Blog

Learning the hard way

Good morning!

A few weeks ago, I chatted about the 5K race I enjoyed and not because of a fairly good finish, or that I placed 2nd in my age bracket. But, my enjoyment stemmed from running a fun trail race AND it was an indication that I had fully recovered from a tear in my right calf muscle. Fast forward about 2 weeks and I was out enjoying an easy 60-minute run and at the 25-minute mark a sharp pain shot through my left calf. Ugh! I wanted to cry as I walked the back to the house.

If you follow me enough, you are probably sick of hearing about the constant struggles I have with calf injuries and would you might even suggest that I take up another sport. I can honestly say, the thought of giving up running has not once crossed my mind, so that is not an option. Instead, the better option is to follow my son in-law, physical therapist Aaron Miller’s instruction more consistently. When I injured the calf back in the summer, Doc Miller directed my recovery, which included doing some single foot (with a dumbbell) exercises. Under his directions, I recovered and enjoyed some great runs with no calf issues. Of course, the exercises became sporadic (at best) after my calf felt okay, and then bam, I strain my other calf!

This chat is not about the injury, but more about my not taking care of myself and the ensuing results. My calves are tight and will always need constant attention and if I ignore them, I have no doubt I will struggle with them. The good news is that I repeated the steps I took to heal the right calf and because it was not a tear, I am back on the road. This time, I am working my way back to running with my wife Kathleen, who is trying to find time to get back running in her busy schedule. Just as before, getting back to full strength will take some patience. Moving forward, I will make stretching and strengthening the calves a priority.

Happy November!

God Bless!

Mike