It's pretty much not a training cycle for me if I don't end up with some sort of stupid injury.

This time around has been no exception to that rule, but at least what I'm dealing with now seems sort of minor compared to some other injuries I've dealt with.

Back in February, I was having some serious calf/shin issues every time I ran. It was a pretty clear signal I needed new shoes, and once I replaced the old ones, things seemed to be good.



But in the last week or so, I've noticed my calves have been ridiculously tight after all my workouts. No amount of stretching or compression-sock wearing has been able to get things back to normal.



Mainly annoying, and not overly problematic.

Until last week.

My right calf really started to annoy me at volleyball on Tuesday night, and it hurt to walk around my apartment on Wednesday. So I took Wednesday off from running to let things rest.

It felt a little better Thursday, until softball practice after work. I was jogging after fly balls during batting practice, and every step it sort of felt like my calf muscle was ripping in half. I don't really know a better way to explain it, but it hurt like a B.

By Friday morning, I could barely walk around my apartment. Trying to stretch it hurt, and the pain was moving up into my hamstring. I made a panicked phone call to my sports massage people and was able to squeeze in an appointment for this afternoon.



I also completely rested Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which meant skipping spin class, my long run and my pool session. I'm also bailing on today's intervals to see how things feel after this massage appointment.

I'm hoping that by Wednesday, I will be able to get out for a short easy run to see how things feel. If all goes well, then I'm crossing my fingers I'll be able to jump back into my training plan.

My calf feels a little bit better today after just some time off, so I'm hoping this isn't anything major and that that massage will work out any remaining kinks.