No…I’m not going out for Korean or Chinese food…I’m unfortunately going to…
R est
I ce
C ompression
E levate
My right calf started to hurt 3 days ago. I massaged it and used the stick. Thursday morning, I got up to do my speed workout and as soon as I stepped out of bed, my calf was tight and it was difficult to walk. I decided to jump back into bed and rest. Same thing Friday morning. Good decision.
I realized that this pain has been brought on by a couple of things:
- Overtraining. I have transitioned to Hal Higdon’s Advanced I training, which includes a long run on the weekend and a medium distance run at race pace (though I haven’t done them at race pace).
- Treadmill training. I have trained on the treadmill more than any other training season. I have also increased my speed. This means, I have not been having the best form because I have been running on my toes more to keep up with the belt.
- Lack of sleep. I go to bed at 11 and wake up at 4:50ish. That is only 6 hours of sleep. I should be getting more!
- Nutrition. I have been eating fairly healthy, but should be eating more nutritious meals.
- Running Form. I think that I must run weird. After Hyannis half marathon last year, my right knee was in so much pain. My IT band was so tight. I limped for a couple of weeks. I had to foam roll it out. After marathons, it is always my right leg that hurts. NOW it’s my right calf. I must run in a way that strains my right leg more. I want to stop into Marathon Sports and get some advice. Maybe I need a motion control or stability shoe vs. the neutral shoe that I have been running in.
**I don’t know for sure if these are the reasons because I’m not a professional trainer, but I was making a guess.
I want to fix broken Little Miss Runshine, so I did some research. Can I use anything to speed the recovery? What about compression socks? Kinesthetic tape?
KINESTHETIC TAPE
What is it? KTtape.com says:
It is a 100% cotton sheathe that is applied along muscles, ligaments, and tendons to provide lightweight, strong, external support that helps prevent injury and speed recovery. Depending on how it is applied, KT Tape supports, enables, or restricts soft tissue and its movement. By stretching and recoiling like a rubber band, KT Tape augments tissue function and distributes loads away from inflamed or damaged muscles and tendons,thereby protecting tissues from further injury.
By applying KT Tape over affected tissue, athletes experience an external support which helps to prevent further injury and allows the body’s damaged tissue to rest and heal naturally despite continued activity. KT Tape also reduces inflammation and increases circulation which prevents muscle cramping and lactic acid buildup.
It is said to help with injuries such as:
- ITBS
- Shin Splints
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Knee pain
- More!
It is said to provides pain relief, stability and support, as well as faster recovery for injured and sore muscles and joints.
After work Thursday, Dave and I went to find some KTtape. They had so many colors! I picked ORANGE! With the help of Dave, we put on this cool looking tape with the help of their handy dandy YouTube video. You can wear it for a couple of days and shower with it on (whew good, I don’t want to smell!). I showered with it on and it didn’t get all soggy and annoying.
But I didn’t just want to stop at KT tape. I went to look at compression socks as well..
COMPRESSION SOCKS
So what’s the deal with compression socks?
On the blog Science of Running I read that when you are standing, your blood can pool at the lower part of your legs. Compression socks help the circulation, bringing that extra oxygen mentioned above.
I saw a post that was very relevant on Runner Dude’s blog which pointed me to CEP Compression.com to find out the following information… Compression socks optimize pressure flow which then maximizes the amount of oxygen and energy during performance and recovery. They can help prevent the following:
- Shin Splints
- Cramps
- Achilles Issues
- Fatigue
- Micro Muscle tears
- Vibration trauma
- Blisters
- Blood clots from travel
- Reduce lactate acid production (Keep your eyes open for a blog post on this topic!)
I know Jess at Blonde Ponytail is a promoter of the Recovery sock, so I emailed her a few questions about them. And she loves her socks for all the reasons above! I checked out their website, and I might look into purchasing a pair of those! I can get a 15% discount because Jess is a promoter!
After work Friday, Dave and I hit Marathon Sports up and I got my very first pair of compression socks! I got the CW-X Compression socks. The woman helping me at the store said they were a good starter because they weren’t super intense. I wish I had seen these post earlier and used compression socks earlier to prevent any pains. I’m excited to see how these babies work!
Luckily, this weekend I have a 14 miler planned instead of a 20 miler. I want to aim for a 9 min average pace instead of my 8:30 that I was doing for my 20 milers. I might rest today too to ensure enough time to heal. But my calf feels a little looser so maybe I will get a comfortably paced 4 or 5 miler in and wear my compression socks!!!
SUMMARY OF MY REPAIR:
Wednesday: My 5 miler and Jillian Michaels 6 Pack in Six Weeks. Slightly tight calf, but not too bad
Thursday: REST. Really tight calf…I limp a little bit! I put KT tape on.
Friday: REST. Still Really tight calf, and I still limp. I still had the KT tape on. I bought some compression socks and wore them Friday night and Saturday morning.
Saturday: REST or maybe 4/5 miler.
P.S. I feel guilty. I feel so jealous seeing everyone work out. I want to run through the pain, but I know that this calf pain is a little more than my dinky twisted ankle.
Have you ever strained your calf? How did you fix it? RICE?
I think RICE is going to make me go crazy. I want to work out!
Do you like trying new gizmos?
Not going to lie, I feel pretty bad A wearing KT tape!! And compression socks look really cute!
Do you use recovery socks or KT tape? What do you think of them?
I am SO excited to see how much they help! Plus I want to get some fun colored socks!
Do you think I should rest today?
Have you ever increased your training and had some problems with your body dealing with it? What did you do?
Now that I have had my first encounter with something forcing me to rest during my Boston Marathon training, I think I am going to have to be more careful with my training and be sure to take care of my body. I am going to monitor my nutrition better, wear compression/recovery socks after runs (and maybe start to during runs after I get used to them), be sure to stretch, and do some more research on improving my performance and staying uninjured.
Add to Google
lilmissrunshine
lilmissrunshine
lilmissrunshine
lilmissrunshine
lilmissrunshine
lilmissrunshine
Aww – poor Jess! I am icing right now and you reminded me in your blog to wear my compression socks. I am going to put them on after I shower and wear them all day. They are good during and after a long run! Get better soon chica!
Thanks! I think I need to buy a couple pairs so that I am not wearing stinky socks all the time! haha. I am going to look at bikes today!!!!
sorry to read that you are hurting. i know this feeling all too well. have you ever considered seeing a chiro? ART might help.
Hm I haven't considered this. I might do some research this weekend and shoot you an email with some questions too!
. Thanks lady for the suggestion!
Tight calves suck! Feel better. When my were tight and cramping up and wouldn't release I definitely rested them and tried to really stretch them out a lot. Rolling them with the stick helped too. Hopefully yours will relax and let you run soon!!! Good luck!
Thanks!! I am glad to hear yours feel better! I'll keep thinking happy thoughts!
I absolutely LOVE my compression sleeves. Even though I have only recently started running, I picked up the Zensah lower leg compression sleeves when I started experiencing pain similar to what you are describing. They have helped immensely! Between those and The Stick, my calves have been doing so much better these past few weeks.
Let us know how the KT tape works. I've been curious to try it for (what I think is) plantar fasciitis.
Yay I'm so happy to hear the compression sleeves helped!!!
I'll keep everyone updated on the KT tape! I feel like I'm a professional athlete when I'm wearing it haha!
Wow, you are being so incredibly smart and I LOVE all the research you've done! I haven't ever used KT Tape but I'm wearing compression socks right now. I'm in love with them! I told a friend who's training for her 1st marathon right now, she was having trouble with her ankles after long runs. She tried compression socks and freaked out by how much they helped. They're really incredible and I hope they help you too! You'll be back running again soon!
Haha thanks!! I feel flattered!!
I am so pumped to hear everyone's success stories related to compression socks! What is your friend's first marathon?! How is her training going?
I'm so sorry about your calf! I'm sure it will work itself out and you'll be ready to run in no time. Let me know how the compression socks work! I was just looking into those yesterday since my calves always feel super tight post-run.
If you decide to run today, good luck!
I've used kinesio tape and will stand by that it works wonders! Plus it looks pretty cool when you're wearing shorts.
I've used it on my tib, ITB, patella tendon, hami, achilles, lumbar region and shoulder.
If you've been RICEing it for a few days now, you can start adding heat into the mixture. Alternating between 15-20 minutes of ice and 15 minutes of heat can help loosen up the muscle.
A foam roller can definitely be a useful tool, minus the $20 for a piece of styrofoam. Haha. I've personally never used the Stick but I've heard lots about it.
Dreadmills…um, treadmills biggest injury is the calf, for the most part the reason you said, it's hard to have a proper stride on one. Also the soft surface can cause a strain, because it gives in a slight overextension can happen (although good to most people, like running on grassy surfaces, it can cause issues).
Good luck and keep us updated! Get well soon!!!
Ahh those darn right legs! I too have a right leg that doesn't like to cooperate. Mine started a few years ago after I ran the Hyannis Marathon. It initially was my piriformis muscle in my hip. Two years later it decided to move down to my calf. Mine was so severe that I took two full months off (and boy was that hard!). Luckily I was still able to cycle so I didn't go completely nuts and with the help of my foam roller, I've been pretty good ever since. Anytime I do have an issue though, it does always seem to be my right leg!
Are you running on the same side of the road when you are outside? the road slopes down so if you aren't in the middle your legs will stress differently!
Also for stretching make sure to stretch the calf with the knee straight and then with the knee bent to hit the soleus muscle. Your calf is made up of 2 muscles so it could be one over the other that is causing the pain! Also, sorry for the delay..this was too much to put in a text
Love, your personal PT
I do run the same route pretty much. I told Dave he needs to switch it up with me b/c my ankle hurt! It's all his fault! jk jk
Thanks for the advice PT
Loves you!
Poor Jess! Injuries suck. I'm in compression socks right now. After my first injury last fall (stress fracture), I play good attention to the rest rule (not always happily, mind you!). I ice, I heat, I compress, I elevate… in doing so, they make me slow down and rest a bit instead of go-go-go. Good Luck hon – hope you calf is feeling better soon.
Thanks twinnie (haha I had an urge to call you and Jess at Blonde Ponytail that for a while now so I feel relieved to get it out)…I guess it should be "trippy?" for triplet? Too many Jess's out there! But I love it! haha
Eek stress fracture! I've been lucky so far. My calf is feeling much better, but still a little tight. I'm going to be much more strict with the foam roller, icing, compression and all!
I just heard about KT tape a week or so ago and I SO want to try it. Is it easy to put on? I'm afraid I'd do it wrong and end up wasting a lot of tape.
This sounds like what I've been going through for two year. Achilles tendonitis. You should see my Physical Therpast- he is the best. Jake KEnnedy – Kennedy Bros Downtown Crossing!
This is exactly some thing I need to do more research into, i appreciate you for the post.
Pingback: » Two Truths and a Lie