So I'm just done with a sprained ankle... but just as it was healing, I'm struck with what I believe is muscle tear. Or muscle strain? I don't know. It could even be something totally different, for all I know. Achilles tendinitis? Unlikely, but the pain is sort of between the calf muscles and the tendon though. But it's not that bad, I can walk 100% normally, with little pain. And I can run 100% normally too, my stride remains unaffected, but with more acute pain.

I just wanted to write this here for the record. So it'll be a short article. It started with the big training session of October the 4th and it further developed with every session that followed. In the left lower leg, I've now got multiple spots where it hurts (one on the inner side, in the soleus muscle I think; another in the lower part of the gastrocnemius muscle, close to the tendon). It hurts quite a lot when going down stairs, jumping on one leg only - single leg hope - and at the beginning of any run (the first 5kms), averaging 5 pain-wise on a scale from 0 to 10 in the beginning. Then, as I pick up the pace and go faster than 5 mins/km, the pain fades a bit down to 2 or 3/10. And it varies across the different spots. In the right lower leg, it seems like my soleus is hurting too in the inner side, only when running, and less than the left leg.

I'm not worried about the right leg, I feel nothing while walking/sitting, and barely feels it while running. It's the left leg that worries me a little, but it all seems to be muscle-related, nothing to do with bones or tendons (I think!). Possible reasons? The 11 days off running I took to allow my ankle to recover... then I basically went all-in again to catch up on my training plan. Also, that session on the 4th of October was truly hard and intense, probably the hardest I ever did. And with still fairly new shoes (the Asics METASPEED SKY PARIS). So you know... nothing new really.

I have not lost hope regarding the marathon in 10 days. Two Sundays ago I ran 31 kms with that pain, it remained constant throughout the run and was bearable. And again last Sunday, 25 kms, constant and bearable, not increasing. It should work the same over 42 kms. Then I'll take all of November completely off, hoping to start fresh again in December, injury free for good this time.

Things to do to help recover

UPDATE: 2024-10-22

Ran 13 kms today, from slow to marathon pace. There is definitely some improvement. My right leg is 100% fine again, no more pain. The left one, it's a different story. The painful spot I had in the back of the calf, just at the beginning of the Achilles tendon is gone, but the pain in the inner side of the calf remains (I still believe it comes from the soleus muscle). Oddly enough, the pain originated at the spot lower in the leg today. The pain started at 2/10, increased to 4/10, around km 6 or 7 I had a burst of pain, a flare, as if my soleus was being stabbed. Very brief. After that, the pain dropped to 1 or 2/10 until the end of the run, barely noticeable, and definitely manageable.

Things I did recently that may have helped:

I did not run at all in the previous 3 days
I bought a massage gun last weekend
Today I wore compression socks that are tighter than the ones I usually wear

I'm confident for Sunday 🤞.

UPDATE: 2024-12-04

More than a month after my first marathon ever, I thought this deserved an update. I'll keep it short: the marathon went amazingly well, no pain at all during the race, or very mild, but barely noticeable. I still felt it in the following days, a little stronger. After the race, I stopped running for 3 weeks (to be exact, I actually ran once a week, slowly and short distances). That was enough for my calf to heal completely. I haven't felt anything now for 2+ weeks. 🎉 Since the end of November, I am gradually increasing the distances again, and slowly getting back to 3 or 4 easy jogs a week. So happy!!!