About Me

My photo
I am a farmer's wife,runner and a mother of two boys. I help my husband with our farming business. I did my first marathon in October 2010 and loved every minute of it. I'm now looking to do my 4th marathon in Little Rock, AR

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Darn Achilles Tendon

Monday I was able to get in 10 miles before work.  I ran 8 with my running partner and the last two by myself.  I was not to happy that the weather was in the 30's when I got out of bed.  I really did not want to do this  run  in my vff's with socks.  I have found that when I wear my socks with my vff's the balls of my feet hurt during and after my run.  I'm  not sure if that  is due to the  friction from the socks and shoes  together.  I am still trying to figure it all out as I go.   The one thing I do  know is  that when I run in my  vff's only, the balls of my feet don't hurt much at all. 

Just when I think I'm doing great, something else happens.   My plan this morning was to get up early  and get to the gym and do some strength training and elliptical.  Hoping to give my feet a rest day, before I hit the pavement tomorrow. 


Holy Moly, when I got out of bed this morning and stepped on my left foot my Achilles tendon and  the tissue on both sides  hurt like heck. As I'm  trying to  get ready I was limping like crazy it hurt so bad. 

I figured I had only two options.

1. Go to  the gym and try to work threw it.
                                 or
2. Ice my Achilles tendon and take today off and give my tendon some rest.

I opted for option 2, icing and rest. By the time I was ready for  work this morning it was feeling pretty good. My  goodnesss, I was sure  hoping that would help.  I really need to get some more miles in  this week so I can stay on my training schedule. 


achilles3illussaturated-3.png

I went to the Internet to see if this was common with barefoot running and what I could do to make it feel better.  This is from a article a lady wrote, when she was having issue's with her Achilles tendon while running barefoot.  A few things that she did.

1. I listen to my body. I’ve backed off the mileage and I listen to what my tendons will give me each run. If they are sore, I stop.
2. Arnica massage tendons to get rid of scar tissue. Scar tissue presents itself as small bumps on top of the tendon. This is what makes your tendon feel sore.
    Arnica - is infused  into almond oil and vitamin E oil, scented with spruce essential oils.
    Arnica usage- For bruises, swellings, joint pain, inflammation, or sore muscles.
3. Eccentric Calf stretches.
4. Massage calves to loosen any tightness. Looser calves help the tendons to stretch!
We all know that when you have some form of injury, you will try anything to get  better.
foot cartoons, foot cartoon, foot picture, foot pictures, foot image, foot images, foot illustration, foot illustrations
  This cartoon says it all
    I know their are several people transitioning to barefoot or minimalist shoes.

                                          What issues are you having  with your transitioning.
                          
                                            Do you find it hard taking the  transition slowly?

16 comments:

  1. I'm not transitioning, so no advice there. I had Achilles problems through April, though. I rested, iced, and slept in an ankle brace that kept my foot flexed. That's what seemed to make the most difference, and thankfully my Achilles didn't bother me during the marathon. Thanks for stopping by and commenting! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a previous injury on my left foot that has left lots of scar tissue around my achiles and ankle. Massage is a big one for me. I wrap my hands around the front of my ankle and rub with my thumbs on each side of the tendon in circular motion to break up the scar tissue. I also pay more attention to my calves, making sure they are not tight. Foam rollers are great for rolling them out. And of course proper form and post run stretching help too. Just baby it until it doesn't hurt and even then baby it after your runs. Always better to be safe than sorry!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am still in regular running shoes. Still debated the transition.

    I have plantar faciitis issues.. Night splint helps, it keeps your foot flexed. When I stopped running it really helped.

    Good call on resting today. Keep icing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. A few months ago, I had achilles tendon pain so bad that I would end up crying after a run. It SUCKED!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm not transitioning but I had a major achilles issue pre-Boston last year. Massage with Traumeel's Arnica helped me a ton.
    Hope it heals up fast!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So sorry to hear about your achilles tendon. I have been transitioning since September and thought I'd done a really good job of taking it slowly even though it was hard. As you know I'm dealing with top of foot pain right now after getting to the meaty part of marathon training. So I wished I would have taken it even slower if that's possible.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have been in my Nike Frees since the end of December. I only have issues on my long runs.

    I have had the achilles issue that you speak of. Not terribly painful like you have.

    I also have issues with my arches. They are SORE. I had thought that it was because my arch is weak (from being in shoes that didn't allow for it to work properly) through research I found that to be exactly right. The arch pain and achilles pain only happen on my really long runs with marathon training.

    I would love to run a marathon with you someday. I won't be able to do Des Moines this year but I did register for the Twin Cities Marathon on Oct 2nd. Any interest in that?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh so sorry to hear it! I really hope it gives you a break asap. I've also heard that propping your legs up on a wall to "drain" them can help with achilles. Rest up and feel better!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've been thinking about adding a minimalist shoe for a few miles a week but haven't made the plunge yet. Hope you are feeling better soon. Love the cartoon :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thinking about it - but I'm currently wearing orthotics, so it would be a super slow transition for me :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Feel better! Make sure you listen to your body. If it hurts constantly, you made need a break.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hope it gets feeling better soon! I am to scared to try transitioning, so I am no help...other than sending healing vibes =)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sorry to hear this about your Achilles Penny. Thanks for the useful information. Someone just told me about this Arnica stuff today. I must look into it. Do you know where i get it??

    ReplyDelete
  14. My husband runs barefoot (for about a year now), he transitioned super slowly. Like after a year of running barefoot, he's just now built up the mileage to do 7 mile runs. He was running half marathons before he switched. I think you're doing the right thing, you just have to listen to your body.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Take the time off!!! Don't push it, my thoughts are with you! Nothing can replace R&R, no matter how annoying it can be to us runners. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am with you dealing with achilles issues. NOT fun. Definitely rest through it, continuing to workout on it will only make it worse. I have been taking time off running or doing any cardio on it, which I don't enjoy, but know that it will be best in the long run. Here's to stretching and ice!

    ReplyDelete

All your comments are inspiring to me. Love hearing your feedback.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...