It was decision time… do I try a run today or not?  My achilles tendonitis has been gradually improving.  The sharp pains and tenderness are gone, but I am not at a stage, where I can feel ‘nothing’ in my heel.

Deciding when to resume workouts after an injury is always tough.  Resuming too quickly, risks a relapse. Waiting for everything to be perfect, reduces the relapse risk, but comes with the penalty of lost fitness. So in the end, it is a careful balancing act, and one where I have come to rely a lot on ‘feel’.

I have had many injuries in my running career, and have learned a lot from them.  One thing I have discovered over the years, is that I don’t have to wait until everything feels perfect, before starting workouts again.  The physiotherapy I do when rehabbing injuries, is mostly designed to build strength in the injured area.  I have found, that if I carefully resume working out, the workouts complement the strength building and the injury gradually subsides.

So today I decided that I would try to run.  I chose to run on the treadmill, with zero incline.  With an Achilles injury, it is important to avoid running hills until it is completely healed.  The treadmill also means less impact on the foot/heel while running.  

My run went about as well as could be expected.  After a minute or two, there was almost no pain in my heel; certainly not anything to concern me.  The key now, is how the heel reacts to this stress.  It is going to be very interesting to see how it feels tomorrow morning. 

For now though, all is good and I am very happy!