Several years ago, I lived in a Suburb of Reading, PA. My wife and I had a little house on a hill with a large front yard. While the view was excellent, and we were far from the street, our yard was a pain to mow. One day while manhandling the mower up and down the hill, I stepped into a hole and felt a searing pain in my heel.
When the pain didn’t improve after a few days, I went to see our family doctor. “What you have is Achilles Tendonitis – my daughter rides horses and often deals with this injury.” He explained that when it happens once, it will likely occur more often – you need ice and rest.
He was right – I’ve dealt with Achilles Tendonitis several times since then. It usually lasts about a week, and the pain subsides – assuming I can stay off my feet, which is hard to do with young kids.
My most recent bout with Achilles Tendonitis happened on my last outing with the 10K Runner App. While doing intervals after the program, I must have pushed myself too hard. I felt a pain in my heel and knew all too well what the next few days would bring.
Staying off my foot has been challenging, but not exercising was rather easy (it hurts too much just limping around after the kids). This week has been my lightest, with a single run and a lousy attempt at rowing.
The pain in my heel has been improving. I still don’t have the flexibility required for running, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll return to it by mid-week next week.