Grade: 3
Started as a mild strain and instead of 10 days rest and 7-10 days of cautious running without races, I decided to cross-train. Ended up as a grade 2 tear.
Made a minor strain into a grade 2 tear, by not fully resting for 10 days and taking a further 10 days carefully before racing again. Definitely avoid any training on the same day as a deep sports massage, there are too many endorphins flowing to feel if anything is strained further. Had bleeding in the muscle and barely felt a thing and carried on water running! Eccentric exercises are excellent, but running puts more stress still on calves, so build up by alternating walking and jogging if it was grade 2. Took up cycling, but that was too much in the early stages.