I know this is probably a fools errand but I'll try anything once.
I ran an autumn marathon and was quite pleased with the race. I was a little banged up after the race but not too bad. The week after the marathon I foolishly ran a cross country race and came out of it very sore in my left lower leg on the outside of the tibia extending from the knee to the ankle.
I wasn't really that concerned and reduced training considerably, although still training once every day, and hoped that, like a hundred times before, I'd work past it in a week. This time I couldn't do that.
Over the four weeks since that marathon, despite trying everything I know, things have failed to improve and at times have gotten much worse. The soreness that started on the outside of the left lower leg has at times extended to affect almost every part of that lower leg. I've taken periods of up to four days off, restricted training at all other times to a slow jog over a couple of miles, have taken some anti-inflamatories, iced ad naseum, stretched everything that I can think might need loosening, have been for physio three times (would have gone more often but the budget is limited) and have drawn almost a complete blank.
Last week I thought I had improved somewhat but a very gentle five miles yesterday seems to have me back to square one today...limping around the office where I work.
As far as I can determine the original problem is reasonably deep within the left calf and feels more like a tighness or an inflexibility rather than a tear or chronic inflamation, but obviously I'm not certain. All of my conventional treatments appear not to affect the situation at all, or very little.
So what should I do? All that I can think of is to take another extended period of rest, say two complete weeks, which admitedly, would be quite difficult for me to do as I'd miss my running so much.
If you've read this far thanks for your time and if you have had any comparable experience I'd love to hear how you managed to get through.