R Lower Leg, Calf Strain
2006-02-19 – 2006-02-24
Grade: 2
Pain in my right upper soleus or lower gastrocnemius muscle. There was tightness in my calves, especially the right one, following my hard training week ending on February 19. There was some pain in my calf before and during the 10k trail run on the 19th, and it flared up again on my run and intervals on the 22nd. The calf felt a bit tight but not significantly painful during and after the sprint orienteering race on the 24th.
This injury was difficult to classify, since it could have been either a minor strain or a major soreness from a heavy workload. It got better, but it's easy to imagine it having flared up and necessitated a several-day break from training. I'm not sure how to tell the difference between a fleeting injury/soreness and one that requires complete rest to heal, but in both cases, I try to use extra care when stretching or using the muscle when cold, for example when getting out of bed in the morning.