HOW I HEALED A CALF STRAIN IN 4 WKS

 I have been training hard for a 50 mile trail run in September.  As I began to experience more foot pain, I changed shoes to a wider, more cushioned shoe.  This felt great at first.  However, I later discovered that the new shoe I was wearing had a little less "heel drop" than my tried and true Asics Kayano.  This little bit of extra strain on the calf and achilles resulted in a low grade gastrocnemius tear.  I knew exactly what it was.  6 wks of rest should take care of it, but that was just not time I could afford to lose training.

I put myself in a CAM walker boot to rest the calf as much as possible.  After several days the pain lessened, and I transitioned to a more functional AFO brace that I got from Premier O&P.  I was able to swim and bike through the early stages of the injury, and the AFO allowed me to do some hiking on a family vacation in Yellowstone.  I took about 10 days off running.  I was able to do a 10 mile trail run very slowly a week and a half after the injury.  The calf felt pretty good, but I had to stop when my hip started hurting, probably a result of compensating for the calf.

I got into physical therapy the next week, and worked with Chuck at Snyder PT.  He's been doing ultrasound, dry needling as needed, and has instructed me how to warm up properly.  Over the next two weeks, I mostly swam and biked, and did 2 very short runs of 2 and 2.5 miles.  My calf hurt after the 2 mile run, but responded well to dry needling.  The next week I was able to do a 5 mile run with virtually no pain.  The real test was coming up though--the Dizzy Goat.

The Dizzy Goat was an important race on my calendar.  It was a 6 hour trail run in the heat of the day at Chalco Hills in Omaha.  If I could do this run, I was on track for my 50 miler in September.  If I failed, the 50 miler was in real jeopardy.

With a heel lift in my shoe and compression sleeve on my calf, I embarked on the 6 hour run last Saturday at 1PM.  Having not run more than 5 miles the two weeks leading up to the race, I was really nervous.  My calf felt a little tight after a few miles but loosened up.  At Chuck's suggestion, I used a muscle roller after every 3 mile loop, and this kept me going for 24 miles.  I was happy and relieved that the race went so well.  

I am grateful for the help and support of Brandon at Premier O&P and Chuck at Snyder PT.  Thanks guys!!  I'm also back to my Asics Kayano.  Sorry I cheated on you!  Never again!!