Cramp kills calf

Hi guys,

Recently took up swimming, figuring that it would improve my breathing and upper body strength, and be a good workout with less risk of injury. Well that was a mistake. While swimming last night my calf muscle went into complete spasm and went rigid for almost ten minutes. Now it's pretty painful when I walk, let alone any running.

So, I'm supposed to be doing the Nike 10k this Sunday, followed by Windsor half the following week. Should I drop out of the Nike run to give my calf time to fix itself? Or should I run the Nike and risk buggering it up and not being able to run Windsor? Or am I just panicking about nothing?

Any suggestions gratefully received, as I've never had cramp like this before and I don't know how much damage it can actually do to the muscle, or how quickly it repairs itself.

cheers
venom

Venom

How far had you swam at the time? If I remember right calf cramps should be referred to a GP, but I wouldn't bother myself if it happened at the end of a very hard session. If that's the case can you get a massage somewhere?

Had just done 28 lengths, so it would have been just under 1k. Nothing too excessive anyway, certainly wouldn't describe it as a hard session.

Might have to see if I can get an emergency massage before Sunday.

venom

Calf cramp - happened to me only once in the pool - I blamed it on the drinking session the night before, and the pain lasted for about 4 or 5 days, but it was only stiffness and could be stretched out. It has only happened once in the pool for me, but did happen when I was adventure racing last weekend. Went from the run (about 10k) onto the bike and both calves cramped. It took a few minutes to die down, and I finished the race (about another 2 hours) with no problem. One thing to try is not pointing your toes so much when swimming, remember to release and relax your calf regularly