Way back when I did my first run in Toulouse, the dismal state of my body was brought to my attention not so much through pathetic gasping attempts to pass enough air through my lungs to stay alive (although there was a bit of that), but rather through a nagging and persistent pain the next day when I got out of bed.
My Achilles tendon was not happy at all. In fact, it seemed to have shrunk by about an inch in protest at my mishandling of its emotions. I actually limped for the first five minutes I was up.
I mentioned it in passing to the sports doctor who told me to lay off the running for at least a week and let the inflammation die down.
The pain, however, did not go away after a week. Although I was fine during the day, the tightness remained every time I stayed immobile for some time. I began to wonder if I didn't have a "chronic" injury. The sort of thing that really scares me.
I remembered after a while a theory put forward by an old rowing coach that muscles heal and strengthen in response to the demands placed upon them, and so if I wanted something to get better, I had to - gently - let it know that it's services would be required in the future. I checked online and indeed, light exercise is recommended for Achilles tendinopathy.
So yesterday, as part of the gym routine, I did some gentle lower leg resistance exercises. And lo and behold, this morning, the pain and tightness were much reduced.
Colour me relieved.
My Achilles tendon was not happy at all. In fact, it seemed to have shrunk by about an inch in protest at my mishandling of its emotions. I actually limped for the first five minutes I was up.
I mentioned it in passing to the sports doctor who told me to lay off the running for at least a week and let the inflammation die down.
The pain, however, did not go away after a week. Although I was fine during the day, the tightness remained every time I stayed immobile for some time. I began to wonder if I didn't have a "chronic" injury. The sort of thing that really scares me.
I remembered after a while a theory put forward by an old rowing coach that muscles heal and strengthen in response to the demands placed upon them, and so if I wanted something to get better, I had to - gently - let it know that it's services would be required in the future. I checked online and indeed, light exercise is recommended for Achilles tendinopathy.
So yesterday, as part of the gym routine, I did some gentle lower leg resistance exercises. And lo and behold, this morning, the pain and tightness were much reduced.
Colour me relieved.
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