Right now I should be thinking about my race,
strategies, tactics, etc. But that’s the farthest thing from my mind. My goal
is to somehow get the swelling and pain out of my left Achilles at least to the
point where I can race.
How did this happen? Honestly I have no idea. I have
been running for years and my Achilles issues baffle me. My right Achilles is
usually my weak link. It is the one that gives me tendonitis and achy feelings.
It is the one that will get angry and flare up on me mid run without a warning.
I have become very in tune with this little tendon and have been doing a good
job with strengthening and listening to the little tendon so it won’t sideline
me like it did in cross country. And so far things have been great. It even
decided to feel awesome for me this week.
But its friend, the Left Achilles, that has never
given me a problem or even a warning sign that something might be up, decided
to leave me hobbled up Thursday, the day I left for USA’s. I went out for an
easy 6 mile run that morning and noticed I felt a little tight in my lower
legs. So I stopped and stretched and continued on at a very easy pace. When I
got home my Achilles started feeling tighter and tighter. I knew the feeling
all too well from my experiences with the Right Achilles and it did not bode
well for me.
It was Thursday and I still had a few days before I
had to race. Sitting on the plane I would imagine it was gone, only to discover
when I moved, that sure enough, it was there and angrier than ever. When I got
to the hotel I started with the self help. Ice, massage, ibuprofen, repeat a
bunch. That night I felt optimistic that things would look better in the
morning. I woke up several times during the night and each time I would move my
Left Achilles just to test. Each time it yelled at me.
When I got up in the morning I could barely stand.
Everything was tight. My lower leg was locked up. More ice, more ibuprofen.
After icing on and off for over an hour, I decided to take a warm bath. I know
that is not the best thing for inflammation but surprisingly it helped loosen
some things up and I could now stand and walk without too much pain.
I just got back from picking up my USATF Athlete
packet and it is a beautiful day! Sunny and warm, the perfect day for a nice
little shake-out run before the race. But alas, that is not for me. So here I
sit trying to use up some energy and pass the time while I type.
I know everything happens for a reason and while the
timing of this is not ideal I will survive and have so much to be thankful for.
I am not going to do anything that will jeopardize my outdoor season or even
running career but I am also not going to be a pansy. If the pain subsides I
will race. Right now I am 100% sure I will race. How far I get, I do not know.
What is tested next is my faith in God’s plan. Who knows why this happened? We
can speculate but only God knows and I know He can provide the healing I need. I have faith that everything will work out and
if I am able to toe the line and race tomorrow I will race with all my heart.
Because believe me, I will be so thankful just to have the opportunity. It is
true what they say, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone.”
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