Member-only story
How an Inflamed Achilles Helped My Fitness Routine
When you can’t run … gym!
I run … a bit. I’ve completed over 250 parkruns, a couple of marathons (what was I thinking??) and a few half marathons (way better fun than marathons!)
Until …
I’ve always been a bit of a contrarian. I look at things and see if there is an alternative. The first one being way back in 1997 when I got my first Palm Pilot with 1MB memory! 😲 My boss’s response was “What? Haven’t you got a brain?” 😂
My Achilles issue started with me being contrarian again and looking into barefoot running shoes. I umm-ed and ahh-ed over getting some for a couple of years and then bit the bullet with a pair of Xero HFS. Great shoe! Light, flexible.
So I headed off to parkrum (5km) and went flat out on the balls of my feet. A great run. I could feel it in my calves and thought, “This is going well!” That was on a Saturday. Sunday? Not so good.
The Achilles hurt like hell and I hobbled around the house.
(Note: I then read an article on how to transition to barefoot shoes. Start with 10–20 mins walking to begin with. So, not a 5k then? 🙄)
