pain in calves when running...

I played soccer in HS and was in great cardio shape...fast forward 8 years. I lift hard and heavy with weights 3 days a week, and my explosive speed and strength is still excellent. However, I am finding that I am in pretty awful cardiovascular shape. I am 6' 0', 200 lbs and 26 years old.

I have decided to start running to get back in cardiovasuclar shape (I want to start playing soccer again but I would keel over dead if I tried right now). When I start running, I am fine for a few minutes, and then my calves start hurting. It is the same kind of hurt as when you fatigue them doing high repitition calf extensions or something like that, a burning. After a few more minutes they burn so bad and are so fatigued that I have to stop. It does not matter if I stretch before I exercise or not, same thing.

Is this just weakness in my calves because I haven't run in so long, and they will get stronger as I keep at it? Something with my shoes perhaps? I have relatively new New Balance 827's, with extra arch support (flat feet).

I would think you might want to start at a lower level of exertion and work your way up to running. How about brisk walking, cycling, stairmaster - just to get your stamina up, then start training to run. I know I got terrible pain in my feet when I first started running, and had to start pretty low.

Determined

There will be a breakthrough, at some point, where your time/distance will be what you choose it to be.

Running fast for distances is a matter of neuromuscular efficiency: over a long period of time, you get better at it.

I'm no expert on this subject either, but I did have the exact same problem. I was already in decent shape aerobically due to road cycling. In my case I would stretch before I ran. The pain usually came regardless of stretching after about 1 mile. Then I would stretch again and the pain usually stopped for the rest of the run. But I only ran a max of 3 miles. After the second stretch I was able to run a faster pace than before.

dave h

Any new sport takes at least six months for the body to get fully used to it, though some aspects may come immediately. This applies to running and lifting.