W2r1 lactic acid in lower calves/ankle area

[Brandt131]

Hi all, completed wk1 no probs. In fact I really enjoyed getting back out there, post-abdominal surgery. Did wk2r1 2 days ago and found it extremely painful around the lower calf/ankle area. Managed to plod on through to the end - even the walking in between and after was a struggle. The pain slowly subsided when I got home.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if there are any tips that may help? Going for wk2r2 shortly and dreading it! 😫

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

It’s normal and happens because of the way your muscles are formed. You almost certainly have too many fast twitch fibres in your muscles for distance running. Yes, you have too much muscle fibre... of one kind. Fast twitch are good for sprinters but burn fuel too fast for us distance guys and produce lactic acid. What you are experiencing is normal, and happens at different stages for different people. Your body will build the distance runner essential slow twitch muscle fibre as you go. They burn fuel slower, produce lactic acid slower and are good for endurance, so as you’re gonna be a 5k runner they’re great.

What you are experiencing would happen to an Olympic sprinter at about 600m, and to an Olympic marathon runner beyond 26 miles. So you already have more endurance than Usain Bolt... you’re on the way.

To put it in perspective footballers suffer at the end of harder games, you’ll see some getting treatment as they cramp.This happened at the same stage back in the 60s, but the game is now faster and the players run longer distances these days.

It will always be there, as you hit the limits of your fitness or the distance you can run, which is why distance athletes run longer than race distance in training... apart from marathon runners but they are dufferent beasts.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Normal aches and pains at this time are to be excepted... that is way we advise the good warm up and the stretching after every run. Check out the post for Newbies, which has great advice.

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

Many folk do Strength and Flex alongside the C25K programme and that may help..

Make sure you have the correct shoes, the correct socks.. try tor relax into your runs and land lightly... kissing the ground with your feet...

It should ease as you run more, you get stronger, but if the pain persists then you need to get checked out