I am signed up to run the Reykjavík Marathon (26.2 miles) in Iceland on August 19, and I have no clue if I will be able to run.
I injured my Achilles tendon running the Queenstown Marathon in New Zealand last November. After weeks of rehab, I started running again in April. As I built up my distance, all was well—until my Achilles flared up again. It was excruciating to walk, much less run.
I was back to square one in my rehab.
Over the last several weeks, I have worked with my physical therapist. She has performed cupping and dry needling on my leg. I have iced my injury. I have completed my daily exercises. But my Achilles wasn’t getting better.
I asked my physical therapist why it was taking longer to heal. She said, “Let me see you walk.”
I walked in front of her, so she could examine my gait.
“You’re favoring your other leg,” she said. “You’re scared to use your injured leg, and it’s making your calf weak. You need to build up your strength. The best thing you can do is walk normally. There is a fine line between overdoing it and not doing enough.”
Sure enough, she was right. When I walked normally, my right calf was stiff and sore, but I kept at it. She also had me increase my daily eccentric calf raises to strengthen my muscle.
After a few days, my Achilles is feeling much better. Is it completely healed? No. It is still tight, but it is getting stronger. Cue Rocky theme song!
How many times do we shrink back because we are afraid of getting hurt again? Perhaps, what we need to do is push ourselves to the next level.
For now, that is what I am doing. In what area can you extend yourself?
I still have no idea if I will be able to run at all when I go to Iceland, but not knowing is part of the adventure!
