Stopped on week 7

[Lost_property]

After my amazing finish in week 6 I was really looking forward to week 7. I did W7R1 OK but my calves were very tight when I finished. They seem to have been getting tighter with every run. My rest day didn't see any of that tension subside and when I came to do W7R2 I knew it was going to be difficult.

What I didn't expect was it to stop me mid run. I have a pretty good pain threshold which can be a bad thing when you dont know if your injured or not while exercising. It wasn't so much that the pain stopped me, it was my calves seizing up. They were rock solid like cramping but without the pain.

W7R3 day came and my calves were still very tight and stretching hasn't seemed to help so the run was a no go. Ive decided to take a week off from running which I dont really want to do. Ive been getting a real buzz out of running for the past few weeks even hating my rest days. Having to stop for a week is a real downer for me but I guess its the right thing to do.

Has anyone else had this problem and how did you overcome it?

Ive started taking magnesium daily and stretching. Using a tennis ball(10 quid for a roll of foam? what a joke) to self massage my calves. And I can only hope im back at it in a week and none of my enthusiasm is lost.

[Irishprincess Graduate]

What a shame. It sounds as if you're doing all the right things so see how they feel in a week's time. Another great way to massage your calves is with a rolling pin. Sit on a chair and extend your leg and roll the pin against your calves. Works a treat.

Don't worry about taking a week off. This won't harm your running and may even be beneficial.