Ct5k

[Ollipop]

Ran 1st run of week seven an pulled my calf muscle went out this morning to see how I went half way though had to stop!!! How long do I rest it for I don't want to ruin my hard work ?

[Summers1510 Graduate]

Hi there! Sorry to hear about your injury.

I’m not a sports injury expert or anything like that, but I also pulled my calf at the start of December. I didn’t run again until it was completely pain free (I tested it with light stretching.)

It took nine days to heal fully; I helped it along by icing it 3/4 times a day for ten minutes at a time.

I picked up the injury on Run 3 of week 5. I decided to go back and start Week 5 again, but I found Run 1 too easy, so next Run I went straight into Run 3 and I was able to complete it no problem.

I think in short, if you have pain don’t run. If you rest up and ice it, it’ll heal up in no time I’m sure; and I’m also sure it won’t set you back as much as you think.

[Ollipop in reply to Summers1510]

Thank you for ur advice

[misswobble Graduate in reply to Ollipop]

Ice is excellent! Ice as much as you can. Get the freezer filled with any container you can make ice in. Play the piece of ice over your calf til it melts. Keep the ice moving!

Be sure to warm up properly pre run!

Good luck 🙂

[Ollipop in reply to misswobble]

Thanks I'll get the freezer packed.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Good advice above, but do Google about icing injuries. It is not as simple as piling as much ice as possible onto the affected spot.

You will lose little noticeable condition in two weeks of non running, so get healed before starting again.

Have you read the guide to the plan? healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Elfe5 Graduate]

Oh sympathy, I did that before Christmas. You need to rest it until you are free of pain. I found it helpful to do gentle dynamic stretching (so the muscles were warm) and to roll my calves with an old rolling pin (!) -It gives them a nice massage. I also slept with my calf on a hot water bottle (just warm) - that helped a lot in the first few days. When I started again I took about 4 runs to build back up to where I had been before, just to check all was ok. I took about 12 days off, but it will vary from person to person depending on how bad the injury is. Don't worry about the running, it will still be there for you. 😄

[misswobble Graduate]

I got a calf micro tear and I used my husband’s TENS machine as well as the ice and I think it worked really well. Three weeks out though.