Please everyone, just stop moving!

So much for taking it easy. Over the last 2 weeks, the companies I am currently working at have been moving and I have been up and down stairs carrying IT & phone kit, crawling under desks and charging up and down 3 floors to the comm's rooms as I sort the networks out.
No rest at weekend as Lynne (wife) and I, spent the day helping our son move. Hopefully work will be a little less aggressive on the achilles this coming week but next Saturday is helping a friend move.

Osteopath for laser again this Thursday so I guess I'm in for a telling off for all the above. Life just doesn't stop for injuries unless they actually floor you.

They are less painful, especially in the morning when I can get down the stairs now without having to take weight on the bannister rail and occasional brief runs from car to building in this delightful summer we're having (sic) have felt less awkward. 10 weeks since initial injury now.

Bad News & Laser

Finally saw my osteopath this morning who has known me for years.

Yep, I've screwed both my achilles and as I'm over 40 they ain't going to heal properly and I shouldn't be thinking of running. That said, the symptoms should hopefully subside about 8 weeks after injury and we're currently 5 weeks since I last ran.

The injury originates from my 1st two runs, 22/24th April. Following these, on the 25th I was struggling to walk. After a week of rest & self treatment, I tried another short easy run on 2nd May after which I thought things were going well, however, another short run 8th May highlighted the injury was clearly still an issue and on the morning of the 9th May I knew I was in trouble.

So, now 7 weeks since the initial injury and 5 weeks since I last ran, I'm still having problems. In the mornings, both achilles complain going downstairs but most of the day it is a case of discomfort rather than pain, frequently forgotten but always there.

After inspection by the osteo' this morning, just feeling around, they are quite sore. Whereas the original pain was lower and burning to the side under my ankle, the issue is now clearly in the tendon itself from ankle up to below calf, he picked out a distinct point where swelling and tenderness is clear (see pics below). The worst case scenario is that it will snap! ..and I as I am not an expensive footballer, the only care I'll get will leave my hobbling forever and probably antogonise my glass back and dodgy knees.

So my current situation is no running for foreseeable future and a sadness that I may not achieve my 60@60 goal after all.  Laser treatment this morning and in another 4 weeks, a gentle stretching exersize for morning and evening and alternating cold and hot compresses.

When I do start again, he is insistant that it should be on a treadmill but I am not joining a gym and I don't think the council have anything accessible so I don't think that's going to happen.

See you in a month with any news.

14 June - areas tender when manipulated

 25 April Painful area - side area burning pain

A Salutary Tale

Well, we're now a few weeks down the road and I am still recovering.  According to NHS Choices and various other sources, I have symptoms of achilles damage in the form of tiny tears; sore, particularly in the morning before warming up but no inflammation. Typical it seems, of an older person going out and pushing too hard too suddenly. Fortunately, I have nothing of the grating sensation which apparently goes with more severe damage.

So I'm giving it another two weeks break yet and see how it feels. During the day once active, I feel very little in discomfort in the right but the left continues to nag.  It's all very low level pain now, not causing any significant problem walking any longer but definitely still there.

I am continuing  normal weekday life which involves driving, charging up and down stairs with IT kit, crawling under desks and walking around sites. I am having to avoid crouching down to things though, that hurts. I have also had to pass on our regular weekend hill walks as uphill climbing strains.

So, generally keeping it moving but trying to avoid stressing it too much, gentle stretches and massage with heat rub.

Damn, It Still Hurts!

Well, after another good break, I headed out again yesterday evening for 10min, 4 x 60s jog / 90sec walk (1.6km). 
I could tell left leg hurt as I arrived home and this morning I'm hobbling though not badly; nothing like the disaster the other week when I could hardly walk. My right leg, which was worst, is sort of OK but the left hurts top right of achilles. Still, we going the right direction with discomfort levels. 
I think nothing now till weekend (Wed today) then I'll stick to this same 10min routine for a while.

I'm really frustrated, I've enjoyed the times I've gone out and had great hopes of moving into Park Run soon. Glad I started so early, I still have 12 months to the 60@60.

Feet Hit the Street Once More

Morning at home and all sorts done including getting the lawn cut so muscles nicely warmed up.
A deliberately easy 1.25 km jog/walk in three 1:00/1:30m cycles. Kept to simple heel contact and all went well; achilles and calves slight discomfort but I believe I've avoided further damage and am well on the mend.
I'll see how the next few days go then, all being well, Saturday morning.

Pace Average 6:18 min/km

One Week On

Well, I said 7 days recovery time thinking that I was being ultra careful and would be well recovered in a few days.

Maybe I would have been OK by now but Friday was a very physical day at work crawling under desks, dragging PCs around and charging up and down stairs; not ideal.
Weekend was a trip to London to celebrate our 33rd Anniversary with a visit to the theatre. Lots of walking the concrete streets and a climb up 528 steps to the gallery above the dome of St Paul's Cathedral. This combined with up and down tube station stairs and the Science Museum on Sunday has left me still a little sore.

I shall see what tomorrow brings but will hopefully get the running shoes back on for a gentler, shorter run and ease back into training. I'll let you know.

Intermission

Once I get going, I'll not be blogging anything like this much and I intend this to be the last until my next run which I've vowed will be a full 7 days since over reaching my achilles.

For a moment there, I thought maybe this was not achievable, I really was in a lot of pain, had I not been planning to work from home Tuesday, there is no way I could have made it in to work.
Stairs on Tuesday were a case of hanging on to the rail and going sideways one flat foot at a time. Moving around, I looked like a blinking penguin waddling along on two flat feet.  A regime of rest and elevation with cold compresses and ibuprofen gel, plus the wonders of the naturally self healing human body mean that since about 2 this afternoon, I can actually walk and even lift slightly on my toes allowing me to get up and down stairs in a sensible manner. With more confidence that I have not done lasting damage, my thoughts are turning more positive but when I restart, I'm backing off from Runners World's schedule, at first anyway.

I think the fact that I was fairly fit through hill walking meant breathing and general muscle tone were already good leading me to overstretch parts not pushed in walking. I am used to wearing boots and tramping across hillsides and a lot of that involves flat foot fall. Contrast that to the bouncing off the ball of my foot action of every running stride and the achilles area strain is very different. I guess the nearest equivalent walking is a fast direct uphill push but even that, with the boots supporting the ankle area, doesn't allow the same localised strain.

Lesson 1, I think some pacy walking in the running shoes may be a good idea before much more running to strengthen the lower leg and ankle areas.

See you in a week.