I suppose it's inevitable that every runner incurs some form of injury - and I KNOW it's inevitable that every runner incurs some form (if not SEVERAL forms) of discomfort. With this knowledge in mind, I have adopted a mental state to help me run with initial discomfort: I say "Hello _______, come run with me." In other words, if my knees feel stiff, I say "Hello uncooperative knees, come run with me!" It quickly gets me to stop focusing on the discomfort and back to focusing on my form and my breathing. The discomfort always fades and my run continues. (And I provide a bit of light entertainment for anyone who catches me talking to myself!) :)
However, this morning, I did not experience discomfort... I experienced what would be borderline pain. It was a severe stiffness and soreness in my left heel. More specifically - in my left achilles tendon, both at the base of the tendon as well as its attachment point at the back of my heel. As I have been reading a lot about running lately, I recognized this as an early sign of what could become achilles tendonitis... aka, an early sign of what could be a MAJOR problem. :(
To be safe, I did not run this morning. I stretched my calves and my tendon a good deal, and just went for about a mile walk. It took a good 1/2 mile before the pain went away. Yes, it did go away, but from what I can tell, pain in my achilles tendon from the moment I wake up is the sign that I could be approaching a "pull" or some kind of "tear." I've emailed the man who I work for at the health center in NYC to seek his advice - and we'll just see how it feels over the next day or two. I'm concerned it may be my running shoes, as they are due to be replaced. I just haven't been able to go shopping for new ones yet!!
I've put off the run for today, and I'm going to try for the 5-mile run again tomorrow. I'm supposed to get another 3-mile run in on Saturday, before I get ready for the Faire day, rest on Sunday, then my long run of 8-miles on Monday. If I'm still experiencing pain tomorrow morning, I'm going to be sure to get to the gym ASAP so I can cross-train on an elliptical, thus avoiding impact.
I will keep you all updated. In the meantime, I'll be stretching, cross-training, and seeking some new running shoes ASAP.
Signed,
Your-slightly-frustrated-runner,
Kelly
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