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Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:51 pm

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Junior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:35 pm
Posts: 3
Location: Irving,NY

I've been running the 100 and 200m dash for about 10 years for the last 2 years been trying to extend my training to include the 400m but I'm having recurring issues with my left calf muscle. I think I tore it about 4 years ago judging by the way it felt at the time. I can train for the shorter dashes ok but when I do some 400's I feel some tightness in that same calf. I do a bunch of calf stretches before and during a session and sometimes things go ok. Today however I felt the slightest strain so I stopped, and this has happened a couple of times before. I'm hoping to find out if there's anymore I can do to avoid strain. Would working on building my calves help/hurt/ or not make much of a difference? One other thing is- my right knee has a bunch of things wrong with it ( torn acl, miniscus) which makes my left leg quite a bit stronger in comparison. I was thinking that maybe the strength difference may be part of the problem. Any ideas anyone?



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Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:14 pm

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Junior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:35 pm
Posts: 3
Location: Irving,NY

Well, It's been a little over a month and I've been trying to build my calves. Can still feel slight strain. Guess I'll have to give up on the 400 for a bit and see how things turn out.



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Sun Jul 26, 2009 8:18 pm

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Junior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:56 pm
Posts: 7
Location: Tucson, AZ

CRS,
This is my first post on this outstanding forum. I read your post on the calf strain. I won't go into my track and field experience (100-400 meters H.S. & College) and 7 years of triathlon competition but suffice it to say I am well versed in dealing with injury. I found that using a foam roller on the calves/hams/lower back before and after workouts helps a great deal. I simply use a 3-4 inch pvc pipe with some foam duct taped around it. You can buy a foam roller as well but they usually don't have the rigidity necessary to really get deep into the muscle. Also, do dynamic stretching/warm-up before workouts and only hold stretches for 5 seconds during stretching after workouts. Lots of guys over stretch and actually create micro teares in the muscle. And also look at your 400 meter training...if you are running 400 intervals and have only previously ran 200's you are doubling your duration and probably maintaining your intensity...this is usually a recipe for injury. I could go on forever about this topic but just wanted to put in my 2 cents. Best of luck in your training and racing in the years to come. :)

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Pete
http://balancedtraining.vpweb.com/



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Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:19 pm

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Junior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:35 pm
Posts: 3
Location: Irving,NY

Thanks, I'll make a roller and check it out. Also, I've been holding the stretches for a count of ten- I'll switch to 5 and see how that works out. I hadn't really been going all out on the 400 intensity-wise, just slowly trying to build up the effort over the weeks since I wasn't going to try it in competition until next year.



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Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:27 am

 
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Junior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:56 pm
Posts: 7
Location: Tucson, AZ

CRS,
Run a search on google for Bobby McGee also. He is a great running coach who has quite a bit of info on how to stretch. I was at a conference at Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center where he gave a workshop on training/coaching and it was great. He also went over how to stretch one muscle while flexing the antagonistic muscle. This is a bit difficult to explain over the internet but it definitely helped me a great deal. Previously I would get hurt all the time with lower leg injuries due to overstretching but also due to improper running form (overstriding). If you run a search again for foot placement or proper run form and focus on "foot strike" it may also help reduce injury in the calf. There is a great deal of info out there but proper foot strike and stretching is key in my opinion.

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Pete
http://balancedtraining.vpweb.com/



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