For the last few weeks, maybe months, I've struggled with a left calf strain. Last week I went to California with two friends to hike various hills and mountains. Maybe a little beach running too. I was worried my calf would not get me up Mt Baldy (10,000+ feet). Uphill running, or hiking, can be brutal on a hurt calf. To make a long story short, I made it to the peak on the first hike of the trip! We climbed almost 6,000 feet in about 6.5 miles. Trudged through long sections that had over 2 feet of snow, suffered warm and sunny conditions with less water than we needed. All three of us made it to the top and back down. My calf behaved. The next morning I felt great. The rest of the hikes went similarly well for me. I think Mt Baldy healed my calf! Is that possible? I'm back in Illinois and short runs are going well. I have a new treatment for hurt calves...don't baby them, beat the hell out of them on a big old mountain!
8 comments:
Who would've thunk.. just a bit of that uphill magic did the trick.
I hope the horizontal treats you just as well over the coming days.
Brad
Thanks Brad. I hope so too.
Congrats on the hike/climb Chris. I miss mountains.
Mountains are pretty awesome. I already miss Badly...and I still miss Mt Whitney!
Just found your blog searching the internet for calf injury information. You are running much more than I but my history over the last couple of years is similar. I strained my left calf last summer. Took several weeks to heal but seems fine now. Strained my right calf in January and I am still recovering. Ortho Dr. said young guys strain hamstrings and older guys strain calves. Not what I needed to hear. After 4 weeks of physical therapy I think I may have turned the corner. Still sore after therapy sessions but I'm back running a little. I plan to be patient and take it easy for several more weeks to prevent re-injury setting me back.
John,
I think I've turned the corner on this left calf strain. I've had several deep tissue massages and I do a thorough warm-up before running. By keeping my paces under control, things have improved--now at 10 days of running with no pain!
I really miss Mt Baldy. When living in LA I would walk this beauty on average every second week over the warmer months. The long way from Baldy village or up the guts or via the chair lift route. Great for fitness and training for Mt Whitney.
I agree. it's a beauty! Perfect training for Whitney.
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