September 19th: Yaarr! Keelhaul That Calf Muscle!

Day three of trying to heal up my calf. Is it feeling better? Definitely. Do I still have twinges when I bend a certain way or come down on it too hard going down the stairs? Also definitely.

I switched up my week a little bit, mostly because I had an opportunity to sleep in a little bit yesterday. So I hit the gym today, and as promised, I focused on core work and really stayed away from anything I thought would bother my calf. I did a rotation on the lat machine, one on the Cable Cross machine and then some random other stuff:

• Lat pulldowns: 3 sets of 12, 80-70-60. Felt good. Might go to 90 next time.
• Tricep presses: 3 sets of 12, 40-30-30. I hate these.
• Body-weight squats: 3 sets of 12. Too easy. Probably have to add in a kettlebell or do a variation like kickout squats.
• Cable Cross twists: 3 sets of 12 on each side at 25 pounds. You really have to focus on your core section or you’ll let your back do the work.
• Cable Cross chest pulls: 3 sets of 12, 25-25-20.
• Ab coaster: 2 sets of 12, straight forward and turned each way (so 72 total).
• Bicycle crunches: 2 sets of 12
• Those flat-back knee raises: 2 sets of 12
• Vertical straight-leg lifts and knee raises on the dip station: 1 set of straight leg, 1 set half each, 1 set of knee raises. Next time I watch a gymnast on the rings, I’ll have a far greater appreciation of the difficulty.

I also brought my cold wrap with me and put it around my calf for the drive home. I don’t know if it helped anything, since I really hadn't put any pressure on my legs, but it certainly didn’t hurt. That might be worth doing every time, at least in the short term.

I really hate thinking and writing about this stupid calf. First of all, I’ve spent the last 72 hours feeling like I’m disabled, when really, it’s just a Grade 1 strain. Second, this is the sort of thing I would be paying no mind except that it’s keeping me from running. And finally, it’s killing me not to be able to get out and run. I really hope I’m good to go by Sunday so I can do my long.

Oh, the title: Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.