i tried a tempo session on monday, and the following to days my calves (lower soleous) were very sore.
has anyone else gone through this?
what kind of footwear did you do it in?
What kid of shape are you in?
i did them in flats.
i don’t think it’s a matter of shape. i’ve been running since may. but this was only my second time doing tempo on the track previously i’d do tempo type runs on a treadmill.
it just felt like my feet were pounding, i didn’t have the bounce as when i’m going at higher speeds.
the first time i tried tempo runs i never felt this so i’m assuming it’s some kind of technique brake down.
to begin that work out i also did 10x10m. would that have anything to do with it.
I try to always do tempo on grass.
Save the track for speed 
Chris
Youve answered you own question… you indroduced a new stimulus and your body needs to adapt…
““but this was only my second time doing tempo on the track previously i’d do tempo type runs on a treadmill.”
t"o begin that work out i also did 10x10m. would that have anything to do with it.”
Since this Summer’s heat has cooked the grass here. The last week or so I have been running my tempo on a gravel road. Not ideal but still more forgiving than concrete or asphalt. And a more consistant running surface than the dried up clumps of grass. Again, not ideal but it seems to be and feels fine.
On the old forum somebody had the same problem with soreness in their calves after tempo, but later found out it was the result of trying to stay high on the balls of their feet during the runs.
theone,
thats exactly what i was trying do. i thought the aim was to stay one you toes.
The slower you run the more flat footed you should land. As speed increases you make contact higher up on the balls of your feet (this is pretty much natural). Let the pace of your runs control things. Trying to stay high on your toes while going at 65% is the same as trying to have high knee lift or full range of motion in the arms at a pace that is too slow.
t-bone, I recently started tempo as used in the CFTS and I have also suffered calf soreness. It has felt like when I start interval training/intensive tempo in winter. However, I know it will not last for more than a 2-3 weeks, and after that I intend to keep it going all year round and it will not be a problem then. I land with as much dorsiflexion as possible and although the speed is alot slower than I am used to, there is no pounding.
I’m the one that THEONE is referring to in the old forum (did everyone follow that?). I had chronically tight soleus muscles from tempo running. However, it wasn’t from running too much on the balls of my feet (although that might have contributed). I finally traced it to running on slick grass.
One cause of soleus spasm is slipping while you walk or run. I was usually running in the evenings, after the moisture in the air condensed on the grass, so my feet were sliding very slightly on each foot plant. I don’t think this is the source of t-bone’s problems, but I wanted to give a warning to people to make sure the grass is dry before you run on it.
Another factor that I think contributed to my soleus problems was spasm in the feet mucles. Roll you foot over a small rubber ball with a good amount pressure. Ideally, there shouldn’t be any pain. If you do feel discomfort, you have to work the spasm out of the feet. If the feet muscles are in spasm, the load (or overload in this case) shifts to the soleus.
Yet another factor to consider is flexibility, since the heel is going through a larger range of motion during tempo than in sprinting.
Flash,
speakin of the slick grass, didn’t Jason Seahorn have hamstring problems because of this. It was said that he wore flats, even on the grass. And i’m guessin that put a lot of stress on his hamstrings when he played.
Treble, I’ll take your word for it. I didn’t read that about Jason, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
What? Jason was training on grass before the superbowl in tampa! what the hell is this?:mad:
This wasn’t part of training, this was from the games. I just remember a commentator saying he was having hamstring problems, cuz he wore flats instead of cleats.
Clemson, do you know what the deal is with Llwelyn Bredwood?
Hate to see someone with that talent piss it away.
Treble,
Lew is a hard worker…he does exactly what you say. He has worked with a lot of coaches. I only worked with him briefly in 2000, but his workethic and passion made me love coaching track.
What are tempo runs and how do you perform them? By reading the replies so far I think its used to focus on technique? I was told that doing slow runs or jogging will make you slower because it works slow twitch fibres. Is this true?
hassan tempo runs are used for conditioning and most importantly recovery between intense workouts.they are performed at a max level of 75% which dosen’t target the cns thus adding recovery.
its hard to work on technique during these but you must keep smooth and relaxed and fininsh withh the pace you began with!
Thanx X-Man. I have never come across tempo running before so this concept is new to me. The other I don’t understand is, what’s the difference between intensive and extensive tempo runs. Are extensive runs slower, longer and intensive faster but shorter?