This week has been a much better week than last week!
I did my Eccentric Heel Drops twice a day every day this week along with my hip exercises once a day, and I have seen a visible reduction in swelling around my Achilles Tendon. My left tendon is still thicker than my right, but apparently it can take weeks before the scar tissue is replaced completely.
On Monday I decided to go and play soccer at IBM. I knew there would be a big enough group that I wouldn't have to do much running and that if I felt pain in my leg, I could simply play the role of goalie. We played for approximately an hour and a half, and although I felt some discomfort and tightness when I was running short distances, it was minimal. I made a point of warming down by taking a jog for a few laps around the field (on the grass) and I iced my lower leg when I got home.
On Tuesday my leg felt fine (which was a nice surprise), so I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes. The temperature has been high already this year with highs of around 90F (32C) and lows around 70F (21C) so the water in the pool is warm like bath water, even at 8am.
On Wednesday I went for a cycle. It is taking my body a little while to get used to cycling and as I got on the bike I wished I had a little more padding on my backside! With this in mind, I had done my morning set of Eccentric Heel Drops before I went out with the plan to take a jog on some of the grassy areas to break up the cycling. I was out cycling/running for a total of 60 minutes, and probably ran for 20 minutes in various areas. The pain free, discomfort free, tightness free running gave me some confidence in my recovery and I decided to take a slow run on Thursday.
On Thursday I did my morning Eccentric Heel Drops and then set out for a run with a target of 30 minutes in mind and completed the run from the house down and around Shelley Lake without anything more than some slight tightness in my lower calf. I had expected some tightness so I wasn't overly worried. I iced my lower leg when I got home and monitored my Achilles throughout the day. There was no noticeable reaction throughout the day and I went to be pain free!
I made the decision to walk the Susan G Komen 5K instead of run as I didn't want to push my body and waste two weeks of recovery. With this in mind, I rested on Friday and just did my Eccentric Heel Drops and Hip Exercises.
On Saturday morning we woke up at 5:00 am and made our way to Meredith College to meet the NCRC team at 6:15 and collect our race shirts and bibs. It was a hot and humid morning and I was thankful that I had decided against running! We watched the finish of the competitive 5K and finally set off for our walk at 8:45am. The course was hilly and the thousands of people meant that it was a slow but pain free 59 minute walk. It is an amazing experience to walk with 25000 other people and being in the middle of the walkers meant we had a great view of the sea of people walking along Hillsborough Street.
The rest of the day was busy. We went to a party to watch the England/USA game at the World Cup and then to watch the Durham Bulls for Shane's Birthday. My leg felt a little tired after being on my feet for so long, but there wasn't any swelling or pain - so I was happy!
I am ready to attempt to run three times next week and gradually increase my workload while continuing my Eccentric Heel Drops to strengthen my calves. Next week I have to travel to Toronto for four days (three nights) for work, so I have planned the following workouts:
Monday: Run 30 minutes (treadmill)
Tuesday: Cycle 60 minutes
Wednesday: Run 35 minutes (treadmill)
Thursday: Rest (Travel)
Friday: Swim - Kicking 30 minutes
Saturday: Run 40 minutes
Sunday: Rest
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment