Reflections on a year of trying to run with non-heel-strike
Discussion
In Jan 2013 I weaned myself of my orthotic insoles, started wearing thinner, flatter footwear, saw a physio to address various niggles and began running again with a fore-foot strike.
I suffered calf pains during/after running.
As my feet and legs strengthened I was able to adapt to more of a controlled mid-foot strike. I bought a foam roller and a rolling pin.
I suffered various calf strains in different parts of the calf in each leg.
I have visited the physio numerous times and have spent many more days recuperating than running.
I suffered more calf strains.
I ran on-road and I ran off-road.
I suffered calf strains.
I am now trying to build back again. There is typically no pain in the calves until their is either a 'pull' or after I have stopped.
Very frustrating.
I suffered calf pains during/after running.
As my feet and legs strengthened I was able to adapt to more of a controlled mid-foot strike. I bought a foam roller and a rolling pin.
I suffered various calf strains in different parts of the calf in each leg.
I have visited the physio numerous times and have spent many more days recuperating than running.
I suffered more calf strains.
I ran on-road and I ran off-road.
I suffered calf strains.
I am now trying to build back again. There is typically no pain in the calves until their is either a 'pull' or after I have stopped.
Very frustrating.
Annoyingly, friends of mine resumed running at a similar time and have now done marathons and fell races....
On the plus side:
My knees and hips have been fine.
Wearing Vivobarefoot shoes for work and Onitsuka Tiger Mexicos much of the time outside of work has helped strengthen my feet and I now have a bit of an arch in my previously extremely flat feet.
On the plus side:
My knees and hips have been fine.
Wearing Vivobarefoot shoes for work and Onitsuka Tiger Mexicos much of the time outside of work has helped strengthen my feet and I now have a bit of an arch in my previously extremely flat feet.
It sounds like you have some of the beneficial effects: you are off orthotics, less flat-footed, and have no knee or hip pain. That's not nothing.
Not sure what to suggest re: calf pain. I had DOMS in my calves at first but it subsided after a few months. Now I can run 5km three or four times a week with no pain at all. More rest, maybe, or a month off?
Not sure what to suggest re: calf pain. I had DOMS in my calves at first but it subsided after a few months. Now I can run 5km three or four times a week with no pain at all. More rest, maybe, or a month off?
grumbledoak said:
It sounds like you have some of the beneficial effects: you are off orthotics, less flat-footed, and have no knee or hip pain. That's not nothing.
I agree. It has been beneficial.grumbledoak said:
Not sure what to suggest re: calf pain. I had DOMS in my calves at first but it subsided after a few months. Now I can run 5km three or four times a week with no pain at all. More rest, maybe, or a month off?
I've just had almost a month off after my last incident, in which I started feeling calf pain on the descent from an off-road hill. I've been running/walking and building up the distance again. There's a bit of discomfort in one of my calves at the moment. This follows a flat, gentle, 2.5 mile comfortable run with no pain during it last night. I'm hoping it is going to resolve itself quickly rather than develop into pain of a tear.
Yet more rest.
I used to run, a lot. There was a time when I was fit and could put in a decent 10k (ahh, the memories...!)
When I started running, I was nearly 20 stone ('running' a bit of a push there - walking at first obviously).
Running helped me go from 20 to 12 stone in about 18 months. However, unlike a lot of people, I loved, loved, loved running. Most weeks I would do a good 50 miles, with a mixture of on-road, cross-country, fartlek and slow-burn distance runs. Although I never did a proper marathon (my knee died a death about 3 months before my London marathon place
) on many a Sunday I would head off cross-country with a couple of energy bars and a litre of water and do a gentle 25 / 30 miles in an enjoyable afternoon.
Anyway - relevent to the thread, as a heavy lad at over 6 foot - even at my lightest of 12 stone, I was still a heavy frame to be a regular runner really. I realised early on that my knees and hips would need as much protection as I could give them from shock - so as well as regularly replacing my trainers with good-quality items with as much padding in the sole as possible, matched to my gait, I also concentrated on an 'on the toes' style without heel-strikes.
At first, like you - the calfs obviously complain. But a combination of stuff I did overcame that, and I ended up with such springy, compliant calfs that I could bounce on my toes for hours eventually. However, it takes a long time and a bit of work to get your legs conditioned enough to be able to do this.
So - what I did was this. On the days I was doing local fartlek - I had a 20/30-odd minute drill I used to do. There were some steps down to a subway by my house, so after a warm-up jog, I would go to the steps, step up onto the first one, stand on the step with only the front of my feet, with the remaining 2/3rds hanging off the back. Then, holding onto the handrail, I would do sets of reps. So, lower the backs of my feet down past the edge of the step so my toes were facing upwards, then flex my calfs, lifting myself up as far as I could go, ending up with my feet now almost on tip-toes.
Then basically do sets of slow reps - up and down, but not fast - very controlled. If you do it right, you'll get a decent calf burn by about 20 reps. Then I would stop and rest for 2 minutes, and go again.
After maybe 3 or 4 sets of this, the REALLY important thing was to then stretch - so put one leg back and one leg forward with feet flat on the ground, and push forwards gently to really stretch out the calf on the rearward leg. Hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds, then slowly come out of it and repeat 5 times for each leg, alternately.
(If you go to a decent gym, there is often a machine that does a similar thing - you stand on a step and your shoulders go under a bar you lift with your body, which you can also hang weights onto.)
This way, you are building anaerobic muscle tissue in the calf, which helps with strength and support/stability. Then the running you do will compliment those muscle fibres you're building with the toning effect of running. Finally, the stretching does what it says - stretches and helps to condition the muscle so you avoid the cramps you are talking about. A warm, flexible muscle is a happy muscle!
Lastly - what is your warming-up procedure? This is equally important - if you try to ask too much of cold and rested muscles too soon - you will also experience the kind of problems you are discussing.
So - warm-up properly, combine running with strength-building exercises, and stretch PROPERLY at the end of the run, no matter how boring and tempting it is to skip this. A proper stretching session at the end of exercise should be in the region of 10 to 15 minutes of slow, high-quality movements, and not some quick afterthought that extends a few joints! You should hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds, and do at least 5 sets on each muscle group.
A long post (as usual from me) but I hope a helpful one. Let us know how you get on
When I started running, I was nearly 20 stone ('running' a bit of a push there - walking at first obviously).
Running helped me go from 20 to 12 stone in about 18 months. However, unlike a lot of people, I loved, loved, loved running. Most weeks I would do a good 50 miles, with a mixture of on-road, cross-country, fartlek and slow-burn distance runs. Although I never did a proper marathon (my knee died a death about 3 months before my London marathon place
) on many a Sunday I would head off cross-country with a couple of energy bars and a litre of water and do a gentle 25 / 30 miles in an enjoyable afternoon.Anyway - relevent to the thread, as a heavy lad at over 6 foot - even at my lightest of 12 stone, I was still a heavy frame to be a regular runner really. I realised early on that my knees and hips would need as much protection as I could give them from shock - so as well as regularly replacing my trainers with good-quality items with as much padding in the sole as possible, matched to my gait, I also concentrated on an 'on the toes' style without heel-strikes.
At first, like you - the calfs obviously complain. But a combination of stuff I did overcame that, and I ended up with such springy, compliant calfs that I could bounce on my toes for hours eventually. However, it takes a long time and a bit of work to get your legs conditioned enough to be able to do this.
So - what I did was this. On the days I was doing local fartlek - I had a 20/30-odd minute drill I used to do. There were some steps down to a subway by my house, so after a warm-up jog, I would go to the steps, step up onto the first one, stand on the step with only the front of my feet, with the remaining 2/3rds hanging off the back. Then, holding onto the handrail, I would do sets of reps. So, lower the backs of my feet down past the edge of the step so my toes were facing upwards, then flex my calfs, lifting myself up as far as I could go, ending up with my feet now almost on tip-toes.
Then basically do sets of slow reps - up and down, but not fast - very controlled. If you do it right, you'll get a decent calf burn by about 20 reps. Then I would stop and rest for 2 minutes, and go again.
After maybe 3 or 4 sets of this, the REALLY important thing was to then stretch - so put one leg back and one leg forward with feet flat on the ground, and push forwards gently to really stretch out the calf on the rearward leg. Hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds, then slowly come out of it and repeat 5 times for each leg, alternately.
(If you go to a decent gym, there is often a machine that does a similar thing - you stand on a step and your shoulders go under a bar you lift with your body, which you can also hang weights onto.)
This way, you are building anaerobic muscle tissue in the calf, which helps with strength and support/stability. Then the running you do will compliment those muscle fibres you're building with the toning effect of running. Finally, the stretching does what it says - stretches and helps to condition the muscle so you avoid the cramps you are talking about. A warm, flexible muscle is a happy muscle!
Lastly - what is your warming-up procedure? This is equally important - if you try to ask too much of cold and rested muscles too soon - you will also experience the kind of problems you are discussing.
So - warm-up properly, combine running with strength-building exercises, and stretch PROPERLY at the end of the run, no matter how boring and tempting it is to skip this. A proper stretching session at the end of exercise should be in the region of 10 to 15 minutes of slow, high-quality movements, and not some quick afterthought that extends a few joints! You should hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds, and do at least 5 sets on each muscle group.
A long post (as usual from me) but I hope a helpful one. Let us know how you get on
Thanks for the ideas.
Although I should be well used to running by now, having done 2 x 2.5 mile gentle, comfortable runs over the weekend without any pain at the time, my calf (soleus) muscles have been noticeably stiff all day.
I'll try out your ideas, as I am obviously doing something wrong at the moment.
Although I should be well used to running by now, having done 2 x 2.5 mile gentle, comfortable runs over the weekend without any pain at the time, my calf (soleus) muscles have been noticeably stiff all day.
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
At first, like you - the calfs obviously complain. But a combination of stuff I did overcame that, and I ended up with such springy, compliant calfs that I could bounce on my toes for hours eventually. However, it takes a long time and a bit of work to get your legs conditioned enough to be able to do this....
...Then basically do sets of slow reps - up and down, but not fast - very controlled. If you do it right, you'll get a decent calf burn by about 20 reps. Then I would stop and rest for 2 minutes, and go again.
After maybe 3 or 4 sets of this, the REALLY important thing was to then stretch
I've done some of this kind of exercise, but not to that kind of extent, for fear of over-doing it....Then basically do sets of slow reps - up and down, but not fast - very controlled. If you do it right, you'll get a decent calf burn by about 20 reps. Then I would stop and rest for 2 minutes, and go again.
After maybe 3 or 4 sets of this, the REALLY important thing was to then stretch
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Lastly - what is your warming-up procedure? This is equally important - if you try to ask too much of cold and rested muscles too soon - you will also experience the kind of problems you are discussing.
I do a dynamic calf warm up Like this, although I've no idea whether or not I do enough.Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
stretch PROPERLY at the end of the run
I have heard conflicting things about post-exercise stretching of the calf muscles. I may try doing more though. I'll try out your ideas, as I am obviously doing something wrong at the moment.
Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 13th January 22:27
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff