I love to run. I NEED to run. It’s my therapy, what keeps me mentally stable. I leave the house as murderous Mr. Hyde and return as benevolent Dr. Jeckyll. Without running, I am an insufferable and cranky person.
I haven’t been running for over 3 months now. Ongoing, never-wanting-to-go-away Achilles tendonitis is stopping me from doing what I need to do most. To find a release for all my nervous energy, I have been using the bike. From January to March I was mountain biking up and down the hills around Malaga in Spain. In April, I was furiously mountainbiking around Zurich, Switzerland. And now here in Naples, Florida, I am pedalling for miles on the roadbike. Yes, I have been very fortunate to be in places where I have this alternative, especially in the winter months. Still, it is NOT the same. I find that on the bike, I don’t get lost in thought the way I do in running. Running engages my brain differently. I never listen to music or podcasts while I run because I – well, never listen to it. I always get lost in some other thought floating through my brain. I love that part of running.
I have great doctors. I was given shock wave therapy, learned how to use kinesio tape and swallow all the necessary supplements. They also sent me to an excellent physio therapist who did a functional movement screening (FMS) with me. This is basically a test of 7 movements where each one scores 3 points, depending on how well you do the movement. So you could theoretically achieve 21 points. I got 11 points, which is indicative of a “high injury risk”.
As a result, I was given a million exercises: some specifically for the Achilles tendon, some to improve my functional movement. This takes me about 1 1/2 hours every day – well, I don’t run, so I have the time, right?
Here are the instructions:
And here’s what some of it looks like:
Not to forget all the supplements:
Omega 3 is missing – I’ll have to get that today.
At the end of May, I will be returning back to my doctors in Zurich. I am then scheduled for a gait analysis to detect biomechanical abnormalities in the way I run. That will my first run in months! Can’t wait!
Kai definitely is looking forward to when I am back to running 😉
