On The Mend (Take 2)

So ..... I was obviously being a bit premature when I thought my calf/achilles problem had been sorted out by a three week rest and discovered it definitely wasn't. Since then I have managed to arrange some physiotherapy treatment and its doing the trick and I am on the mend.

It turns out the Achilles itself is fine - its the calf muscle that is the problem. I had my first appointment last Wednesday evening and Jayne (the physio) poked and prodded around to identify the problem area which was the base of the calf muscle. Jayne got me to lay on the couch with my legs out straight and point my toes towards my knees. The average person can get their foot to an angle of around 10-12 degrees. When I tried, my right (okay) leg got to 10 degrees but my left (injured) leg would only get to 4 degrees! :-( Jayne manipulated and massaged the calf muscle, seeking out the tender and sore areas where the knots were. Of which there were quite a few! I didn't yelp with pain but there were a few moments when I had to grimace and bite my tongue (and swore under my breath!).

Jayne gave me a stretching routine to do up to 5 times a day to loosen up my legs. It's all of the stretches I already do before a run but it turns out I wasn't doing them for long enough. They need to be held for at least 30 seconds. And there is one particular stretch I wasn't familiar with which targets the base of the calf muscle where the problem is.

I have been doing this stretching routine between 3 and 5 times a day for the last week and things definitely felt better to me. So I went back for my second appointment this afternoon to find out what the 'expert' thought. When I tried the 'point your toes' exercise again today the right leg got to 12 degrees .. and the injured left leg got to 10 degrees. Jayne was thrilled with the improvement! She massaged the calf again and didn't find so many sore spots this time (so less swearing going on!).

I have an additional exercise to add to the stretching which will help with strengthening the calf muscles. It's like the stretch where you stand on the bottom step on your toes and allow your heels to drop. The difference is you raise yourself up on your toes then over 5 seconds let your heels drop down slowly. I have to do 10 repetitions (or more if possible until it becomes slightly harder to do) and have to try and repeat this three times a day.

All being well, I'll be able to improve on the 12/10 degrees mark when I go back again next week.

There again .. maybe not!

Hmmph!! - this is not what I thought I would be writing about today :-(

I managed to run 3 miles on Thursday evening without any problems - no tightness or soreness from my left achilles afterwards and things seemed to be going well. So I headed out again on Saturday morning thinking I would do 3 or 4 miles (I wasn't sure how unfit I would be after a three week layoff). As I reached the end of the first mile I felt a twinge from my left achilles and my heart sank. I tried to keep running a bit further but within 200yds the left achilles was too painful and sore for me to carry on. I turned round and hobbled home (walking was painful, let alone running or jogging).

So that's that then .. no more running for a few more weeks. Later on I'll get hold of my private health provider Axa to see if I can arrange some treatment with the physio I have used in the past.

Any lingering thoughts I had about still being ready for the Bath half-marathon have disappeared. In fact, over the weekend I sent an email cancelling my entry. The Bath Half was supposed to be a stepping stone to getting fit for the Coast To Coast walk in July. As things stand I may be able to run again in a month or two. But for the time being I think I'll forget about any thoughts of running and concentrate instead on building up my walking mileage.