It,s a Twinge thing !!

[Fit4life]

Hi guys !! Have had the last 4-5 days off of running due to a 'twinge', in my calf.

Now here,s the thing , the pain has abated as Ive been massaging regu!arly and doing stretching exercises throughout the last two days, so when should I start up my programme again, and will planks and bridges strengthen my calf muscles or should I include calf raises in my 'core' routine ? Lesson learned here re 'too much too soon' , I want to get back on track !!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate10]

Yes, put some calf and ankle strengthening work into your routine in general... right now, be careful and prepared to stop it if that twinge reacts to it.

When can you run again? Hard to tell... have you tried brisk walking? Or a gentle 50m jog? After that the same on a hill... maybe a very short sprint. If you pass all that, then the next step is a gentle short run... if any of this makes the twinge react then it’s rest and probably some advice from a physio.

[Fit4life Graduate10 in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thank you for your kind advice Unm . The latest update is, that after a thorough warm up of my calves and the mandatory 5 minute brisk walk I rather gingerly proceeded at a light jog with my foot hovering over the 'brake pedal' ready for an anticipated emergency stop !! Well , there was no sudden sharp pain in my upper right calf and I continued at a very steady pace to complete a 30 minute consolidation session that to be honest I thought would never happen ll Im so grateful to have 'got back on the bike', and look foreward to our next gentle jog on friday .Will continue with calf streches and core strengthening exercises and not push too hard from now on.

Whilst out today I recalled a piece of advice from 'Runners World', re running from the hips not the ankles and calves , I did my best from thereon in to apply this tip and I immediatley felt relief from what I would call a, 'tired', calf muscle.Well ,you live and you learn, and hopefully I got to dodge a bullet this time round !!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate10 in reply to Fit4life]

Excellent news... few easier runs now whilst it strengthens back up 👍

[Ripcurlrana71 Graduate10]

Hi. Planks and bridges won’t really work calves. Calf raises and squats are great for that.

As for running try a slower pace run/ walk. Stop if it’s painful. Also maybe worth seeing a physio incase it’s something that needs a deep tissue massage. Goood luck. 😊