Running: Training, Problems, Techniques, Questions, etc

[Bert]

You may have heard this, but not everyone is graced with the genes of the distance runner.   Calf pain
affects many people.   If I may speculate, I'd bet that you've never been a much of a
runner.   The only way to get through it is to condition and keep training the calves and over time
you WILL improve and the pain will be less.

Calf pain may likely be from tight and hard to stretch muscles and the pain is from over-exertion
of some muscle groups in the calf area.   By stretching frequently, several times a day, you'll
improve the stretch and conditioning of the muscles.   Second, if you've never been much of a runner
with inherently tight calf muscles, then they need conditioning.   The best way I know some runners
deal with it is by frequent stretching periods throughout the day from a few minutes to 10.

From a standing position feet flat on the floor, move up onto your tippy toes.   Hold slightly, and
return to the floor.   Repeat thisfor four to ten sets with as many reps as you can tolerate.  

Stand close to the wall, maybe three feet away.   Lean into the wall but keep you feet
in the same position.   Feel the stretch in the calf muscles behind the leg.

The above two exercises work the primary calf muscles of "lift-off" and then stretch the muscle.
This will over time lessen annoying calf pain by conditioning.

During this, its good to stretch the quadricep and hamstring muscles of the leg.   If you have tight
calves, likely you have tight hamstrings and that can lead to knee pain.   Go on the net and
research hamstring and quadricep stretches.

Stretching and condition the quads, hams, and calves will over time improve calf pain.

In BMQ however, you'll be surprised your calf pain will disappear by the third week.
In the first and second week, you begin the fitness training.   This includes walking around,
marching around, PT classes, ruck marches, and stairs (you'll LOVE the MEGA for that).

After the first two weeks, you calves will become more accustomed to direct exercise and
improve.   I'd estimate in your third week your calves will be in condition enough that calf
pain will be negligable and then you can train more in the cardio.

 

[spenco]

Hi, I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

I have been running now for 3 months and I can not seem to get any further than when I started. I am currently leaving for basic 24th of Aug my cardio is great but my calves kill be every time i run the 2.4 k . They only hurt or burn up

Where exactly in the calves do they hurt, what part of the muscle? Do you do any stretching before and after your runs?  Or are they just chin splints?  If so this is the advice I got from my running coach:

for the
symptom you can ice the shin; however this does little to prevent them. You
need to stretch the opposing muscle. I recommend that you do this before
even your warm-up because if you wait until after your warm up you have
already irritated the shin.
Try this:

standing on one leg slightly bent
opposite leg relaxed out in front of the leg you are standing on.
foot is resting on the heel.
point the toe towards you face you will feel the back of that leg starting
to stretch.
hold this stretch

watch out--there is a tendency to lock the knee of the leg you are
stretching. don't do this
instead bend the knee slightly. this will reduce the effectiveness of the
stretch but will prevent damage to the knee.
to increase the stretch--pretend to sit back on the leg you are standing on.
If you do this right you will feel the back of the lower leg being
stretched.(this feels stupid and awkward at first)

repeat on the other leg.

do this 3x on each leg before any running.

This is for prevention.

This stretch works quite well, also try spelling out the alphabet with both your feet before you run. I dont want to draw too many conclusions from your post but your calf problems could be just weak calves, try building them up with some excersiese, here is a link to one you can do at home.  Try it out.


http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Gastrocnemius/WTSingleLegCalfRaise.html

Never mind the bit about the dip belt and all that.

 

when I run the 2.4 while trying to reach the standards of 12:00 min .   Can anyone help me out here, I feel like im working my but off for nothing, any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Don't just do the same run over and over, yeah its great that you can run 2.4 k, but next time go for 3 or 4 k, keep on increasing your distance or decreasing your time, for now just go for more distance and dont worry about time, then when you get comfortable with the distance try to improve your time.


Hope this helped a little.


P.S.   Sry for the long post

 

[quebecrunner]

Do yo wear running shoes? I mean real running shoe? Sometime, calf pain is due to shoe overuse or inadequate type of shoes.

 

[spenco]

Could you recommend some good shoes exclusively for running?

 

[Scott]

First you have to decide where you will do the majority of your running. If you stick to pavement, concrete or tracks then you should get the appropriate shoe with a not so aggressive tread. If you like to mix it up with some off path stuff (Like I do) then adjust your purchase accordingly. I bought the Adidas Climacool's last summer and they are the best runner I have ever owned. They are lightweight and flexible with the aforementioned aggressive tread since I like to run trails alot. They are made out of a meshy material which does a great job to keep your feet cool as you run. And if you DO like the trails you will eventually step in a puddle, these shoes give the water/mud a way to escape. I golf in them because they are so much more comfortable than my golf shoes. The only drawback is that they are strictly for running. You can't go and play ball or soccer in them, they are so thin that they won't take that sort of pounding, but for pure running/gym stuff they are the best I have ever had.

Honestly, footwear is so important, I must own five or six different sets of footwear for my activities, sandals, runners, court shoes, approach hikers, hi top hikers, CAT work boots. When I go to project fires I have no problem taking three or four different sets of footwear. Much like an Infrantryman, if my feet are f&*#ed, then so am I.

Good Luck!!

Cheers

 

[Maverick]

I do a LOT of running, like cross country, soccer, etc...
I have a pear of shoes i had MADE for running, they measured my feet, watched how i walk and run and so on... anyways came out with an awesome shoe which definately gives u that push in the end. so definately look into shoes.

The stretches are an awesome advice, so take em, just nice relaxing stretches.
and keep your self Hydrated!!!

Try running one day, then use some weight lifting machines for upper body the next day, and the third day use machines to work out legs but no running that day - just use machines and dont push ur self, use a nice comfortable weight and do it till it feels good. then on your 4th day, relax, drink lots of water and walk around a lot - but definately every day even running or not, do those stretches to keep them going....

 

[quebecrunner]

I cant recommend any types of shoes. It depend of so many factors that only someone qualify can tell you. Go to a speciality store like running room. Dont buy your running slicks at the foot locker or other places like that cause they sell shoes for the look. Not the purpose.

At the store, they will look at the form of your feets and they will ask you to run a little. They will watch the movement of the feet on the ground in order to see if you are an overpronator or supplinator. then, they will select some shoes that will be adequate for the type of runner you are.

Believe me. Speciality shoes is for every runners, beginners to expert. The right shoe will prevent injurys.

Go see the link below to see if there is a store near your home.

http://www.runningroom.com/hm/

By the way, i've just come back from a long run of 32km. >   Man this is good... But i'm soo tired...   ;D

 

[G3RM]

Well I haven't read everyones response because I only have a few minutes on the net . So  sorry if I have duplicated an  response.

I had kind of the same problem you are having with you muscles. I browsed the net searched on google for awhile and found a site (which i can't remember) that told me to run about 3KM but don't worry about time. Go slow and pace yourself. If you can't complete a sentance while running without huffing and puffing you're going to fast. Do this for about 2 weeks  on monday, wensday, friday. on the third week rest. 4th week run 3km slow paced on monday wensday and then on friday go for time. try to hit 2km in under 10 mintues.

hope this helps.

 

[torin25]

Thanks for all the help  ladies and gents.  I currently am running 3km in 14:30 and improving. I have found some stretches and also trying out different exercises that help reduce the amount of pain in my calves.  I find the best thing is taking a bar with weight and elevating to the tippy toes and back down to the heels and just keep going till it burns lol.  After 5 days of this my calves were getting stronger which equalled less pain.  Thank you again for all the help.

 

[mista_mo]

I have a question that I need answering, and since there is allready a running topic, I may as well post it here. I can't run for very long, hell, I can't jog for very long. I need advice as too how I canget my Cardio abilities higher..I lift weights but that doesn't do jack for Cardio (as far as I know) I walk regularly, but other then that, I have no idea of what I can do.

 

[Pieman]

mista_mo,   keep at it!   When I first started running back in last November, i could barely make 1km without feeling like I was going to die or puke my guts out. I was in pretty awful shape after I finished university.   There are some really good running programs out there that you should look up and try, I kind of did my own thing, but it worked for me.

I simply started a running program where i would run 1 km, 3 times a week until I could do it and feel comfortable at the end of the run. Then I increased that distance by 0.5 kilometers every 3-5 runs until I hit 3km. Once I hit 3km, I stayed that distance and ran 3km 3-4 times a week.(I still do this)   Last month I started doing a 6km run every Sunday.

I also worked on my cardio by going to the gym and using the bike and eliptical machines which really helped at the start.

Now it is almost 9 months later and   I am going to be running in my first 10 KM   marathon this August. It is simply amazing how fast your body will react to exercise!

 

[mista_mo]

so I should try to run at least 1KM 3 times a week until I can do that much distance without stopping and then try to increase that? hmm..this is running and not jogging right? I ussually walk..5 times a week..usually about 4-7 kilometers..It's odd, but I strive to be in good shape..I mean i'm strong, but i'm not like arnie strong. I can't run, but I'll keep at it..want to get in shape for super gym, but thats ohh..6 months away..

 

[Pieman]

this is running and not jogging right?

Well, I mean move at a good pace, but one I can handle. I run Run/Jog at a speed that I think I can finish the distance with. I then try to increase that speed the next time, but personally I am more concerned about finishing the distance as best I can for that day. Taking the average of your tiimes, say,  each week will allow you to see your overall improvment.

 

[mista_mo]

hmm..I'll have to try this..perhaps tonight. BTW, can you recomend any stretches?

 

[Pieman]

google has all the answers

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/126.shtml

 

[spenco]

Mista Mo, you might also want to try jogging on a treadmill, its a great way to start out (worked great for me) and that way you know exactly how far youve gone and how fast your going, but the units are usually in miles so you will have to do some conversions.

 

[spookycanuck]

stretching can't always help with calf pain.
I had problems running also. I would always fall out of a run because of really bad calf pain. I would get shin splints also. It got so bad that I eventually saw a doctor when I was on my QL3. He thought that I might suffer from a condition called compartment syndrome and sent me to a specialist in Toronto. He confirmed the diagnosis (a very mild case however) and sent me to physio. It hellped a little bit. Mainly stretches and a couple exercises to strengthen the calf muscles. The problem never really went away and two years later I ended up in the office of an orthopedic surgeon in Ottawa. He operated on both lower legs (one at a time) and I was flat on my ass for about a week after each surgery. Six months later I started running again. To my surprise there was no pain. That was a year ago and I am still pain free.

So keep in mind that there could be something medically wrong. If the stretches don't help and the pain persists you might want to consider seeing a doctor about it.

Here is a link about compartment syndrome:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001224.htm

 

[_-ArchAngel-_]

I have a question about running as it is what I'm working on right now.

Many have suggested to be able to run 5k when first perparing for the physical/basic training. Now this is going to sound like a dumb question, but 5k straight run, no breaks in between? Right now (having just started getting in shape for the past 3 weeks or so), doing a 5k non-stop run seems kind of impossible, longer runs even more so.

For the past week or two, I've been essentially going long distances but taking breaks walking in between, and then starting again. I can do about 2k, 1.4k running, and 600m walking.

So am I to understand that eventually, I should be able to do much more than that in one shot? Or do you pace yourselves while doing a run over extended distances?

 

[gk404]

I suggest you go and get yourself a book with a running program.

In all seriousness 5K is nothing, you'll get there in no time.  Just run/walk for at least 30 mins at a time on a regular basis and in a couple of months you'll be able to do it.  At the stage you're at, don't even look at distances, your goal should be to be able to run for 30mins non stop.

that's my $.02

 

[Freight_Train]

Try a run/walk program.  Start out by running for 1 minute and walking for 1 minute for 20 minutes or so.  IF you are comfortable doing that, try a 2 minute/1 minute cycle.  Work your way up slowly until you can run for at least 30 minutes without stopping.  If you push too hard, too fast you run the risk of injuring yourself.  Time and distance will come if you consistently apply yourself.  There are ton's of beginning running programs online, do a search.
Best of luck,
Greg