General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Calf tear - 6 weeks out from 70.3 Rss Feed  
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2017-03-18 5:32 PM

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ALBANY
Subject: Calf tear - 6 weeks out from 70.3
Hi all, had a calf tear 4 weeks ago. I'd been training for 8 weeks and was feeling fit and strong then "bam".
I fully rested it for 3 weeks and went back to gentle jogging this week. I did 1/2 hr Mon, then an hour on treadmill Wed, today 3 kms into my run "bam" calf again!!!
My question is what do I do? I have the swim and cycle leg sorted but the run is my weakest leg. Do I stay off it till race day? Do I get someone else to do my run leg (change to team entry) or do I stay off it 'x' number of weeks and try to get some km in the legs in the 2-3 week lead up?
I'm stuck??? Anyone else had this happen and can share their knowledge/experience or give me advice?
Cheers, Tracy


2017-03-18 5:54 PM
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Subject: RE: Calf tear - 6 weeks out from 70.3

Injury is part of running.  Get healthy, then run.  No shortcuts. Has the "tear" been diagnosed by a doctor?

If you are dead set on doing the 70.3 ......walk.  No shame there with an injury in the lead up.



Edited by Left Brain 2017-03-18 5:55 PM
2017-03-18 6:09 PM
in reply to: tmespo


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Subject: RE: Calf tear - 6 weeks out from 70.3
Originally posted by tmespo

Hi all, had a calf tear 4 weeks ago. I'd been training for 8 weeks and was feeling fit and strong then "bam".
I fully rested it for 3 weeks and went back to gentle jogging this week. I did 1/2 hr Mon, then an hour on treadmill Wed, today 3 kms into my run "bam" calf again!!!
My question is what do I do? I have the swim and cycle leg sorted but the run is my weakest leg. Do I stay off it till race day? Do I get someone else to do my run leg (change to team entry) or do I stay off it 'x' number of weeks and try to get some km in the legs in the 2-3 week lead up?
I'm stuck??? Anyone else had this happen and can share their knowledge/experience or give me advice?
Cheers, Tracy


Hi, I tore mine 3 weeks before a 70.3 in december. It was fine on race day. This is what I did and I guess it depends on the severity of the calf tear:

- icing religiously
- anti-inflammatories
- stretching and rolling both before and after
- warming up properly before a run
- only ran in my HOKAs, they felt more supportive
- ran on grass initially
- definitely no intervals to start with, slow jogging
- and compression socks. These things were a life saver.

I'm surprised it tore again, did you warm up properly? Was it cold? How fast were you going?
2017-03-18 9:00 PM
in reply to: tmespo

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Subject: RE: Calf tear - 6 weeks out from 70.3
Everyone is unique, and what works for some may not work for others. But......for most, a three week break and then jumping right back into 60 minute runs can turn into problems. The idea behind gradual increases in training stress is to give you body time to adapt. If you take a long break, jumping right back in at your previous stress level can be counter-productive.
2017-03-18 9:26 PM
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Subject: RE: Calf tear - 6 weeks out from 70.3
Originally posted by g_shotts

Everyone is unique, and what works for some may not work for others. But......for most, a three week break and then jumping right back into 60 minute runs can turn into problems. The idea behind gradual increases in training stress is to give you body time to adapt. If you take a long break, jumping right back in at your previous stress level can be counter-productive.


Yup an hour on the treadmill first week back is probably too much. My first week back I jogged 2 times. Mon 2 km, thus 3km and sun 4km. All very slow 6min/km pace. End week 2 I was back to running 45mins+ still slow and gentle.

Do you know what grade tear it is? Obviously get a medical opinion, but you should be able to recover in time. You might have to get it strapped or wear a tight compression sleeve.

Edited by zedzded 2017-03-18 9:30 PM
2017-03-19 2:09 AM
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ALBANY
Subject: RE: Calf tear - 6 weeks out from 70.3
Thanks all, yes back to the physio for me... still hopeful! Fingers crossed.


2017-03-19 2:19 AM
in reply to: tmespo

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Subject: RE: Calf tear - 6 weeks out from 70.3
Not sure how much of your training you normally do on the treadmill, but if you don't usually do much, I would avoid it when coming back from an injury. I find that my stride is quite different on the treadmill from running outside, plus it is not a very forgiving surface, and when I do run on it, I end up sore in all kinds of places that I don't normally. Also a bit harder to automatically/instantly adjust stride and pace according to how you are feeling. Once you get back to running, I would try to find a very even, soft surface to run on.
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