Thought I'd share some information from my Osteopath in case its of use.
He treats mainly runners so sees a lot of tight calfs, it is really common in marathon training.
My biggest problem is that my calf muscles are too big, however they are not strong enough to cope with the pressure being put on them. Only solution long term is to make them stronger by doing specific exercises and stretches.
Short term solution is massage - he's recommended I use a tennis ball. not to roll on as you would a foam roller (I'm doing that too and icing and stretching) but to find the pressure point, put pressure on then release.
Cause of my problems has undoubtedly been stepping up volume and pace too quickly. It's a tough lesson learned. he says he sees these injuries more often from people who train on their own as they miss out on the discipline of club training (I always feared that if I joined a club it'd have the opposite effect and I'd try to push too hard to keep up).
He says I'll get there for the marathon but not to over train between now and then, little can be gained, and just do short distances below marathon pace.
Psychology is a big factor for those of us coming back from setbacks - especially as that fear can lead to tightness. Something to bare in mind I think is that nearly everyone at the start of a marathon will be nursing injuries, niggles and concerns - the best thing to do is to approach it with the emphasis on enjoying the experience, so that's what I'm going to do.
Edited: 30/03/2011 at 11:40
