The Running Thread - 2026

[Zutroy]

What would cause very tight/tender calf muscles pretty consistently?

Life. It could be overtraining, it could be dehydration, it could be a strain. Running involves a toe-off phase where the calf muscles (mainly the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles) contract to lift the heel, pushing the body forward via the big toe. Your soleus is much smaller and surrounds your Achilles tendon. If your soleus is overworked, your body will rely on the gastrocnemius to pick up the slack (which is the big calf muscle closer to the knee). This can lead to an overuse injury in either muscle group.

I get a lot of calf tightness, and I try to do yoga 2-3 times a week, which I find helps a lot with injury prevention and symptom relief. Even a couple of minutes of thunderbolt, pigeon, or downward facing dog really relieves tight leg muscles.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Question for those of you who have been running a lot longer than I.

What would cause very tight/tender calf muscles pretty consistently? I've been dealing with this for a few months...tail end of Princess training and weekend. I then took about a month off to rest and recover some nagging injuries (include this). I'm started back last week with 4x2 mile runs at easy pace. During Princess, I wasn't sore until after I finished running, but now I'm sore while I'm running and it's slowed my pace.

Even on my off days they're both tender. I was shaving my legs and was shocked at how tender they were. It really was more tender than painful, if that makes sense. But it's driving me crazy. I do have an appt with PT, but not until the end of the month.

Also, have you changed shoes recently? I love my Metaspeeds, but they do tend to trash my calves if I'm not used to them. You'll probably also have weird sorenesses coming back after not running for a while.

 

[avondale]

Question for those of you who have been running a lot longer than I.

What would cause very tight/tender calf muscles pretty consistently? I've been dealing with this for a few months...tail end of Princess training and weekend. I then took about a month off to rest and recover some nagging injuries (include this). I'm started back last week with 4x2 mile runs at easy pace. During Princess, I wasn't sore until after I finished running, but now I'm sore while I'm running and it's slowed my pace.

Even on my off days they're both tender. I was shaving my legs and was shocked at how tender they were. It really was more tender than painful, if that makes sense. But it's driving me crazy. I do have an appt with PT, but not until the end of the month.

Others have had some good suggestions. The trail runner in me says incline work or hills can make the calves work hard - a lot of uphill walking or running, whether in real life or on a treadmill. Possibly also stairs.

I feel like there a difference between "tight" muscles and "tender" muscles. If your calves are really so tender that you notice it when shaving your legs, that seems worrisome to me. But I can't say a specific issue I think it might be.

Maybe you want to take it easy until that PT appointment? Some rest can't hurt.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Some of us may resemble this. I don't. Yet.....
https://nypost.com/2026/04/08/health/fitness-fans-are-traveling-around-the-world-for-runcations/

 

[PrincessV]

A couple random offerings to the daily discussion...

1. ICYMI, Des Linden is running Marathon Des Sables this week, and she is CRUSHING it! She really downplayed it in the lead-up and sounded like she was just hoping to finish... but she's in the women's 3rd place after Stage 4, which was the brutal 100K stage. Absolutely wild.

2. I finally broke down and bought myself a good rain jacket. As a Floridian, I experience a LOT of rain, but much of that is in the heat, when I'm happy to just get soaked. However, a few times each year I need to run in a cold rain, and it's miserable. I have a couple super light windbreakers from Uniqlo I love but they soak through fast running in a hard rain. Anyway, after running in a chilly rain the other day, I ordered a really nice Baleaf rain jacket and will likely now never need a rain jacket again.

 

[nancipants]

Marked unsafe from the latest Crowned Athletics drop

 

[DisneyParrothead]

Marked unsafe from the latest Crowned Athletics drop

I’m marked safe. I didn’t like the Amidala stitched into the back… and I also just replaced all the blinds in my house. That was pricey, but worth it.

 

[nancipants]

I’m marked safe. I didn’t like the Amidala stitched into the back… and I also just replaced all the blinds in my house. That was pricey, but worth it.

I'm not a huge fan of Padme/Amidala (I was the wrong generation), but I loooooved the red. I restrained myself to only buy the two tanks and not the skort, since I already have a red one from another set.

 

[jrsharp21]

Anyone gone from a Garmin Forerunner to a Fenix? Just picked up a Fenix 7x Pro. One, holy cow this is hefty watch. Way heavier and larger than the Forerunner 165. Second, I feel like I went from a user friendly watch to some super computer. Trying to get everything set up like I had my Forerunner and finding all the settings is definitely taking some time.

 

[KCO5988]

I'm running in the Women's Half in Savannah tomorrow and could not ask for better weather for April in Savannah. Mid to upper 50s the whole race, won't hit 60 until 9am. It's also been super windy here the last few days, but it supposed to die down overnight. Hoping I can snag this PR!!

 

[camaker]

Anyone gone from a Garmin Forerunner to a Fenix? Just picked up a Fenix 7x Pro. One, holy cow this is hefty watch. Way heavier and larger than the Forerunner 165. Second, I feel like I went from a user friendly watch to some super computer. Trying to get everything set up like I had my Forerunner and finding all the settings is definitely taking some time.

I went from Forerunner 935 to a Fenix 7 and it was quite the learning curve. It's really way more watch than I need, but it was the only model with the battery life for what I needed at the time.

 

[jrsharp21]

I went from Forerunner 935 to a Fenix 7 and it was quite the learning curve. It's really way more watch than I need, but it was the only model with the battery life for what I needed at the time.

The battery is exactly why I made the change. I have a full IronMan next weekend and was kind of scared that the Forerunner 165 battery wouldn't hold up for the entire 13-14 hours. Also, the Fenix has the triathlon activity where the Forerunner doesn't. It is definitely a learning curve.

 

[SheHulk]

Marked unsafe from the latest Crowned Athletics drop

What's with all the Star Wars stuff? Do they know something we don't?

 

[nancipants]

What's with all the Star Wars stuff? Do they know something we don't?

Launching early for May 4.

 

[The Expert]

Marked unsafe from the latest Crowned Athletics drop

I'm not a huge fan of Padme/Amidala (I was the wrong generation), but I loooooved the red. I restrained myself to only buy the two tanks and not the skort, since I already have a red one from another set.

Same and same. I have the Jasmine red athletic top and sports bra, so I got the red Amidala power tank and skort (hoping they match).

Anyone gone from a Garmin Forerunner to a Fenix? Just picked up a Fenix 7x Pro. One, holy cow this is hefty watch. Way heavier and larger than the Forerunner 165. Second, I feel like I went from a user friendly watch to some super computer. Trying to get everything set up like I had my Forerunner and finding all the settings is definitely taking some time.

I went the other way. I had a Fenix 6s and loved it, but it was SO heavy. I went to the Forerunner 265s and just upgraded to the 570 (for the touch screen) around the first of the year.

 

[Jackie Skellington]

Anyone gone from a Garmin Forerunner to a Fenix? Just picked up a Fenix 7x Pro. One, holy cow this is hefty watch. Way heavier and larger than the Forerunner 165. Second, I feel like I went from a user friendly watch to some super computer. Trying to get everything set up like I had my Forerunner and finding all the settings is definitely taking some time.

I recently went from Fenix 5s to Forerunner 970 because the screen was difficult for me to view on the Fenix (hello yes I am getting old lol). The 970 has so many of the same features, but is so lightweight and has such a beautiful bright AMOLED screen I have never regretted this purchase.

 

[camaker]

Well, sometimes life just gets in the way. I'm registered for the Coast Guard Marathon this Sunday, but I don't think it's going to happen.

Training for the race went very well, but the wheels came off during the taper. About two weeks ago, we had to go to the urgent care with DW having extreme abdominal pain. They sent us to the ER at the local hospital next door and it culminated in a 1am ambulance ride to the main hospital campus for two days of observation.

We were back at the hospital last Friday for abdominal surgery, followed by several days of her not being able to get in and out of bed or chairs without assistance. Not much sleep to be had. And somewhere along the way I picked up a respiratory bug in my chest.

At this point, I don't think a marathon 3 hours from home coughing up a lung is a wise course of action. Looks like this weekend will be about getting some rest and looking for a May marathon. The good news is that DW is doing much better and went back to work yesterday. I'm at peace with the marathon decision, but am still disappointed.

 

[The Expert]

I'm sorry about your marathon @camaker but very happy your wife is on the mend! Rest up; that May race will be here before you. know it.

 

[marty3d]

@camaker Glad to hear you DW is on the mend. I hope you feel better soon as well and find a great May race to run!

 

[DianaMB333]

@camaker the proud of having trained, of prioritizing family and taking care of yourself is worth celebrating too…
Hope that you find the May event that cheers you up