
Have switched to Newtons and thenback to New Balance.
Pronate a fair bit which is part of the problem. Have worked with orthotics but now back to just the shoes & what they came with
Cannot run more than 500m currently with out stiffness building up.
Well-informed physio friend also advised lots of heel-lifts on stairs but this seems to make it worse.
Have good running form from a lot of training as a sprinter in my youth. Ie - I know how to float and not pound. However - this is part of my problem as I run “up” too much on the front of my foot and need to settle back down into more of a distance style.
Am currently working with a multi-discipline approach to sort it out once & for all. This means, accupuncture, trigger point massage, yoga (esp focussing on core & hips) and lots of walking - no running. I"m convinced that suppleness is a key element I’m missing.
Also focussing on getting right down to a leaner build as I’m naturally an XL shape. More footballer than distance runner.
One thing I can’t help but notice is that most of the fast guys around me have quite non-descript calf muscles while mine bulge out quite a lot - like a cyclist, not a runner. Needless to say, I’m working on endurance, not strength. All that said, I"m happy to listen to advice from anyone here who has something to offer.
Thanks for all the replies. I am running in vibrams as they are really the only shoe I feel comfortable in. I have had serious issues with sprained ankles, torn ligaments and tendons, shin splints… so am trying to go as “natural” as possible in hopes that it will sort things out. So far so good but just this past week or so with me adding distances seems to have triggered tight calves. Haven’t been able to run in years due to injuries and was suggested the vibrams by a former gym manager and my physio therapist hence the desire to also get away from my heel slamming!
Will check out of the form rollers, the golf balls, more stretches…
Thanks and really hoping things are fine. Just got back from a 5K and a little tight but worked itself out by 2.5k.