Running Through Life

I’ve got spurs… and they don’t jingle June 5, 2007

The above image is not my foot – I found it on http://www.wheelessonline.com as a result of a Google image search for “achilles calcification.”

So, I visited Dr. Perry H. Julien today, a noted podiatrist and runner here in Atlanta, to find out what I should do about my achilles tendinitis. He x-rayed both feet and found that I have what is known as “calcification of the achilles tendon insertion.” In plain English, it’s a spur that forms where the achilles tendon attaches to the back of the heel bone. This spur forms as a result of years of abuse: poor stretching regimen, overtraining, and bad shoes, to be precise. Although I only have pain in my right foot, I have this condition in both feet. The doctor said I’ve probably had these for at least 5 years. Yikes! I had plenty of warning signs in the form of on-and-off achilles tendinitis in both feet over the last 15 years, but because the pain eventually went away, I ignored it.

The good news is that I can keep running for years, perhaps decades to come, as long as I repent from my sins. The pain should mostly subside, but I’ve got those spurs for life. If I follow the doctor’s advice, the spurs should not get any worse. That advice includes:

• Stretch my calves 6-8 times per day, every day, 365 days a year, forever and ever, amen. Each stretching session should take about a minute: 10 seconds for the left, 10 seconds for the right, repeat 2 more times. Note that when stretching the calf, do not stretch so much that you feel it in your achilles tendon.
• Make sure I replace my running shoes promptly whenever they wear out. The general recommendation is 200-500 miles for a pair of shoes, but for me, 300 miles seems to be my absolute maximum.

While the pain lasts, he also recommends massage therapy every 7-10 days, for 2 or 3 visits, and icing the injury once or twice a day for 10-15 minutes at a time.

The good doctor also assigned me two chapters of reading from his book, Sure Footing (which he was about to give me a copy of, but I already own it). It’s a good book on running/exercise-related injuries and how to avoid them. Um… too bad I didn’t pay much attention to it until now.

One lesson learned from this experience is that I waited way too long to get the advice of a doctor. I’ve had these spurs for at least 5 years and never knew it, and I’ve experienced on-and-off tendinitis for about 15 years. For the mere price of a copay, I could have gotten advice much sooner. Luckily I finally did see the doctor before it got any worse.

On the Road to Maui! May 21, 2007

I have formally started training for the Maui Marathon! Woohoo!

For the last couple of weeks, I have been swamped with work and activities, so I decided not to try and post anything. But now I’m back, and as promised, here is the training plan I am using for Maui. It is based on the Furman FIRST to the Finish plan, but with less long run mileage at the beginning. I have also adjusted for a couple of weekends where it will not be possible to get my long run in, due to travel (in one case) and a planned 5K race (in the other case). I handled that by adding two extra weeks to the plan at those points, and inserting the appropriate runs at those points: the 5K race + some extra easy miles, and a 6-8 mile run on the travel day.

Maui Marathon 2007 Training Plan

I am still dealing with achilles tendinitis in my right foot, but it has not gotten any worse. It had gotten pretty sore on Saturday after a 6-mile run, but I had not had very good sleep the whole week, so that may have had something to do with it. I’ve noticed a correlation between post-running soreness and poor sleep. I have continued ice massage on it, and it really helps.

The problem may also have something to do with my new shoes. A few weeks ago, I discovered that my local Costco warehouse had the Adidas Nova Control running shoe. I had been wearing Adidas Supernova Control shoes with great success, and I had read that Nova was basically the same shoe, just cost-reduced. So I decided to buy them. They feel great, but it just so happens that the worst of my achilles problems coincided with wearing those shoes. So I am going back to my old Supernovas, with 300+ miles on them, until I get a chance to get to the Big Peach Running Company (my favorite local footwear merchant) to buy a new pair, hopefully this week. If the Supernovas make a difference, I’ll relegate the cost-reduced Novas to cross-training.

Anyway, my achilles tendon is much better today, so I will go ahead with my scheduled speed training tomorrow. However, to be sure that I am not setting myself up for an even worse injury, I’ve scheduled an appointment at the Atlanta Foot and Ankle Center to get the advice of Dr. Julien, a respected doctor in the Atlanta running community. I won’t get to see him until 2 weeks from now, but hopefully my tendinitis won’t get any worse between now and then.

Sidelined! May 4, 2007

Augh! No more running for me, at least not for the next few days. I’ve been dealing with minor achilles tendinitis for the last few weeks–until yesterday, when it finally flared up into something more than minor. Until yesterday, I had dull pain in my right achilles tendon that would come and go. I’ve had that before, and I’ve always just run through it with no further problem. However, yesterday, after my 6-mile tempo run, that ache in my right achilles tendon became persistent, with visible swelling. It lasted all day. It could be worse, but it’s bad enough now to tell me, “cut it out already and give it some rest!”

So I’ve been trying RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation–well, not as much elevation as I’d like, because that gets in the way of working and all. Plus, I’ve been taking ibuprofen a couple times a day as an anti-inflammatory. It all seems to be helping, as it’s a little better today, but it’s still not great. It bothers me a little when I walk, especially when I descend stairs (of course, I live in a townhome, where stairs cannot be avoided).

My self-prescription: no long run this weekend, and no other running for the next few days either. Instead, if my achilles tendon feels well enough on Sunday, I’ll get on my bike for some exercise–maybe 20-30 miles. It won’t work my calves as much as running the hills of Atlanta, so hopefully I can still get some good aerobic exercise while minimizing the strain on my tender tendon. During the week, I’ll use our community fitness center and get in some extra weight training, and possibly some stationary cycling too.

There’s a silver lining in this: I have not yet started my formal training schedule for the Maui Marathon, which will be September 16. I have a little time to rest up before I start that. However, I may need to modify my training plan. I was originally planning to use the Furman “FIRST to the Finish” program, which assumes you already have a decent base mileage before the first week. The first 6 weeks of the program feature long runs of 13, 15, 17, 20, 18, and 20 miles. I did 13 last weekend, so it may still be possible to use this program, but if I have to rest too long, those first 6 weeks may be too aggressive. No biggie – I used a modified version of this program for my previous marathon, with less mileage at the beginning, and it seemed to work. I could do that again.

My formal training needs to start soon, as Maui is only 19 weeks from this Sunday. As I look into my options, I will post my thoughts. Comments and advice welcome!