Extreme Calf Tightness After Running (it winds up like a clock spring, within minutes)

[finchr]

As you mentioned several times, the pain with running always came after lifting. Rather than try to continue strengthening through the pain, which sounds like it isn't working for you, try relieving the stress on the left achilles/calf by inserting a heel lift in your running shoe s. See if it doesn't relieve some of your discomfort.
It sounds like you are overstressing your calf muscles with the weights and since running is more on the balls of you r feet, it aggravates it further

[Need2Run]

I think (I hope!) that you have pointed out the elephant in the room, Finchr - thank you! On each occasion I've strained the left calf, it's been running the day after performing lifts. It gets tight after doing lifts, and running with a tight calf is a stupid idea, as I've found out.

Unless anyone's got a better idea (I'm now 3 weeks into the injury) my plan is to start a programme of massaging and gentle stretching, without strength work. Once I've been free of discomfort for a couple of weeks I'll start some brisk walking on a treadmill. If that goes ok I'll go back to easy running. I intend to spend as long getting back into training as I've been out (even though this means the new 5K season will be effectively trashed until late summer :-( ), i.e. if total time out is 8 weeks, I'll spend 8 weeks gently increasing mileage until I'm back to the previous amount.

Do you think that, because the pain didn't stop me from running, but came on abruptly after finishing a gruelling 7 mile training track session, that there's a good chance I'll make a good recovery? I keep reading about so many runners whose running days have been ended due to calf pulls... I've never had one this bad and it really scares me...

Thanks again.