W2:1

[Annieapple]

So elated to have this first one under my belt. I finished week one last week but woke to woe-man flu the next day. Rested this week & went out an hour ago not sure what would happen. I actually loved it & didn’t find it nearly as hard as the first week in spite of calf pain. I had to repeat week 1 runs several times. So looking forward now to W2:2 However in spite of warm ups my calf muscle was painful throughout the run & I had to run through the pain. Any advice?

[Tasha99 Graduate]

Maybe you need to have proper running shoes fitted - a gait analysis. Prepare to pay quite a bit but once you’ve had it done you can buy the same style online for cheaper in your future.

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate in reply to Tasha99]

Thanks Tasha. I have a neutral gait & Asics Runner’s were suggested. I invested in good socks too as suggested on this forum. My feet were Soooo comfy. The rest of my body including my breathing felt relaxed and good too so didn’t want to stop! Maybe I should have. It was seconds into the first 90 secs run that I felt the familiar pain in R calf that I had had when I started W1:R1... I thought it was healed but obviously not & with a gap of 5 days while I was sick hasn’t helped. I did warm ups & the 5 min fast walk & all was well so I thought I was ready. I can walk on it ok, a bit of a limp cos I don’t want to strain it further. A little unsure what to do next. I do want to run Sunday or at least Monday!!

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

Are you stretching them after?

Maybe do dynamic calf stretches before the run - not static though as that can cause injury.

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate in reply to Tasha99]

Yes I was advised to do that & have been faithfully doing dynamic before & static after. By doing that when I repeated week 1 after a disappointing & painful start it all came right. I am going to do more exercises on rest days, thinking about it. At the moment I just enjoy a 30 min & sometimes longer walk. Thanks for helping me think through this! What week are you on?

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

Oh I graduated April 2018. I just like to help out and offer encouragement 👍🏽

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate in reply to Tasha99]

Thank you so much!! You don’t know what it means to us newbies!!🎈

[Run46 Graduate]

Bless you, it's so frustrating when you just want to run and the old body throws up problems...I seemed to spend the first few weeks getting past one small niggle after another. My calves occasionally used to tighten right up, sometimes I used to have to stop and stretch out or walk slow while flexing my ankles for a bit before I could carry on. I was doing all the right things like you but think it was just a heck of a shock to my body me running and it took a while to adjust! Plenty of water, every day if you can to stay hydrated, nice and slow and if they feel tight, get them relaxed again if you can and go even slower! Good luck with it 👍🙂

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate in reply to Run46]

👏Thank you! Encouraging to hear how you got through it. I think I made the mistake of not stopping & flexing! But will try that next time! Psychologically I think I was scared to stop in case I never started again. I have been massaging calf today & using roller. It’s tender coming down the stairs & only slight niggle when I walk. I will have another rest day tomorrow & then go extra slowly & carefully on Monday & stop as you say if necessary. Thanks!😊👍

[Run46 Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

The extra rest day sounds wise, hope it feels better by tomorrow 🤞🙂