Hope it all goes well @fatbuddha 
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still trying to work out why I have a hospital wristband on each wrist - maybe in case they chop an arm off?? #baffled
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Just check to see they havenāt marked your arm up with a Sharpie 
best of luck 
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Or your pecs! 
Does it say DD on your chest?
Finally out the theatre and recovering until they let me home. All seemed to go OK
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not a trotter shot but a knee shot for a change. 2 keyholes only and knee feels OK with some discomfort to be expected but no worse than pre-op.
just need not to be stupid and get a good recovery on it 
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Ok so i am 75% sure i have a mild soleus strain.
Having read this: Rehabilitation of soleus muscle injuries in distance runners it seems to fit. In particular
- Kinetic chain dysfunctions ā poor hip extension flexibility and associated poor gluteus maximus recruitment. This is a common problem in triathletes or runners that sit for long periods for work.
tick, tick, tick and tick!!!
@pacha usual RICE protocol, then a bit of the old calf dips/steps to strengthen?
What do you guys reckon? Stay off it from a running perspective now iām 10 days out. Iāll clearly not be firing on all cylinders at Cotswold, but iām not going to suddenly lose all my run fitness, if i keep cycling where i can.
Any other thoughts or theories welcome.
Im no expert but this close I doubt you are going to see any significant dip in run fitness if you stop all together. I remember James Cracknell ran the MdS having hardly run for 6 weeks leading up to it due to hip injury.
keep you general aerobic fitness up on the bike and rest the calf as much as you can
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Gettin 'em in early
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I would say not. I think ice is of use in the first 48 hours but only hurts with localised inflammation, if there is any. I would not run yet. I would do static holds on a step. Setup as if youāre going to do a heel drop but with the foot horizontal and just hold it there for 6-10s several times. If that is pain free then increase the drop angle of the heel but not under load. Once you have lowered it unloaded then load it statically again. (Does that make sense?). If it goes well then start with slow, gentle heel drops.
Am I right in thinking this came on after a TT bike ride?
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Well it did today, yes as I did a TT bike then brick. But it was sore a few days ago when I hadnāt been riding my bike. Think I ran Monday, was tight and sore. Massaged it Tues. Felt better Wed then worse today.
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OK so probably at least a few days old, wouldnāt bother with ice. Loading it gently is the best course.
I acutely tore a hip flexor so did get the injury pea bag out the freezer and used it that evening. But loaded the following day, was quite sore but manageable and was back running in about 2 wks. You will be able to run a bit in a few days I suspect. Long term some strengthening would be a good idea. Soleus is possibly the most common muscle injured in endurance running? (off top of my head, no data and no time to google it right now)
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@gingerbongo, Iāve had 8-10 Soleus strains in my life. Ballache.
It obviously depends on the grade, but if itās mild you may get away with it. Grade 1 suggests no immediate stop to activity, and you can walk without a limp. Grade 2 is an immediate stop, and walk with a limp for a few days.
The problem, with soleus strains, is that you arenāt too sure where you are with recovery. You feel good to go, until you try and run.
Crack on with swimming, cycling, rowing and calf raises. Bit of foam rolling is good too.
Donāt run. Try not to walk. Obviously donāt stretch.
If you can, get to a physio.
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Cheers dude. I reckon I had a grade 1 and now itās somewhere between 1 and 2. Deffo stopped me in my tracks. Couldnāt have run through it, even if I tried.
It feels a tad better already now, after sitting on my arse most of the day. Donāt think Iām limping now, but I definitely feel it when I walk, particularly in stairs.
Hoping ten days will be enough. No runs before race day. Time will tell I guess!
Iāve suffered a mot of tightness in soleus for years. Weak glutes and hips and not doing my S&C are key contributors. Think I may have to stop blagging it and accept Iām nearly 40.
Cheers
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Massaging also helps me as well, the whole calf. But I suspect mine is often tightness rather than a pull.
Edit: not sure massaging the quad will help FFS, I meant the calf, it has been another long day!
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@gingerbongo, I hear you! Weāre similar ages, and sounds like we have similar structural problems when it comes to glutes and hips!
Iāve recovered from grade 1ās in a few days, and been back at it.
Currently on 6.5 weeks without running with a Grade 2, with another couple of weeks in front of me.
Hammer the swimming, cycling and S&C work though!
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Yes but no. Theyāre tight because theyāre weak (relatively). They struggle with the load youāre putting through them and that is your body letting you know. They need direct strengthening, sure do your pelvis stabilisers/ācoreā but you really need to strengthen your soleus too.
Getting plenty of walking while youāre not running should help too. For the Cotswold race you will be fine and the fitness wonāt be noticeably affected IMO.
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Kind of linked to @pacha ās post above. Can anyone recommend an online strength and core programme, targeting the lower back / hamstrings / glutes? Iām getting very weak there, as Iām getting older and not doing anything. I just want to follow a set of exercises and see how I get on. Was thinking of any YouTube channels etc.
Best thing for glutes and hammies is squatting and deadlifts. 3-5 sets of 4-6 reps. Heavy weights. Squats hit your core if you do them correct. You need to brace your core has you lift
For direct lower back either medicine ball raises or the Superman exercise. Lie on your front and raise your arms and legs at the same time.
I usually finish off with a core exercise called 4 for the core. Its 1 min plank, 1 right side plank, 1 min left side plank and then back to 1 min normal plank. Increase the amount of time each time.
It might not be what you want as it includes upper body but the 5x5 programme is really easy to follow and needs minimal equipment. Includes the main compound exercises and progressive overload to consistently get stronger. When you start out with an empty bar the sessions only take 25 mins, a few months in and the weight is heavy with the extra rest and warm up sets its about 50 mins.
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