calf pain - Transition Hell - Help me out of this mess!

Pirate

Barefooters
Jun 4, 2013
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Summary: I did a lot wrong to start. I have now done a reasonable job of correcting form, slow transition, drills, etc., I have the book, ran short runs barefoot, thought about posture and 1-2-3 landings. But my calves are a mess! I can barely walk. After lots of calf problems barefoot, I went back to regular shoes for my regular 40 min hill run today, and now even that short run gives me calf pain, and again, I can barely walk!
I can take off a couple days from running, and I presume the next thing people will advise is for me to start over 100%, 10 min run the first time, 20 the next, etc. But how can I get back to a reasonable running distance, and not have calf problems before I get fat? I am pretty dejected, because I'm much worse off than if I never started barefoot/minimalist.​


Help me out of this mess!​



History:
Around 1 March I bought vibrams. I took a 30 min run in the hills and I had lots of pain. I then took a very very easy transition, wearing my regular shoes for about the first 1/3 of run, then running in vibrams for 1/3, then regular shoes. When I went to all vibram run, I developed calf pain at the end of runs which just got worse and worse.
A couple of weeks ago I got Ken-bob's book and walked barefoot lots. Last week I went to a place that had a boardwalk of rough concrete surface, flat. I ran very easy barefoot about 25 minutes, very carefully practicing technique from the book. My feet bottoms got terriffic blisters. Two days later, same run, vibrams, my calves were bad. Two days later, same run, vibrams, I had terrible calve pain, almost incapacitated. Two days later, decided I needed a rest, ran in regular shoes, again, I can barely walk.

Remarks:
Why did I ever start this craziness? Well, my calves seemed to be getting tighter every year. Maybe I even had a little knee pain every once in a while. So, I hoped barefoot or minimalist would slow my degeneration. Hasn't happened!
So, again, how do I get back to health, and how do I do it before I get fat?
Thanks thanks thanks very much for advice. -P​
 
Its very obvious that you did too much to begin with, in other words you went too far when starting your Vff/barefoot runs.
You could soak your calves in a bucket of icy water for no more that 20 mins and massage your calves-a lot, a lot, a lot a lot. Also start using compression sleeves for you calves(not when running but in you off time) and dont run until all feels good and when you go back to running you could look at the Couch to 5k plan(you can downloaded for free in the coolrunning site) and follow the plan with rest days in betwwen-do not run everyday, run every other day OR better yet every two days depending on how you feel. Don't switch between BF and shoes go all bf at the beginning and when you conquered the transition then and only then you could wear your VFF if you like.
Good luck
 
I agree with Dama, it sounds like you jumped into way too much too soon. Vff's are notorious around here for letting people run more than they are ready for. If after 3 months you are still having calf pain you may have pulled some muscles too from doing too much. Maybe give yourself a break for a bit and get your legs healthy again and then start over. I understand you are worried about getting fat, but if you rush the transition phase you WILL end up with injuries which will force you to take longer periods of time off. Lot's of folks on here who ended up with stress fractures from doing too much too soon. Better to follow the 1 mile three times for the first week and then the next increase from 1 mile to 1.25 on your 3 runs and so on. If you feel you still need to run more because that is not enough for you I would recommend doing that in your old shoes. Transitioning to barefoot/minimalist is different for each person. Some transition fast and can do a lot really fast, and some people transition slow. Too me it sounds like you may be one of those people who needs to transition slower.
 
are you letting your heels touch? a lot of newbies, including this one, make that mistake. running on your toes and not letting your heels touch. they need to touch to make your legs act like springs.

don't forget your using your muscles in a different way. you wouldn't go into the gym and throw all the weights on a bar and lift would you? well sounds like you did just that with your running. you have to give up all goals if you want to run bf and change your form. lose the shoes and let your skin coach you. when it hurts, stop. don't worry the transition will happen and you'll quickly surpass what you used to do.
 
When I ran my first barefoot mile, I couldnt' walk without serious pain for 4 days. I just waited and started VERY slowly when I felt better. Every time I got blisters or something probably from overuse, I backed off a bit. I also had trouble when I tried to begin with VFF, so switched to all bare foot for a while. Now, I can wear minimalist shoes some, but only because the form is more intuitive now. Hang in there and be patient.
 
I think Darma hit the nail on the head in her analysis.
I would always say ditch the Vibrams until you can run correctly. That can take a year or more. It took me 2 years, you will require a lot of patience or else be prepared for your body to make you patient. If you can't run the distance barefoot then don't do it in Vibrams. I have run nearly 5000km barefoot and of those km only around 250km in Vibrams. Each time I wear Vibrams I will run too hard, barefoot can't do that.

Neil
 
Thank you all VERY much for your replies.

Here is what I will do:

* I will take until no calf pain or thursday.
* I will start with 1 mile runs 3X/wk, building .25 miles/run the second week, ALL BAREFOOT until 2 mi.s
* I will start squat exercises/stretches slowly week 2

Now, if I am still having pain by July 8, I think we have to throw in the towel here, and never run in minimalist shoes again.

Don't you all think this fair?

Again, thanks for your replies.

-P
 
Don't you all think this fair?

I think you might be compressing the time-line quite a bit.

Enjoy the journey - but relinquish the hard goals.

This helped me a lot:
“Think Easy, Light, Smooth, and Fast. You start with easy, because if that’s all you get, that’s not so bad. Then work on light. Make it effortless, like you don’t give a shit how high the hill is or how far you’ve got to go. When you’ve practiced that so long that you forget you’re practicing, you work on making it smooooooth. You won’t have to worry about the last one – you get those three, and you’ll be fast.”
 
do you want to run a race or learn to run barefoot? which is more important? it takes TIME to learn to run properly. don't rush it because your body will break down. we get sick and injured a lot from not giving our bodies the rest they need. only you can answer these questions as to what's most important to you. i wish you best of luck and either way don't hurt yourself.
 
I'll throw in my two cents as well. I found that running with VFF's caused me pain on the side of the calves. Switching to straight barefoot allowed me to feel how my foot was landing better, and I realized my heels were actually hitting the ground too hard. Once I could feel the ground properly, I transitioned to a more mid-foot landing, as well as landing lighter. I also found that running relaxed, as others have said here, really helps make a smoother, more comfortable running experience.
Whatever you do, take it easy, enjoy the experience, and hopefully you will find your best technique!
 
A lot of the time it sounds very straightforward, relax, don't do too much etc. The problem is we like to add structure to our lives so it gives us a sense of control. Unfortunately learning to run barefoot can't be controlled in this way as you are trying to rewire the brain and this will take different amounts of time in different people.
You will know when you are doing it right as you will feel it in your head, it will feel natural and wearing shoes to run will seem strange. You should hear no sound from your feet if you are landing correctly, anything else is the sound of a potential injury waiting to happen. It is purely the length of time that you run barefoot that will rewire the brain. So walking and running slowly will help, just don't plan to run any races for at least 6months to a year or the training structure will bring you down pretty quickly.

Neil
 
Thank you all VERY much for your replies.

Here is what I will do:

* I will take until no calf pain or thursday.
* I will start with 1 mile runs 3X/wk, building .25 miles/run the second week, ALL BAREFOOT until 2 mi.s
* I will start squat exercises/stretches slowly week 2

Now, if I am still having pain by July 8, I think we have to throw in the towel here, and never run in minimalist shoes again.

Don't you all think this fair?

Again, thanks for your replies.

-P
I am really confused with these two statements. Are you going to run completely barefoot as in nothing on your feet like the skin touching the ground? because running in minimal shoes does not equal berefoot running.
 
I started with VFFs and regret it. After many months of being 100% barefoot, I went back to try to use the VFFS, once, and I ended up with trigger points/pain in my ankles, achilles tendons, and calves -from just one run. Ugh. If you NEED a zero support "shoe" -get Soft Stars, Moc3s. They only have a 2mm bottom and no other support.
 
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do you want to run a race or learn to run barefoot? which is more important? it takes TIME to learn to run properly. don't rush it because your body will break down. we get sick and injured a lot from not giving our bodies the rest they need. only you can answer these questions as to what's most important to you. i wish you best of luck and either way don't hurt yourself.

Yes. Respect your body and it will respect you.
 
Thank you all VERY much for your replies.

Here is what I will do:

* I will take until no calf pain or thursday.
* I will start with 1 mile runs 3X/wk, building .25 miles/run the second week, ALL BAREFOOT until 2 mi.s
* I will start squat exercises/stretches slowly week 2

Now, if I am still having pain by July 8, I think we have to throw in the towel here, and never run in minimalist shoes again.

Don't you all think this fair?

Again, thanks for your replies.

-P

Um, no, I don't think it's fair. Many reasons already stated above. If you are worried about "getting fat" find some other workouts you can enjoy doing. Almost any active sport that appeals to you, cycling, strength training, etcetera. Don't think of barefoot running as a "workout" right now. You'll only get frustrated. Think of it as something you are working on learning that will eventually get you to a workout.
And, yeah, mellow out on the planning. This adaptation of running in a different way, of trying to undo physical deformations from a lifetime in shoes, of holding your body in a different way when you walk or run, it's going to differ by person. That's why the (good) bf running books don't give you timelines. It surely is difficult if you're the planning type, but again, make the plan to adapt your body, not to get/stay in shape. That comes later.
 
Hi all,

I'm new to this site, and have a question about a calf strain. I know that this is an old thread, but didn't think it warranted starting a new topic.

My running background:
* I am new to running (not counting school 20+ years ago).
* I've been curious about barefoot or minimalist running for a few years now. My first 5k Park run was 10 months ago, and I then started running once a week in Xero sandals, with the odd barefoot run.
* Was loving it, and foolishly decided to enter a half marathon with 3 months to train. Too much too soon, started 3 runs a week, then had recurring knee pain. The pain arrived earlier and earlier each run.
* I self diagnosed as an ITB problem, and with not enough time before the half, I postponed the half to next year and took a week off.
* For the last two months have built up to about 20km/week, only running barefoot. Knee pain has not returned.

Calf strain:
* About 1 week ago, I was doing some interval running and pulled my right lower calf muscle. It wasn't too bad, with no visible bruising or anything. I haven't seen a PT or anything, as it seems too minor for that. I've been foam rolling and massaging it, and have started doing heel drops (Eccentric calf raises). It is improving quickly.
* My question is about when to start running again. I've seen on the internet (including searching this site) that many recommend waiting until there is no pain. What is not clear to me is whether you should wait until the muscle feels completely normal, or just until there is no sharp pain.
* For example, right now if I walk briskly, there is no pain and only if I concentrate very hard can I notice the injury at all. However, if I dig my thumbs into the area firmly, it does hurt (though it feels good). If I try a very light run for a short distance, I can definitely feel the injury, but there is no sharp pain.

There is no rush for me, as the half is a long way away, but I am loving the running and don't want to wait longer than necessary. But I also don't want to risk re-injury by starting too soon.

Thanks!

Nathan
 
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Welcome, Nathan!

Very glad to hear that going barefoot has helped you avoid some injuries.

The guideline that has served me well for my calf strain is to not run until ankle dorsiflexion (pulling up toward the shin) range of motion returns. To test, see how far forward you can comfortably bend your knees while keeping your heels firmly planted. (Typically, I can push my knee forward 5 to 8 cm further than my toes. After straining or re-injuring my calf, I couldn’t push that knee past my toes at all for nearly a week, and then there were another few days until both ankles behaved the same way.) When both knees reach forward the same amount, I do not run aggressively (hills, intervals, etc) until I can run gently without any pulling or tightness.

Hope this helps!
 
Welcome, Nathan. :barefoot:

Thank you, Jon.