It's been a little while since my last post. I'm excited to see so many page views and the couple of comments. Especially since when I was going through this, I felt on my own and that there wasn't anyone who knew what I was going through or anyone who could help.
So it has been 6-1/2 months. Since my last post of starts, stops, and starts, I have hit a milestone for me-- 23 minutes! I know, I have friends running 23 miles, but running is all about self (well, at my age) Also, winter has been brutal, and it took a couple of runs outside, in the snow, with my dog, to discover that I needed to stop running in the slippery conditions...unfortunately. I was having some real posterior Achilles issues, and after emailing my doc, he said to take a day off. I took off 3 days, until it didn't hurt anymore. I'm so done with pain. I've continued the swimming and water running about 2-3 times per week, and I am on the bike trainer (did I mention winter has been brutal?) about 5 days a week, and I have just added the running to what I already do. I am terrible at "the exercises" but here is what I have been consistently doing:
1) 20 toe taps off a step (every day after running); both feet
2) 3 sets of 20 lunges about 3-4 times a week
3) one leg balance with pick up sticks, and squats about 3 times a week.
4) roll my foot on the TheraBand , every day after running
5) use The Stick to roll out my calves, every day after running
I mix it up so it doesn't become too tedious. I'm also out of the soft boot at night, which I LOVE! Really LOVE. And I am not icing! So I am cautiously optimistic.
I also need to remind myself of how far I have come. Last year at this time I had just finished wearing a stupid boot for 8 weeks-- prescribed by an ortho who didn't run and didn't really know what to do. Last year at this time, it hurt every morning to get out of bed and hobble down the stairs. By the end of the school day, my Achilles hurt enough that I didn't want to stand, or move, just cry. The condition consumed me. I'm not much of a complainer, so I don't think people around me realized how much I physically hurt. So, I can say, at this point, that I did make the right decision to have surgery. Whew! That's a relief. My goal is not speed; I still have hopes for that later. My goal is to be up and running for our family trip out West this summer. Maybe I will even log a few miles on the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail in SD. sigh. So while I am perhaps not running as much as my doc said I'd be, I am not worried. As I said, running is about the self. I run because it makes me happy. I feel like I am finding my old friend after a long hiatus. Still working on the trust, but it sure feels pretty damn awesome.
Keep the comments coming. I would love to hear others' experiences.
