Iliyra

injury #236 – Achilles.

Implying that I've had 236 injuries is a bit of an exaggeration, however I seem to have an unwelcome talent for knackering some part of my body up far too frequently. I'm sure it's the same for a lot of people who hit their chosen sport with a greater degree of enthusiasm than actual natural athletic ability (and are on the wrong side of 30). In the last few years I've spent a frustrating amount of time trying to sort out various niggles, from piriformis syndrome, to my latest complaint – Achilles tendinitis.

So why do I seem so prone to injury? Again, probably down to some commonly occurring reasons amongst recreational athletes like myself. Physiotherapists and Massage therapists alike have all winced disconcertingly at my lack of flexibility over the past few years, each time prescribing a remedial intensive stretching regime: ‘do this type of stretch, 3 times a day, hold for 30 seconds, do 15 reps, and make sure you warm-up prior to stretching, for at least eight minutes’. As much as I stand there, nodding my head, pledging unwavering obedience – the minute I’m out of there, well, the-road-to-hell and all that. Suffice to say I’ve never managed to come close to adhering to these prescriptions – thus, the continued tightening and shortening of muscles, increased tension on tendons, and consequent miss-tracking knee cap, impinged sciatic nerve etc etc.

Except this time. After some enthusiastic upping of my running volume, I started to develop some tightness in my Achilles. After a head-in-the-sand approach to this new sensation, a particularly hilly run while in Ireland for the weekend finished things off – I was now in some pain (albeit fairly mild). So I eased off the running, I stretched, I kept my foot elevated, I iced, I used NSAID’s. After a sufficient period of rest, I started running again, but things weren’t back to normal. The weeks past and still, I couldn’t shake this Achilles discomfort, that would appear almost as soon as I started running. Eventually I gave in and booked a Physio appointment, deciding to spare no expense – I splashed out on the Cloisters in Leamington Spa. Happily, the Physio there remembered me from my previous visit (and stopped short of completely chastising me for my continued lack of flexibility). ‘Achilies Tendinopathy’. It sounded bad, but while she did prescribe some stretches, she also took one look at my running shoes (Innov8 Roclite 318 GTX) and said ‘buy a new pair’.

Great. I definitely like the idea that I can instantly spend my way out of injury, although I was dubious that this was really the cause. Not one to dismiss this appealing treatment, I went straight out to my local running shop, and after some gait analysis to confirm I’m still a neutral pronator (a good thing) I shot straight for the most expensive pair of running shoes they had – the impressively titled Asics Gel Nimbus 12.

Keen to validate my purchase, I went straight out for a run. I wasn’t disappointed. The contrast between the feel of these trainers, compared to my old Innov8 trail running shoes (yes I know – these are probably designed for off-road and perhaps not suitable) was unbelievable. It made the Innov8 shoes feel like clogs crafted from solid oak. I hit 20 miles in the following days, with no further Achilles issues. I couldn’t believe it.

So I’m trying to proceed with caution, but this new pair of runners have given me dangerous levels of confidence, and I really want to get in some distance runs before the Ironman this month – so I’m hoping the Asics will protect me from my own over-enthusiasm. Fingers crossed eh?