Week 11 - I ran but I hit the wall
13 08 2008I’ve read about reaching a plateau in the healing process and I think I did so a few days ago. I’ve got plenty of soreness and swelling and no great improvements in flexibility.
On top of that, I had a bit of a slip 2 days ago while putting on my cycling shorts. I heard a bit of a click but suddenly the heel pain went any and so did a lot of the tightness. Very eerie! I was just hoping I didn’t re-rupture the darn thing. All foot movement was fine and the tendon felt intact when I poked around. But the middle section felt (site of the rupture) was softer and more pliable than the rest of Achilles so maybe I tore away some scar tissue? This could have been my mind playing tricks on me too since I couldn’t recall how it felt before. Since all felt good, I rode the bike for 30 minutes anyway but took it easy.
After a few days of kid glove treatment and icing, I feel tons better today.
I had some physio today and he checked out the area and said all was OK. He also thinks I just jarred some scar tissue loose. At any rate we put off the start of my strengthening exercises for another day. This didn’t prevent him from doing the super deep and painful massage of the tendon of course. Man does that hurt so good.
Back on the bike tomorrow and I’ll resume my stretching routine. I will definitely say that the more active I am the more heel pain I feel. But cycling relieves that pain big time along with elevation and staying off it of course.
Thanks for reading
Hoss
PS: I almost forget to mention that while volunteering at a race 3 days ago, it completely slipped my mind that I was injured and I ran 6-10 steps. Once I realized what I did, it completely scared the crap out of me. I will not be trying that again anytime soon. My slip and potential re-rupture scare has set me straight. I’ll grab a seat when changing my clothes. You can’t be too careful.
Bike Workouts (for those into that sort of thing):
Monday August 11 - 35 minutes (8 minutes x 125, 150, 160, 150 watts)
Tuesday August 12 - 30 minutes @ 125 watts
Wednesday Aug. 13 - off
i’ve noticed the watts thing on the exercise bike. what does it mean? i’m at 60 watts for 20 minutes. hahah, pretty pathetic
Without getting too complicated, watts are the unit of measurement to gauge a cyclists power/effort.
For example, on a typical day in the Tour de France (riding in packs, etc.) the riders power output is anywhere between 120-300 watts. When they are really pushing hard (sprints, time trials, or all out efforts) that will easily go in the 400-500 watt range.
Before my injury an solid aerobic effort (a 6 hour ride) for me was 160-200 watts. I got a long way to go to get back there. Unless you are a serious cyclist or triathlete, there is nothing wrong with 60 watts. As long as your heart rate is up at a decent level, you are doing well. Keep it up.