A clydesdale no more!

Bummer...stay patient! Following up Chad's comment, TP Massage Ball will really work over the calves! I've noticed a huge difference.

Paul makes a good suggestion, Andy. The TP Massage products are very good. The Stick also works well on the calves, but it all depends on the nature of the injury. It is also well worth it (both physically and psychologically) to get some help from a PT or a good sports massage therapist. The important thing is to know what you're dealing with and what you can do to improve it without doing more harm.

Andy:

Get your spine checked out. I suspect it is probably in much worse condition that it was when you were in high school. You have a lot more endurance, but your 5 K time right now is much worse.

After that, you hold your speed very well but you cannot run a marathon faster than you do a 5 K.

What happened to you happens to a lot of people. My theory is that the root cause is spinal deterioration. This contributes to a number of problems - lower top speed, reduced ability to maintain it, getting beat in distance races by people who do not train nearly half as hard, and being more prone to injuries. My theory predicts that your spine is in pretty bad shape (not pathological to the point of needing a surgery, but bad enough to rob you of the performance level your training would earn you).

As to the solution, assuming the problem is indeed the spine, I think you could probably at least mitigate it with some exercises to strengthen the back and abdominal muscles and stretch the spine. Also, maintaining a proper posture while sitting during the day is very important.

Andy,

Speaking from my own experience, many of the injuries that I have experienced have been due to issues either with my back or pelvis - I actually have a pelvic torsion, which causes my right hip to be higher than the left, causing me to compensate in everything I do. Back and abdominal exercises have helped me somewhat with this, but I have also had to include regular visits to the chiropractor to get straightened out. BTW, if you go far enough back in my posts, in addition to some hip flexor and IT band issues, I have also had issues with both of my calves, as well as having had plantar fascitis. After having taken a break for several months, and having worked on exercises to strengthen and stretch my back and abs, I have found that not only is my form better, but I am running much faster than before.