The issue of recovery is never usually mentioned in the press, but is always a vital factor in your development and always underrated.
I for instance, have been running with a sore toe for the last few weeks. This is now fine but those few weeks of running with a weaker toe on my right foot has caused extra strain on left leg, and mainly my calf. This has now made my running uncomfortable again, although i am getting through it.
This is very common for most people when they develop a problem with a knee, calf, hamstring, hip or just about anything. Everything must balance itself out in the end and this is all part of the process. You must give time for your body to recover or the injury will most likely to hang around for a long time to come!
The way i have been getting over it is eating very well, as much fresh and natural food as possible, enough sleep (thats not always possible of course with two small children!), plenty of water and smart training which means not putting too much strain on the affected area, in this case my calf. The most important thing to do straight away of course is ice my calf, this should always be done for around 20 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes. This can be done once or even twice a day if you have time, it will stop further damage and make a huge difference trust me!!! This can be done easily with a bag of frozen peas.
I have followed all of this to the letter when i got in last night at 745pm, and after getting up at 420pm today i have been able to cycle hard today, and run a little. This is not to make myself sound like some kind of hero but more like to illustrate to you that you CAN recover quickly from injuries, AS LONG as you follow these simple rules, they have worked for years for me and i highly encourage you to do the same!!!
NEVER run through injuries though if you are having ANY pain at all, the perfect advice is to make sure you recover 100% before putting through the affected area through any sustained effort in your workouts again. Simple but the smart way to do it!!!
