W3 R3

[diligesmore]

I found Week 3 the hardest yet - does anyone have any tips on preventing calf muscle pain? It begins almost immediately when I start running. I must say though, I'm very pleased I have made it this far into the program.

[dolcie06]

Sometimes when I start runningbtje my calf muscles that start to hurt a little

[JacquiAM Graduate]

I’m no expert but are you warming up enough before running and also stretching after? Our muscles aren’t used to this hard work and need a little nurturing 😁

[Hidden]

If I feel my calves start to burn, I slooooow right down and it seems to go away. I think it's your body can't shift lactic acid quick enough. Or something like that.

[sallenson Graduate]

Pain or just discomfort (and I know that there's blurry line between the two)? Doing plenty of calf raises and stretches after your run should help you. And do some strengthening exercises on your non-running days.

If it's a bit of discomfort when you start your run which eases off after a few minutes, that's normal. There's a thing called the "Toxic 10" where everything grumbles for the first 5-10 mins after you start exercising; that your body struggling to pump blood through your system as your heart rate goes up.

Some stretching and calf exercises should make a big difference, but if there's real pain see if you find a local sports physio. They'll sort you out.

[diligesmore in reply to sallenson]

Thanks for the tips

[sallenson Graduate in reply to diligesmore]

Hope it gets better. Physio tho if it doesn't. Always best to get a proper professional opinion xx

[Taffinator Graduate]

I use to get that, more stretches before you start, I also invested in a pair of calf skins and these have helped no end

[Decker]

Slowing a little and the stretching people have mentioned should help. One thing that helped me greatly earlier on for calf and shin pain was a pair of calf compression sleeves. I think I got them from Amazon for around $20CAD. Not quite sure how they worked but during and after a hard run, I’d wear them and no pain! My pain was quite focused on the front bone of my shin so there may be varied results around the calf. I’ve since weaned myself off them, so they are not a permanent crutch