Ouch: Achilles

New problem: Achilles tendon. Wednesday, Jan 16, I ran for three hours in the Stillwater Bubble, occasionally checking my pace for a lap to be sure that it was still at 9:00 or faster. So I’m sure that I ran at least 20 miles, the first of many scheduled long runs in preparing for the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. In the last couple of miles, however, I felt a cramp in my left calf, or thought I did. Then in the very last two laps I could tell that it was not the calf but the Achilles tendon just below the calf muscle. I finished carefully, but perhaps should have skipped those last two laps.

It seems to me that the Achilles tendon needs to be treated with a great deal of respect. A person with a high tolerance for pain can go ahead and run on a foot with plantar fasciitis without much fear of making it a lot worse, and some people even run with knee pain without fear of an immediate end to their running. However, the Achilles tendon can actually rupture, causing a very serious problem which will make running impossible and even interfere with normal life. I don’t want to mess with it. I tried to run again today (Friday) and it still hurt a little. Not good. If it still hurts next Monday I’ll try to get into see my internist about it. Meanwhile I have a race this weekend, but may decide to sit it out because it’s a short, intense race that would put maximum pressure on the Achilles.


Recent breakfast: Organic oatmeal, organic fat-free milk, banana, Don's nut/fruit/berry mix, organic medjool dates, blueberries, organic walnuts.