Sore calves and ankles when running outside but not on treadmill (Read 3327 times)

My initial thoughts are: What kind of surface are you running on? You said roads, so I'm assuming asphalt. You may want to see if you can run on dirt paths. The other thought is you could be hitting on the balls of your feet instead of mid foot. That would put too much strain on your calves. But I would think you would do that on the treadmill too. Hang in there and see if you can figure it out- a sports doctor could help. It's worth it to be able to run outside.

It's probably got to do more with how you run (particularly with your landing) and the surface more so than weight or how long you've been running. With treadmill running, the ground (surface) underneath your landing foot moves backward, pulling our leg backward fairly hard. Someone who's used to running on the solid ground might actually experience exptra "pull" when they get on treadmill. It is probaly rarer to see a person who has trouble running outdoor than on treadmill for that reason. The only thing I can think of isthat it's actually more toward your shin than calf and maybe you're experiencing a case of shin splint. Treadmill is much more bouncy and, beside the "pull", is a lot more forgiving in terms of landing shock. Particularly if you land hard on your heel, the hill you said your course has, both up AND down, on the hard surface might be irritating your shin. Shin spling can be experienced at more of a medial side of lower leg; where you can actually feel the shin bone in the front and a chunk of calf muscle in the back. You'll need to a bit more meticulously articulate your problem if you want to find out a solution. The fact you run fairly fast (7.5MPH) on slight incline kind of indicates to me that it's not really a calf problem???

One more thing; if it is in fact your calf, if you have any snow or ice on the ground, slight slipping would cause your calves to work extra hard and get stretched out a bit more and work your calves extra hard. This may be such an elementary (My Dear Watson...) but just throw this question at you as well.

Mangler, I wonder if the problem lies in the sort of shoes you are using? Maybe your shoes haven't got the shock absorption you need? Mind you, I am a mild supinator (run on the outside of my feet) so I need cushioned shoes but I have recently learned painfully that you can have shoes that are too cushioned for the way you run. If your heel bounces right through the spongey bit so that it "bottoms out", that can mean extra strain on the heel/ankle calf muscles especially on hilly bits I found. I was out for over a fortnight with an injury caused by my brand spanking new extra bouncy NB 1063s. Nothing wrong with the shoes, they just didn't suit my running style. I think I'm a heel planter. Have you had a gait analysis? A simple change of shoes may provide the answers perhaps. Andy

ive was using a pair of £70 nike running shoes and am now using a £110 pair of adidas ones im due to go out tomorrow morning for a run so i'll try and focus on shortening my stride and lean slighty forward...update ones ive done the run thanks for all the advise guys

Seems to me like your only problem 'might' be that you're not used to the great out of doors. I know that I do a lot of winter running on the TM and try to get out at least a couple times per week but don't always.....so when I have run on the TM for a couple week in a row and then go out, I really notice it in my legs, calve and ankles... Try easing in to you run when you start out on the streets...go a little slower and thro in a few walk breaks at first......give your body a change to adjust a little. The TM has a lot of natural cushion and when you're outside, there is a lot of extra pounding......you really need to account for that when you are outside until your body has fully adjusted..

sorry for the late repliy guy, had to unespectedly go away for a few days.... good news though, i concentrated on shortening my stride, slowered my pace a little and tried to lean into the run as advised previously....letgs felt fine through the run which was 3.6 miles, woke up today and my legs are fine, little tired but no pain at all :-) happy days cheers guys