I wrote a while back about Dr. Lieberman’s research on running styles. That knowledge brought me to researching barefoot running and VFFs, which in turn lead me to major calf pain. It seems I am just like every other runner in the world – sure that I would be able to go further than they suggested and not have crippling pain, and being wrong about it.
Of course, I learned my lesson right off and didn’t repeat my mistake. Alright, I admit it, I MAY have tried the same thing a few times thinking the results would be different. But in my defense, I had to figure out WHY it was causing me pain, so that I could fix that aspect of my running. I also didn’t stop to think that I was coming back from surgery, which may have changed my gait. Nor that I was coming back to running from several months of forced inactivity. Nor that I was trying to learn a new way of running, in a completely different type of shoe.
One of the problems with combining so many things, is to figure out WHAT is causing a particular pain, is there a qucik (but effective fix), and is it a pain that I actually need to pay much attention to. If I do a hill work out, I know I am going to be in pain, but it is going to be a muscle ache from the workout, not a pain I need to worry about.
Then there is the pain that happens while running – can it be run through, where it will loosen up, or is it one that is going to get worse and may become a major injury?
I may have chosen incorrectly on what sort of pain I had been experiencing. I did a 5 mile run today (my calf was feeling much better today) and unfortunately I overestimated my abilities and condition. It will be interesting to see what my calf feels like tomorrow. I received the KT Tape and RockTape samples that they companies sent me – I will get to try them and see if they help.
I suspect I may have figured out what exactly has caused my calf pain – but I will need to see for sure. I ran earlier this week – and did 4.2 miles with no major pain, yet today I was sore around 3.5 miles. What I did differently was to try and run using the same style as I was using in the Vibrams. It seems that the pain wasn’t just the extension of the calf muscle from the shoes – but from teh style itself. So, while I may have found more pain – perhaps, I have learned what this one was trying to teach me. We will see.
I run, because I am a runner. Having realized that I have always "been a runner" - even when I went years with out running, I am learning how it has integrated itself in all aspects of my life. When I started running in highschool, my perspective on life changed. Funny that I didn't realize how much it had affected it until just recently.
Once and Future Runner 
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