I told you in my very positive post about reaching my weight loss goal earlier this week that I would be speaking a little bit about Greek mythology in a later post...so here goes.
At the conclusion of my 6.2 mile run on Saturday, my classical education files in the back of my brain opened up, as I was (unfortunately) reminded of the story of Achilles...can you guess why? I'll get to that in a minute, but first the story.
In Homer's Iliad, Achilles is a powerful warrior, almost invincible, and his strength stemmed not only from formal training. When Achilles was an infant, his mother immersed him into the River Styx to give him immortality and to make him invincible in battle. Her grave error, though, was that she held Achilles by his left heel when putting him under the water, and it was this part of his body that was not submerged that was vulnerable and ultimately led to Achilles' demise when he was struck in this heel (yes, his Achilles Heel) with a poisoned arrow.
So while I wouldn't put myself into the powerful warrior class, I was reminded of this story as I finished off my run with some sharp pains in my left Achilles tendon (yes, it was my left one, too) over the last couple of miles. Like most runners, I didn't think much of the pains as they were happening, and I carried with me the "oh well - it will go away" attitude as I muscled my way through the run. And, to be honest, the pain wasn't constant...it actually was coming and going...so I wasn't thinking I was hurt.
Well, as the day progressed, the pain (and some tightness) continued to come and go...and I was no longer running. Fortunately, it wasn't coming and going when I was at rest, but I could definitely feel it when moving around.
So, in my brilliance, I decided that it would be a good idea to test it out on a 2-minute/2-minute run/walk (hey - it's just a run/walk, right?) on Sunday morning...well, that proved to be a mistake. Oh, I was fine during the walking portion - yes, there was a little tightness, but it didn't feel "bad"...except during the running intervals. Every time my left foot hit the pavement, there was a sharp pain shooting through my Achilles.
So I did the smart thing...I kept on running...umm...for a pretty educated guy, that wasn't too bright either.
Despite my idiocy, though, it looks like I'm going to be okay and that I caught this in time to recover and keep training for my upcoming races....there's just a little extra work to do.
After speaking with a podiatrist, a track coach, and a Trigger Point therapy guru from my local running store - The Jacksonville Running Company - it looks like I should be back to full speed in just a few weeks...and back on the pavement running at easy speeds as early as this weekend. In the interim, I've been able to continue to cross train on the stationary bike this week; and with the addition of Trigger Point deep massage therapy and calf strengthening Eccentric Heel Drop exercises, the last time I felt pain and experienced swelling in my Achilles was on Monday...the only pain now is muscle pain associated with my new routines, but muscle pain is welcome pain. But that makes me lucky...very lucky.
Oh, and by the way, if you experience Achilles problems, please don't take my advice as THE advice and please note that I've spoken with three others regarding my own situation...in other words, I'm not a doctor, a track coach, nor am I a trained massage therapist, so don't take this as professional advice (or end up suing me if something goes wrong).
Oh, and by the way, here's the most likely thing I did (or didn't do) that led to a hurting Achilles...and this is something that would probably be wise for any runner to avoid (especially when training for his or her first marathon). As you know, my distances have been increasing dramatically over the last month or two, but my mistake (especially in the last two weeks) was not allowing my body to recover appropriately from the long runs; rather, on my recovery runs, I started pushing my speed to new limits as well. Thus, in my case, as someone who has just been back on the road for a year and who is training for his first marathon...
Increased Distance + Increased Speed = Increased Likelihood of Injury.
So this week is a bit of a sabbatical from the marathon training, but here are last week's results (with the recovery runs pushing my speed limits), as well as what I've been up to this week:
Marathon Training Week Nine (August 26 - September 1)
Monday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 9), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Tuesday - 5.07 Mile Run (10:05 Pace)
Wednesday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 9), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Thursday - 4.12 Mile Run (9:26 Pace)
Friday - OFF
Saturday - 6.22 Mile Run (10:35 Pace)
Sunday - 2.65 Mile Family Run
Total Miles on the Pavement - 20.12 Miles (Includes Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)
Total Marathon Training Miles - 190.47
Marathon Training Week Ten (September 2 - September 8)
Monday - 10-Minute Walk (0.63 Miles) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 9), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps) - COMPLETE
Wednesday - 20-Minute Walk (1.39 Miles) - COMPLETE
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 9), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit - COMPLETE
Friday - Walk 30 Minutes
Saturday - Walk 45 Minutes
Sunday - Run/Walk Intervals (as long as all is okay)
In addition, I have been (and will continue to be) doing the Eccentric Heel Drop exercises three times per day, as well as the Trigger Point therapy four times per day. These will continue all the way through to the marathon in January.
So a great warrior I am not, but the last week has shown me that I do share a vulnerability with one of the greats of lore. Let's just hope that I don't share a similar fate...DOH!
In all seriousness, a good triathlete friend of mine told me earlier this week that this is just a bump in the road, and as long as I don't rush myself - which is already getting tough because my Achilles feels pretty normal again - I'll be back on schedule and getting ready for my races before I know it. Thanks for that advice, Andrew! It came at the right time!
I look forward to having good news about hopefully being back on the training road next week.
Until then, enjoy your journey...
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