having now spent almost a month at level one I am impressed by the gains and changes to my strength and posture.
I haven't been able to spend as much time as I should on the fit-ball but have managed to dedicate time every day to the exercises and drills.
I am still not completely pain free in my gastroc/soleous and will attempt to run post a fitness test 24/12/14. 30 x pain free full extension calf raises and single leg hopping. Continuing with self massage/trigger point roller and stick.
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Do you use a tennis ball to massage your plantar? I get good results using this method. The golf ball can be a little harsh.
R
Glad to hear your progress! I tend to get plantar fasciitis and I have found massaging the tight calves, trying to find tender spots or knots has been huge....best wishes!
My foot strike, cadence and posture have all improved massively. Combined with the exercise regimen, I have concentrated on my drills. This has without doubt been a massive leap forward and my confidence has grown exponentially. Going from an injury riddled 'wanna-be' runner I can now say I am pushing out 3 x 10km trail runs per week. These, I must admit have been cautious affairs and whenever i have felt discomfort I have stopped to stretch out (predominantly my calf). Over time these have reduced as well and is now only required after a particularly hard climb.
There does seem to be a residual issue now though and it's soreness along the peroneous longus. This also seems to be concentrated to where it attaches to the head of the fibula. I am releasing this tension with a suitably placed golf ball but it's still a minor post run issue. I am hopeful that increased L&R leg uphill slant boad exercises will strengthen this area. I am assuming that the issues are arising from perhaps my foot rolling in my gait cycle. I think this is pronation or plantar flexion which is stressing my peroneous longus (guess who has been googling this one)!! Anyway, I am monitoring this carefully and compared to where I was 3 months ago I couldn't be happier with my new found running form. Awesome!
Yes, keep us posted Richard. One thought based on your comments and the persistence of this calf issue, if you are stretching ALOT in an effort to help, this might be causing more trouble. If so, I would stick to just self-massage right now and try to relax the muscle(s).
I will be treating my calf issues with kid gloves. This is a long standing issue which has ultimately brought me to you and your methods, For which I am very grateful as I am at last making progress.
Although I do have an additional complexity. In order to get my CV fix I have been cycling (a lot - 7hrs per week min over several years) and this has developed my legs in such a way that it has made my transition to running slightly more problematic.
My intention is to implement your suggested isometric strength holding technique and gauge the results. I will look at my run capability in another week and hopefully progress to a km or two by the end of January. This will be eight weeks since the last suspected tear.
I will keep you posted.
Thank you once again.
Thanks for posting and great work. If you are having issues with gastric/soleous, I would watch how much calf raises you do. Isometric holding strength will be better for this until pain free. So just a thought - keep us posted.