In reply to ford23:
This is something I also suffer from. I’ve never been able to eliminate it but;
1. It’s less of an issue now I’m 4 years back in to regular running, after a 15 year lay off. I think the year on year mileage has helped.
2. I suffer less when using shoes with some stability - Asics Gel Kayano and Nike Zoom Structure.
3. I’ve found the calves get tighter once the shoes soften up. This can be as early as only 300 miles, so I buy new ones more often than I used to.
4. If I decide to do something stupid, like if I quickly ramp up the mileage, or go for a really long run, then my calves will pay for it.
I do all the usual foam rolling and stretching but I find it best not to get in to a situation where I need to.