having graduated I expected that my runs would get easier over 5K and build slowly to 10K. however much to my surprise in my last two runs my calf's have seized up at about 10 12 minutes into the run forcing me to stop.
Has anyone else experienced this post graduation ?
any ideas ?
It sounds as if your calves are tight Nick. Or is the feeling more like a cramp? Make sure you stretch after every run and, if you haven't already got one, invest in a foam roller. If you search here you'll get loads of posts about the benefits (and pain 😖). You can buy them fairly cheaply from any decent sports shop or Amazon. It'll hurt like hell to begin with but persevere because they really do sort out tight muscles everywhere.
I assume you've got proper running shoes?
Btw, it can take quite a while before the 5K runs feel easier. Just keep at them and remember that each one you do builds a little bit more stamina and strength.
Thank you Irish Princess 
I also thought that over the last two weeks I have been working my garden which is 1/4 of an acre and on a 20 degree hillside , just might help to explain why they are so tight !!
my daughter works in sports direct I shall invest in a roller
and will persevere
thank you again
Ah, gardening. Therein lies many hidden dangers for us runners. I did my back in a few weeks ago by the genteel act of weeding! Be careful out there.
Ref the roller. Start with a smooth one.....
Well I wish I had known that before I bought my savage sharpy lumpy one!
lol I will lend you my smooth gentle caring one :_)
So you've gone straight to level 3 pain then ......
All @Irishprincess said plus "drink". Water, I mean. 😝
This stereotypical British "summer" might make hard to realise how much water you are actually losing through sweating. Despite all the rain and the cloudy sky it's still fairly worn out there.
take my water bottle with me as I would dehydrate to parchment if I did not.
buddy nice to see you again how's it going ?
Thanks for your advice
With all the signs of affection and support I received from you all, it *has to* go better. 🙂
Thanks.
Graduation is a bit of a challenge. Suddenly there is no linear progression and the runs don't seem to get any easier. Improvements are mini, sometimes hardly detectable. Sometimes it seems you're going backwards. A long run can be easy one day, and impossible for the next few weeks. Four months (nearly) into graduation I still have runs that are no faster than pre-graduation runs. But, generally speaking, I am getting a bit faster and can go a bit longer every month. I think it takes a long time for our bodies to get used to the challenge though.
Hope you manage to shake off your calf problems💊
Thank you I was beginning to think it was me I have had some amazing runs but the last two have been very disappointing, glad its not just me
thanks again
Nick
i second that
Slow down as it might be you are pushing too hard. Do a thorough warm up before your warm up walk.
This is something I'm trying atm.. longer warm up .. before the warm up walk
hey sparky thanks you
how are you warming up before the walk ?
ill give it a go
Calf today..knee tomorrow.. i think many of us had twinges after Graduation.. maybe we relax and everything starts aching!
But, as you said,lots of hard work in the garden., will have contributed too!
Stretch. massage, roll... your calves, not anything else Rest assured. it is not just you..it is all of us...
Floss great advice as ever, lady my days of rolling anything else seem to be well past 
nice to hear form you
just did calf stretches ....OUCH !!!!!!
Nick
Feeling that with you..a day in the garden..three hedges cut..and all the clearing up..I am not sure whether I will ever run again...but... 😏 We will survive!
You will always need to strengthen unfortunately 😊 it's all in the calves!
Miss they already look like I have been injecting them with steroids !!!! how much bigger can they get !!
I had calf problems right after graduation. I had to spend a week on the IC and after that I started running gently again and gradually introduced some heel lift exercises to help strengthen the calf muscles. I do 15-20 of them after each run when my muscles are warm. I don't know if that's the reason, but I haven't had any problems since.
I'm also having problem with tight calves, maybe due to work I've been doing, and now my foot plantar fascia is also giving problems which is all connected up with achilles/calf, so have now ordered a smooth foam roller...
Tight calves are a problem so strengthening is key. I have moved to a lower drop shoe, 4mm. The exercises are essential I would say, and I think I will be doing them forever now. I do foot raises, calf lift and then slow lower into an ankle dip. Take the lift up as far as you can and slow lower into the stair hang and make sure you get the stretch, breathe into it. Be careful. You can lean out with the dips to get deeper stretch, so I make that a separate set and do each leg 3 times, 30 seconds each leg. You have to have something to hang on to. I use the banister and the bedroom door frame.
With foam rolling, watch someone on Google who knows what they are doing, or see a physio and get specific instructions so you don't aggravate already inflamed tissue! I had to wait for inflammation to subside first. Otherwise it would be like treading on a septic toe 😲
foam rolling and stretching may help? have you proper shoes too?
I bought good shoes but off the shelf I will check that out to 👟 😊 roller on order
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