Something I know very well! Major issues with my right calf about 10 years ago. Took 2-3 months where it was comfortable/sensible to start running again.
Even now it gets stiff if I don’t do regular mobility work and foam rolling. Calf sleeves also help me, although I don’t know if that’s more mental.
My advise, see a physio ASAP if you haven’t already.
Garmin told me my V02 Max was 64 last night.
Yeah, okay hun 
I wish…!
Mind you I never use a fan…!
Good work that …
Yesterday I did a staple run session that was long overdue, 2x3km threshold in a 1h run. Yeah, it hurt a bit; the cold weather meant I was salivating like a rabid dog. Bit off where I’d normally be, but I’ve been concentrating on hills of late 4:04/03/3:59 & 3:53/59/59 (4km w/u, 1km RI, 2.*km jog back) would have been quicker without traffic ‘obstacles’.
I’ve got 4*1M tomorrow that I’ve been dreading all week 
5km of pull/paddles this morning
Pressed the lap button every 500m
All but 2 were within 10 seconds of each other
Stop it!!!
I was debating an hour of paddles…see if I could manage 4km
4K of big paddles would be tough! (my Aqua Sphere ones seen to be bigger than most).
I’ve never tried paddles, they look like torture!
I used them for the first time last week. You absolutely fly with them 
For about 100m, and then my shoulders and lats start screaming. Which probably says I should use them a bit more. I feel that’s where my weakness is at the moment. In a similar fashion to a lack of muscular endurance on the run.
For anyone interested, I did a brief write up of my 1:21 HM: https://stenardstuff.wordpress.com/2020/03/03/the-big-half-2020/
Caught that on Strava last night 
I’ve used my paddles for the last couple of sets over the last week. Hopefully building a bit of strength
At what pace?
Even at 8 minute miles I’d be dreading it - just the whole structure thing 
I should be doing them at a little quicker than HM pace, which would be 5:32/mile to 6:01/mile.
All these calculators for pace and V02 are shit.
I barely run any faster in a 5km than I do for a 10km, then just add 10s/km for a HM.
3:36/km for 5km
3:39/km for 10km
3:49/km for HM
If I can run a 5km in a smidge under 18 minutes, I can run a half hovering around 1:21
Nice write up @stenard - really pleasing to see. I think you can get away with a few weeks off running, as long as you have that cross training to keep the systems firing - see the Tim O Donnell interview on Oxygen Addict podcast. Much longer than 2/3 months though and it starts to get much harder.
A lad (child) that i used to race in Devon finished 3rd overall. He knocked another few secs off his British U23 record - 62 flat on that course! crazy stuff!
Not sure if it was on this thread that @Chriswim mentioned the OA podcasts. But i’ve just got stuck into a fe wof them and they’re really good. TOD sounded like a proper quality bloke, Macca interview was great and today’s one with Lucy Gossage was really interesting.
I’m the opposite - i’m looking forward to being fit and strong enough again to start structured interval stuff. It’s going to be sobering how slow i am at the moment, but there’s a long way to go. I think i’d struggle to run a single km at my Oct target pace right now!
I think quite a few of us listen. @Rooster who hosts is occasionally active on here. I got a shout out just over a year ago after the Bahrain race I did.
It’s definitely taken a change since Helen left. I actually think Rob’s got a bit more sensible! I’m not sure if that was an intended double act, with Rob acting a bit “off the cuff” and Helen providing the professionalism, but now being solo, Rob seems more prepared and it seems slicker overall.
Strangely, whilst I enjoy it, Helen has gone excessively placid and calm in her own podcast. Her enthusiasm was always one thing that shone through in the original OA format, and whilst she still has that in the interviews she does, her solo sections come across as a little dull.
This is about the harder difficulty in executing / pacing / mentally delivering on the shorter durations. Which is normally compensated for by you doing so much more of the shorter durations so you’re more likely to get it right / being on a good day.
I’m sure you can run a 5km a minute faster than that PB, but of course on lots of days running the first km 12 seconds faster than your current PB will break you (as in provide too much “pain” to allow your mental energy to overcome it) As suggested by your disinterest in intervals, mental energy is possibly in short supply - maybe it’s there for only big races, and parkrun or indeed any 5 or 10km is just not worth spending it on.
I didn’t like podcasts historically, i found them hard to listen to with, usually, slightly dodgy audio amongst other things. But like i said, i’ve enjoyed these. May be a way to save some money by dropping my Audible subscription for a while and filling my time on the podcasts instead. That would be another £7/8 a month that could be profiled against the new bike fund 
Weird. I find structured sessions so much easier. You have a short term focus and there is a recovery to look forward to as “reward” for the pain. Time and distance passes a whole load faster than an unstructured steady run.