Gail’s Ultra Achilles Blog

Long time no post…because I’ve been feeling good I guess.  Both Achilles seem to be holding (had right operated on in 2009, but also had problems with the other one).  I’m a long distance runner, and continue to try to do long races…but about a month ago began experiencing pain in my left inner heel.  X-Ray revealed a new, large bone spur on the inner left heel….which podiatrist says does not respond well to surgery, so going the orthotics, Nsaids, and gritting teeth route.

Just wondering if any Achilles surgery alumni out there have experienced any problems with bone spurs before/after Achilles surgery?

(Please note:  I received permission from Dennis to post this fundraising request to achillesblog.com.)

On October 11th & 12th , the Women’s Sports Foundation (the organization I now work for) is hosting  a Charity Ride at Flywheel Indoor Studio in New York City. The event is in conjunction with our Annual Salute to Women in Sports awards gala and will help raise money for programs that combat childhood obesity.

Please consider sponsoring my ride with a donation to Women’s Sports Foundation in support of GoGirlGo! – a wonderful program that makes it possible for thousands of girls each year to participate in sports activities — free of charge. 

I know that a lot of you out there are athletes — that’s how we got into this predicament.  If you are willing and able, please use the link below to make a donation through Active.com. At the website you will be able to choose an amount to donate and receive email confirmation of your donation.  Any amount would be welcome!! 

Thank you for your support!  ~Gail

http://www.active.com/donate/flyforwomenssports/gailmarino

 For more information on this event and WSF, see:

 http://www.flywheelsports.com/wsf

 http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/

Thanks norm.., GerryR and Savi for talking me off the ledge….after a week of serious stretching/icing, etc., and of course cutting back in mileage….the foot seems to be calming down. Thinking it maybe was just some inflammation after the hard effort, which caused things to tighten up. Hopefully can try a long run this Sunday….but yes, I’ll be careful out there.

So I can’t ever let my guard down with this foot?!? We’ll see….

Trying not to panic….but was shocked to wake up Thursday with stiffness and pain in the post-surgical foot. Ran hard on Wednesday night, felt fine…and have been feeling fine for months. But woke up with that all too familiar stiffness and limp.

So far icing, ibuprofin, and stretching with the splint have helped a bit…but have not run at all for a few days. Swam instead….which also loosened it up.

Does not feel like a re-rupture…but more like something is out of alignment (much like it did shortly after I first began walking after surgery/cast/boot…for a few hours on Friday, I could even walk normally for a while….But yes, I’m scared…if it doesn’t improve soon, of course I’ll get it checked out. Sigh!!!!!!

I’m happy to report that I finished the Joe Kleinerman 12 Hour Race on Saturday in Queens, NY – and felt much better than I expected…..managed 64.2 miles, good enough for 2nd female.  The feet were not too much of a problem, and the post-op foot, no problem at all.  As always in the summer, the bigger issue was asthma….but as ultrarunners and other long-distance runners know, if you hang on, eventually you will feel better….which happened to me.  The amazing thing about ultras — you can actually feel better in the second half if you get into a groove.

So maybe my dream of doing 100 miles or a 24-hour race is do-able? 

Happy healing to everyone!!

…so I thought you all would like to know!  Although I ran a “personal worst” time (4:11), I keep reminding myself that I will have to run a lot of “worst” times before I can get into shape again the way I would like….but at least the foot held up, although I felt it a bit during the race, and it was a bit sore afterwards…..but stretching seems to have helped it. 

So yes, there is life after Achilles surgery!  Happy Healing to All!

First — welcome back, Dennis! Thanks for all of your efforts, we will try to be patient with technical issue (for instance….I tried to post a comment to your post, but my computer would not display the image for the “spam word” so could not…another loading issue?)

On another note…..while we were away, I managed to make it through my first 50K since the surgery after a year and change…..ran slow, walked the hills in the second half, but got through 31+ miles….and the foot held up. So I am optimistic about more ultras in the future…..

Looking forward to reading up on everyone else’s progress!

I’ve been so busy worrying about getting back into shape….that my one-year anniversary came and passed on February 18!  A good sign, I suppose, that I am looking forward and not back….except when I get some soreness.  But I am finally feeling that racing will be possible in a month or two.

Best wishes to all of us at different stages of this journey.  One step at a time, and we will all get there.

Just a quick note to say that, although I had been avoiding treadmill running, because of our recent snowfall (i.e., BLIZZARD), I was back on the treadmill again today for a short 4-mile run. And luckily, I remembered george’s suggestion about elevation, so I set it at 1.0 instead of 0.0….and it seems to have helped!! So thanks for the advice, george — the power of others’ experiences strikes again…..

Hello all.  Sorry long time, no post….but as you know with this website, usually no news is good news.

I am still running and getting stronger every day, but my question for the group is……Why does treadmill running always make my achilles hurt?  (Both the post-op and non-post-op side).  I had done a few hard treadmill workouts during the recent cold snap here in Queens/NYC, and felt great about getting some faster miles in….but now afraid to do it on a regular basis, since my feet always hurt afterwards.

Opinions, advice, and warnings welcome!