Its been a good run, but lately I seem to be falling apart a little bit. Running going well, cycling not so much, but general health stats are finally blooming a bit. Unfortunately I seem to have picked up a bit of an injury. I can't remember at what point it appeared but I know it has been a couple of months at least now. Quite frankly it is driving me mad. It is almost like my heel is bruised.
It starts higher up the leg in my hamstrings, which have been tight since I got back to running regularly. They have always been an issue, and I think it stems from shortening from lots of cycling and not enough stretching. So I kinda have myself to blame. From the hamstrings it seems to then reappear as a tight calf muscle too, which in turn pulls the achilles tight, onto the heel and plantar facia. And that is where it ends.
The end result is a very sore heel, which is rather painful to walk on, let alone running on it. Strangely it seems that once things get moving it eases a little, so with that in mind I have managed to get a few good runs in of late, however I am mindful that I might be doing myself more damage. Stop start walking seems to be the worst, as the whole acute tenderness starts all over again.
The past week it seems to have been getting a little worse, with the bruised feeling remaining all the time, and it being tender to the touch, so I contacted the GP on Monday. My next port of call was going to be my private physio, but a call from the doctors surgery today put that on hold. The GP has arranged for me to see their physio as an initial contact, which makes sense to me.
Hopefully it is something silly and a little rest and some exercises will resolve it. In the meantime I have decided to take a week off running (any excuse), and to try and rest it where I can. My biggest concern is that I will have to ease up on everything for an extended period, which would quite frankly make me miserable. The knock on effect of which would be a decline in my mental health as is always the case. Yes, of course I am being negative, but I think I know myself well enough now.
Having lost a lot of weight, and found myself a nice routine, the last thing I want to do is put any of that in jeopardy, so whatever the physio tells me to do, I will do it. Painkillers do nothing, ibuprofen gel has no effect, and ice / heat changed nothing. It genuinely feels like a really bruised heel but there is no sign of any discolouration, not even between the tattoos lol.
The answer... In the meantime, ride bikes! Obviously that is always the answer, and cycling is something I have neglected this past year for a multitude of reasons. From the start of the year with surgery, to a miserable spring, busy putting in the shifts on overtime during summer and of course going on holiday. The result a pathetic 1,400 miles ridden this year. How do I resolve this, and get my interest back.
Buy a new bike of course. It is already ordered and awaiting delivery. My pledge to myself is to ride a mile per pound spent on the new bike by the end of a year from delivery. To say that is a LOT more miles than I have done this year is an understatement. But it is a healthy goal all the same and the sort of motivation I need right now.
Fingers crossed by this time next week I will have seen the physio and have a better idea of what is going on. And will NOT have been told to rest and elevate my foot, as that would be so dull!
Til then, positive mental attitude all the way, and keep my body and mind moving.
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