Twangy muscles

[coryluscontorta]

I was going great guns, and then went on holiday. As a result I didn't run for a week. When I came home I felt off colour but went for a run anyway. The first 5k run went ok, but was slow which I put down to a week of booze and food. My muscles ached something rotten though, but I thought that was the result of having had a week off. The 2nd run, two days later was to be my first attempt at a 10k (having previously worked up to 9.5 on my long run days) but 7k in, my calf muscle twanged and I had to walk home, gutted. I'd never had an injury which meant I had to abandon a run halfway through.

Wind on a week and I haven't been out for a run at all as I've been waiting until my calf sorted itself out and doing frankly excruciating foam rolling exercises. My calf is fixed, but all my leg muscles still feel kind of 'unstable'. As in, I'm conscious of them being there, wandering around, feeling on the verge of cramp, but not quite happening. I walk a lot in my job so I've hit at least 10,000 steps a day while I've been on the IC.

After my last disastrous run, I'm nervous of going out again, but I need to because running makes me feel phenomenal. Perhaps to build my muscles and my confidence I'll just do a little 4-5k at a super steady pace.

So sod it, I'm away out, cross your fingers for me...

[rmnsuk Graduate]

sounds like a plan - good luck. I had a similar problem high up in my calf. Compression socks, ibuprofen and a week off and I did parkrun yesterday and a long run today - all OK so far, Except I ache all over and all I want to do is sleep!

[runswithdogs Graduate]

You were very smart to take time off from the twingy calf. You can try short run walk intervals to ease yourself back in.

[coryluscontorta Graduate]

I'm back home after a slow but good 6k. Felt great. Just what I needed, an uneventful run with no drama. Thank heavens. I'll do an intervals session next and not try a long run until I'm confident that I'm up to par.