What To Do, What To Do...

Last week didn't exactly shape up to be the wonderful pain-free training fest it was supposed to be. On each of the three excruciating slow and short runs I did, I felt my achilles to some degree. The good thing was that things had drastically improved from a couple weeks ago; each run I only felt a mild discomfort, almost just like a tightness, rather than pain. This suggests that the lift did in fact play a role, which is good to know. Still, I'm apprehensive to start building miles and intensity if things aren't feeling 100%. Talk about frustrating. While on one hand, I'm thinking I need another run-free week (if not two or three) to avoid full blown achilles tendonitis that sidelines me for months, I also just want to move forward to reach my weight loss and fitness goals. That and I really hate most cross-training . With maybe the exception of road biking (tis not the season for that, sadly), I would take a day of running over anything low-impact a gym has to offer. This is probably true for most runners but most runners would probably also do things like the elliptical (gross) and the stationary bike (barf) knowing it will help their return from injury. Me, on the other hand, if I can't run, I will almost assuredly opt for the couch over the gym leading to a loss of fitness and a likely expansion of the waistline; the antithesis to my goals. I accept this is something I need to probably get over but I haven't quite made the leap to do so yet.

Nor do I plan to next week. Tonight I have convinced myself that there may be another solution to this achilles nonsense: my new shoes. As I mentioned last time, I really noticed a uptick on the issue following runs in brand new ASICS GT2160s (with lifts) a couple weeks ago. While I was lift-less this week, I was still in these new shoes. This next week I will test the theory that, in addition to the lifts, the new shoes are also problematic. To do this, I'll throw on my trusty GT-2150s for this week's three slow n' short trots. If the pain/discomfort persists, well then I guess I'll be getting over my aversion to cross-training sooner than later. Here's how the week looks:


Monday -- 02/21 -- Run Easy 20 minutes, Stretch

Tuesday -- 02/22 -- Strength Class

Wednesday -- 02/23 -- OFF

Thursday -- 02/24 -- Run Easy 3 miles, Stretch

Friday -- 02/25 -- Cross-train/Pool 30 minutes, Stretch

Saturday -- 02/25 -- OFF

Sunday -- 02/26 -- Run Long 3-5 miles (depending on achilles), Stretch


Total: 8-10 miles