Monday: Four miles over the bridge. I had to stop to stretch twice; my calves and shins just felt really tight. Like...hard. You know when you've got lactic acid buildup? And then a muscle cramp and the muscle is literally cramped up into a hard little ball? Yeah. Like that. I have no idea what caused it but I was really unhappy with it, obviously.
Tuesday & Wednesday: Volleyball game and practice, respectively. The season is almost over and then I can get back to normal cross-training!
Thursday: Four mile bridge run. I wore KT tape, compression sleeves, my Kayanos instead of my Ravennas, and took a salt tab before this run. I still had some aches, but we slowed it down and my calves and shins felt moderately better.
Friday: Four mile bridge run. I was in my brand new Ravennas. I did take salt again and was still taped, although less drastically than Thursday, and my legs felt 90% better. No pauses to walk or stretch needed.
My purple Ravennas have 204 miles on them; they really shouldn't be done yet...but maybe that's the contributing factor here. Or maybe I've just been dehydrated and stiff from volleyball and walking around at work. Who knows?
Saturday: Rest. I made sure to foam roll my calves; I also had Matt massage my left one, which had a sensitive hot-spot. I re-taped that calf and wore a compression sleeve to bed.
Sunday: 11 miles - no calf pain! I was so relieved to have a pain-free run. We kept a steady pace, stopping at mile 5.25 (bathroom, Gu, water) and 7.7 (water). I shouldn't have had water the second time; I felt so full and sick for the rest of the run.
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| I had some calf sensitivity after my post-run nap, but none during the run! |
I know on race day I won't be stopping like that (water stops are faster, for sure), and if we want to keep a solid pace and have a realistic idea of our finishing time, we need to stop pausing my watch on training runs. I think I'll plan to wean us off bathroom breaks over the next few long runs.
Total miles: 23.
This was a solid week despite my leg issues. I haven't figured out what's causing them yet, so I'm just going to continue as many treatments as I can until they're totally gone.
ABK
I'm sorry that you had calf issues. I've decided that calf stuff is the hardest thing to run through. It makes each step feel 10X harder than it should. Wearing compression sleeves definitely helps ease my calf stiffness, although the thing that helps the most is not sitting still at a desk all day. I'm going to take your suggestion to bring something to elevate my legs at work because I feel like that's the main culprit. On the weekends when I'm moving about all day I have pretty much 0 calf issues, but as soon as Monday comes they are super tight!
ReplyDeleteYES! Calf issues are the worst. They make my legs feel totally inflexible, like I'm running on peg legs!
DeleteI've tried moving around more this week and it's helping but not as much as I want. I think volleyball is exacerbating the issue but luckily the season is almost over!
Oh no, I hope the calf issues don't become a re-occurring thing.
ReplyDeleteI admire your ability (and energy level) to do both running and volley ball! Before I ran I was a member of the tennis club and played in weekly matches. I often thought about taking that up again but it is expensive and time consuming. I feel like with running I can do it when ever I want, unlike an actual organized sport..lol. Maybe someday when I finally get tired (or too old) to run, i'll reconsider tennis!
It helps that I'm just coaching and not actively playing as much as I would were I actually on a team...but yeah, being on my feet those extra few hours every day is really hard.
DeleteSometimes freaky leg issues just pop up randomly. It could be hydration, but if you think you're getting enough water just keep doing the treatment youve been doing and it should feel better soon. I always use compression, massage and sometimes ice and everything seems to heal in it's own time.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to be 100x better at massaging...I just get so bored doing it!
DeleteWith a pain-free 11-miler, your calf issues might be behind you! Sounds like you did/are doing all the right things to keep them at bay. Nice pace on your long run! You two are going to have a great race!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed on all of the above!
DeleteOUch! The calf pain sounds stressful!! Have you tried doing any calf raises with weights? that helped me a little. But I've been slacking on the weights, so I am not an expert.
ReplyDeleteHm, I haven't thought about doing calf raises. I should add that to my routine.
DeleteSorry your calves were so tight! I'm glad they loosened up for ya on your 11 miler. How do you foam roll calves? Those are so weird for me to get...
ReplyDeleteI lean back on my hands or elbows with my legs out in front of me and the foam roller under my calves. I rotate my hips to put more pressure on either leg and use my arms to move myself back and forth on the roller. It's not easy but it does the job!
DeleteUsually I can squeeze 300 out of my shoes, so I'm really hoping this isn't the case. I tried researching if Ravennas break down faster but couldn't find anything!
ReplyDelete