Too Much of A Good Thing
I started jogging about a month ago, mostly in the mornings while I'm taking the dog to the park. He enjoys the faced paced romp through the woods and I've appreciated the increased exercise. The forest floor is a combination of soft peat, solid earth and packed gravel, all of which are forgiving on my knees. And my overall increased mood has finally allowed the runners high to peek through the haze. All around I enjoy my morning outings.
I don't run every morning. The park we go to is a popular dog walking destination. When Dargo and I come across other dogs we often walk with them. Doggy socialization is the primary point of the outing. Dargo always has a better day when he gets his social time. And if they leave before we're done, I just continue on my way walking or jogging as I'm inspired.
Yesterday my calves began to complain, then bark, then scream in pain. I had a collection of knots deep inside the muscle that felt like gravel, from the inside and the outside. I tried stretching, but it wouldn't touch the pain. Thankfully terrier_girl was able to work out some of the knots or I probably wouldn't be able to sleep.
It seems that one of the muscles in the calf, the one deep down inside, is especially sensitive to changes in exertion level, particularly concerning uphill travel. I had to think about it for a while before I figured it out. Where I come into the park, the trail intersects a loop that goes to the left or to the right. I usually go left, following a mostly level trail with a few gentle ups and downs for about 3/8 mile until it comes to the bottom of The Hill. The hill is about 20 yards long at a 50% grade, then it slopes gently back around for another 3/8 mile to where I started. But Friday I met up with some dog walkers that left me going in the opposite direction. So I ran up the right fork and then down the hill, opposite my usual path. And that meant I spent 3/8 of mile on a gentle uphill when I'm used to taking it as a gentle downhill.
The recommended fix is rest, massage and moderate stretching. Apparently stretching doesn't do much good as it focuses on the outer two muscles, often hyper-extending them and leaving the injured muscle with little support. In a week or so I should be back in running shape. But today, as I walked out the car with the intention of taking the dog for just a gentle walk around the park, my calves seized up again. I went back inside with a very disappointed puppy. It looks like it will be a while before either of us hit the trail.
I don't run every morning. The park we go to is a popular dog walking destination. When Dargo and I come across other dogs we often walk with them. Doggy socialization is the primary point of the outing. Dargo always has a better day when he gets his social time. And if they leave before we're done, I just continue on my way walking or jogging as I'm inspired.
Yesterday my calves began to complain, then bark, then scream in pain. I had a collection of knots deep inside the muscle that felt like gravel, from the inside and the outside. I tried stretching, but it wouldn't touch the pain. Thankfully terrier_girl was able to work out some of the knots or I probably wouldn't be able to sleep.
It seems that one of the muscles in the calf, the one deep down inside, is especially sensitive to changes in exertion level, particularly concerning uphill travel. I had to think about it for a while before I figured it out. Where I come into the park, the trail intersects a loop that goes to the left or to the right. I usually go left, following a mostly level trail with a few gentle ups and downs for about 3/8 mile until it comes to the bottom of The Hill. The hill is about 20 yards long at a 50% grade, then it slopes gently back around for another 3/8 mile to where I started. But Friday I met up with some dog walkers that left me going in the opposite direction. So I ran up the right fork and then down the hill, opposite my usual path. And that meant I spent 3/8 of mile on a gentle uphill when I'm used to taking it as a gentle downhill.
The recommended fix is rest, massage and moderate stretching. Apparently stretching doesn't do much good as it focuses on the outer two muscles, often hyper-extending them and leaving the injured muscle with little support. In a week or so I should be back in running shape. But today, as I walked out the car with the intention of taking the dog for just a gentle walk around the park, my calves seized up again. I went back inside with a very disappointed puppy. It looks like it will be a while before either of us hit the trail.