This Is Why Your Calves Hurt From Running 

Stupidly decided to run my first marathon in new shoes yesterday. My calves was screaming, and hearing your advice on why we need time to adapt, it makes complete sense.

Great advice! Currently nursing sore calves from my first marathon yesterday.

After watching this video this morning. I really concentrated on my foot striking during today's run. Felt soooo much better. I ran more forefoot, bordering on tiptoeing and the amount of calf injuries I was getting was really getting me down but today felt awesome. Plus I was wearing some new Brooks launch 8s. I felt like I was flying today and am so uplifted again to keep going.

Excellent video! Very informative and inspiring to stop neglecting those discomforts you've kind of gotten used to.

What a great explanation video! I did not even know about the zero drop shoes🤦🏻‍♀️. I got new trail running shoes only but a couple runs before my first ultra. No wonder I experienced cramps on the downhill. Glad I didn’t injured them further. Now I’m babying some very sore calves. Thank you for this video!

Loved this! Hydration and nutrition also crucial for proper recovery and function. I can really tell in my muscles when I’m not properly hydrated especially.

A few years ago I was just a daily 5-mile walker and I switched to a zero-drop shoe and wore it every day for over a month, my calf was always tight, and I ended up with a calf injury. After a few weeks of recovery, I went to a running shoe store and they put me in a 12mm drop shoe to take some relief off the calf muscle, and then after 6-8 weeks we switched to a 10mm drop, and finally to a 8mm drop shoe that I now run in. It's taken some time to build up to being a runner, but I've learned that just buying a "Cool" looking shoe isn't what's important when selecting running shoes, because in my case, they can lead to injury.

We know how to beat running Injuries. Download The Daily Run App and check out our injured runner program! tre.onelink.me/I8YZ/3eb5fc43

Thanks so much! I instantly understood how I strained my calves! Your video is really informative and helpful!

Excellent content, excellent editing! Hearing about balancing eccentric and concentric contractions was a really useful explanation. This coach learned a better way to explain and help my runners. Thanks, Coach Holly!

Thanks for the tips, Holly! Help a lot, for sure!

Timely video! Was experiencing calf issues the last two weeks. I think my issue was my shoes, as they were worn down and had 400 miles on them. Once I bought and wore a new pair, the calf pain subsided. I also started foam rolling my calves every day, which really helped recovery. Thanks for the great tips, Holly!

Another great episode, thanks for the tips coach

Awesome video Holly! Many thanks

So I am currently preparing for BMT and I’ve been running 6 miles roughly 4-5 days a week for the past month and a half. My calves are smoked and will definitely be listening to all the advice

Thanks Holly. I have been experiencing this for a while. I don’t believe it is an injury. I will implement some of your suggestions.

Great tips! I really need to add the calf exercises daily... I'm great for a week, then fall off the wagon, and my calves pay the price. It used to be PF, when I wore higher drop shoes and was a heel striker... I've just come to accept that ANY shoe and ANY mechanics can lead to injury without strength and mobility to back them up. Ok... I'm adding a daily alarm now. Thanks Coach Holly!

Thank you for this video! I just took up running a month ago and….doing everything wrong. I hit the treadmill every day for the past 22 days and like you said in the video, I smoked my right calf. I bought new running sneakers that felt great in the store. I hit the treadmill and within a few minutes of running my calf locked up. I’m now resting and icing. I’m aggravated but it’s a learning experience. I started to actually love running and now I’m sidelined. I should have educated myself before I started.

This is the permission I need to let my heals touch, thank you!! I had to switch to treadmill for speed work because I’m in the frozen prairies of Canada. It’s so loud to sprint at the gym on the machine so I’ve been overcompensating and trying to land as light as possible only on my toes…

Nice information-packed video. Took a lot from this even though I was actually only after something about cramping when my calves turned into rocks at the end of a virtual London Marathon earlier this month, luckily I only had a mile to go. Fun fact when Paula Radcliffe broke the marathon world record in London 2003 she had cramping in her calves 5 miles out but still ran a blistering 2:15:25, just wow!

Thank you so much for the video. Very instructive and exactly what i need at the moment 😃👍

Great video, suffer a lot with sore calves and currently injured. Will be trying this. 👍

FABULOUS informative video, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

Really helpful thank you. In my 40s and everytime i start running, the calf pain stops me progressing. I'm finally learning how to build things up slowly rather than plough in too deep from the start.

This is information with tons of value. Thanks a lot!.

This is very useful information!

Thank you for this video! It has helped me a lot!!!

fantastic intro and disclaimer. Appreciate that a lot! also the ‚I don‘t play one‘ 👍🏻

Well presented and explained, thanks 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍

7:18 Exactly what happened to me when I switched to Zero Drop. I had my first ever cramp in my calf after my 2nd outing with the shoes. Now I understand why. thank you

Your passion for sharing your knowledge about running injury free with the runners community is amazing. Great vlog, Holly! 🏃

Thank you for this. You sure know what you are talking about. I will make some adjustments

Great video - thank you!!

Great video, definitely guilty of toe running and not putting my heels down

Awesome Video!

thank you. just the advice i needed to know..

Good information. I'll try that after my first real half marathon in ten days because I'm going to be sore for two days like my virtual one last year.

very helpful thanks.

Going the opposite way, from zero or low-drop to high-drop can cause issues, too. I find it forces me to always stay in that contracted position as you mentioned. For me, it leads to PF. Oh... I've found that it can take up to 9 months or more to adequate adjust to significant changes in shoes. So, yeah, take your time.

It helps, thank you!

Great video thanks

Very informative excellent

Heal kiss! Yup, that's the tip I needed. Thanks!

Great advice. My calf hurts after couple of Km's of run and relaxes after couple of Kms more. I am struggling to increase distance of my runs

Thankyou for the video! You read my mind 😅

Wicked helpful!

GREAT GREAT vid!!!

You're right about the transition to zero drop running shoes. I made the switch to Altras when I was coming back from a running injury. At the time, my volume and intensity were very low, so I was able to do all of my running in zero drops with no problem. Even still, my calves were really sore at first. Had it been in the middle of a normal training cycle, starting with 1-2 days (like you mentioned) would have been the way to go.

Thank you!

I'll need to try some of these

Awesome video peace and love ✌️🤍☮️😊

About 3 months ago, I went from 8 mm drop shoes to zero drop shoes. I also started running forefoot (not quite on the toes). I did this change over a single day and now I'm suffering with lateral gastrocnemius pain that causes posterior knee tightness and even pain on bad days. I've been seeing a physiotherapist over the past few months and no amount of stretches, exercices or treatments seems to help. I was thinking about giving up on running until I watched this video. The tips you presented give me hope. I'll treat myself with a 3 to 4 weeks of rest to let my lateral gastrocnemius heal a bit and the I'll give it a try for sure. Thanks 🙏

Thank you queen

Thanks so much for the info. My shins and calfs hurt by 3rd day of running. I have bought 2 more running shoes to see if there will be any difference. 🙏💞

Another great video, do you have one on quadricep pain? In every marathon and ultramarathon I have run since 2018, I have ended up with quadricep pain causing me to walk the last 7km of a marathon where I was on track to break 3:25 and even to withdraw from my first 100km ultra at 80km+. I have a marathon coming up in about 10 weeks and I want to get through it unscathed. I should say that calf pain has always been an issue for me, so I do double and single leg calf raises holding 4-8kg of weights (4kg in each hand when doing double and in the working side when doing both straight and bent leg calf raises) twice a week and single straight and bent leg calf raises before each run. I also mostly run with calf sleeves, I probably don't need then any more but aren't yet prepared to risk the calf pain returning during a run.

walking 4 miles a day for 10 months, of course everything feel weak and tired, i am 62 and lost 93 pounds in 10 months, need to keep going while i can

Very good.

I’ve been trying a couch to 5k and, aside from finding out I get a runny nose when I jog outside, my calves do burn easily and early on when I’m doing my jogging. They’re usually okay when I walk/after my workout. I did get some running shoes a few weeks ago-Hokas that have the rocker sole. They haven’t helped much and sometimes make the burning calves worse. Even walking uphill in them can make my calves burn more. I used to have a rocker shoe back when the Sketchers Shapeups were new and trendy, however only walked in them. I think I’m mostly a mid-foot striker, except when jogging in place and then it’s more on my toes. I remember reading about heel striking years ago (a magazine exercise of the month article mentioned you should do it) and I thought it seemed odd at the time (probably because I don’t think I naturally have a heel strike).

Another possibility is the runner with sore calves has weak posterior chain ie: weak glutes and/or hamstrings. This could lead to over using calves to compensate. Strengthen glute max and medius and hamstrings and practice activating glutes.

I bought a pair of news running shoes and went on three 10k runs in it, now my calves are smoked 💀 thanks for the great advice!

Great video, thanks for the info. I have a couple of questions. How can I get those arms? Dammn I want to be that strong, what exercise do you recommend?

Yep my daily trainers are 12mm drop and my fast/race shoes are 4mm drop… explains why I always get sore calf’s after trail racing

Coach Holly: This made me think of my achillies tendinitis. I will search that topic on the RE channel. I may have been forefoot striking.

I cant seem to break the 9-11mi distance. I've been marathon training with Jack Daniel's formula etc, for about 8 months now (running almost a year). I had some setbacks. No injuries. Im 40 y/o. Had some injuries in the army back in my 20's. Currently, I have the lungs/cardio stamina np. But I cant seem to get my legs to keep up. I've ran a half marathon but I had to walk some, run some after mile 10. I can stay in my hr zone 3 for hours. Everything below my knees arent trying to hear it. I stretch more than I do anything. Yoga, static, dynamic (conditioning), Qugong, cycle. I follow Holly's warmups etc. I sleep. My diet could be better but its decent. Im like wtf. I work hard and recover harder. My biggest weaknesses are: severe inflexibility and very intense anxiety (running has helped both btw).

This just started happening to me. I have to limp home a few days ago :)

Did you read my mind?! 😱 Just back running after a couple months of stop and my calves are killing me... I should probably be more generous with foam rolling 😁 I'll do it more often.

Was doing the roller and wasn’t doing too much and very mindful of heel hitting but neglected to do single leg exercises

thank you so much I have overjogged because I did not get enough rest and my calves are paining very much Iam just limping all day

I always do the static calve stretch after my jogs. But recently I find that my left calve doesn't feel the stretch as much when compared to the right. I think I am nursing an injury (outside left of my left knee) feel weak. Any chance they are related?

Thank you algorithm for reading my mind.

So true. I switched to a zero drop and the side of my calf was burning like crazy within a half mile.

Great tips, thank you so much, it comes at the perfect time as I had to drop off my marathon training due to a calf injury. One question I've got regarding shoes: I've been using zero-drop for a long time (2-3 years) and I keep having calves issues. Should I perhaps transition back to a 4-8mm drop to reduce the stress on the calves?

I used to run all the time but I stopped for the winter because I had pretty bad asthma, but I keep trying to get back into it but my calves and feet feel obliterated 5 minutes in

If someone’s having with no problems while running in any shoes is it better to have zero drop shoes then 12 drop shoes and way?

I have pain on the outside of my right leg below my calf. Any videos explain this issue. Thanks.

Been training strong for 3 weeks for a 50k and I felt great but first workout start of 4th week my calves felt like they were gonna pop they were so swollen but I think my body is adapting to all the extra mileage

Wish I had known this content earlier.

I ran a half marathon after last running the same distance 1 year ago. Mile 7 my calves were killing I wasn’t sure I could continue.l finished but had to keep walking and running was really hard. It was unenjoyable and my legs still kill.

I’m in great shape but lately I have muscle pain on left leg! Feels like muscles tightening up bad on the sides of leg where the ligaments connected! Inflammation is what I think and helps to rest but comes back! Weird

Sweet...!

While I was running, I felt a pop in my right calf. Now, it's swollen and stiff. I have been researching this to death, and it sounds like I'm not engaging my glutes when running!! what's your opinion?

I have injured my right calf a number of times over the years. I do suffer from sore calves from running at speed. I don't tend to have problems if I run 10 plus miles but a fast 5k does cause problems. Great video and very much appreciated Holly. Thank you.

Thanks, It's running season and I would like to get through it without getting hurt and getting over the soreness the right way between races. I would like to ask though how soon is too soon to run a race in a new shoe I'm running a trail half marathon in about 3 weeks and I recently got me a new pair of trail shoes with a slight higher stack that my regular shoes, would I be ok to run the race on the new shoes if I run 3-4 times in them before that race?

I've been wearing barefoot shoes for more 8 months now. Went running on monday, and repeated again on tuesday. Now my left calve is reeeally hurting. I have some physical evaluations, for a job, on friday. Do you think that this pain is more linked to the fact that I'm not used to running, or due the the barefoot shoes?? The pain is not like muscular fatigue at all (I'm an active person, but I'm just not used to running, at all). The right calve is sored, but the left is just.... I have severe pain when standing up right, leaning on the left calve. I have to be ok by friday, but I really don't know what to do :( Thank you a lot!

Thank you so much preparing for a law enforcement academy and trying best to follow this advice. I really appreciate it.

Do you guys have videos for sore hamstrings?

It used to be my calves. But recently it’s changed and been my Hamstrings and quads. Any tricks for those ? Edit: NVM. Seems like these tips could all apply to other muscles too :p

ive been in athletics for 8 years, and then one day i went to training and my calves just wouldnt stop hurting, its like i did a stupidly intense calf workout for 5 hours straight, when in reality i was just running for 2 minutes, ive stopped going to training simply bcs i cant run anymore, i already went several times to different doctors and they all told me my calves were fine, and they clearly aren't, this is not normal plis someone help i want my dream back

I did a half marathon the other day for the first time. I have only ever done 10k's before. My calves never hurt and even after a half marathon, they felt fine. Why is that?

"Think of it as layers of an onion" Ah yes, just like the great runner shrek use to say

I am training my calfs and legs twice a week yet i am having pain in calfs while running for 5-10 mins

I tried doing the shin rolling my program suggests and it’s absolutely unbearable. My tibialis doesn’t feel tight or anything but any amount of pressure against a hard foam roller is excruciating.

This video is spot on. I am transitioning from 12 mm drop shoes down to zero, but currently using 4 mm drop. At the same time I am changing my running form to move from a heel striker to mid striker. My calves have been killing me for weeks, but I know it’s part of what I need to do as I adapt.

TL;DW summary: your foot strike is probably off. Don't heel strike, but do let the heels touch the ground every step.

The other side of the argument is that if you stay on the forefoot, you better protect your cartilage from impact by utilizing more elastic connective tissues. I'd say take it slow and stay on the forefoot if you have that luxury of running on something flat and more uniform and then when you have that muscle strength in the arch of your foot where you can maintain more flexion in the calf you can get into a higher pace without banging up the knees. However, you gotta watch the ankle that your foot strike doesn't come in at too much of an angle.

Thank you so much. Doing a 0 to 5k in 10 weeks, with a local running club. We are at week 5, 4 mins run 2 mins jog. For the last 2 weeks, one or both my calfs have cramped up. I think your advice about running on the toes and pushing too hard, as I try to stay up with the front runners, is causing the issue. I will back off and sit in the middle of the pack. Also I thin the new trainer is adding to it, as I had the zero training shoe before and now have that raised trainer. Im now doing the step and wall stretches. I already hydrate 750ml every hour for 8 hours, take Magnesium / Zinc / B6 supplements, also breakfast is a 24mg protein shake with water and a banana.

Yeah but who the hell is running on their toes like that? My calves still hurt and I'm a heel striker

I want learn half marathon training with your. I am waiting your response.

How about feeling that soreness but on your shins

I play football and run a lot but only short distances and when I do long distances when I’m playing games or running away or to something. I run with my heels. So not max speed because if I ran on my balls of my foot I would be sore afterwards. And my shoes aren’t built for running, even though they claim to be.