I run my first 5K in 4 weeks. Unfortunately, my problem Achilles tendon is slowing down my 5K training. It’s feeling better lately and tomorrow I see just how far I can run without stopping.

Time is flying by. I looked at the calendar today and realized I only have 4 weeks left to train for my upcoming 5k. Holy cow! I’m starting to sweat it because I haven’t been consistent in my training.

For the last two months I’ve experienced a flare up with my Achilles’ tendon. It hurts the most in the mornings. After an hour of stretching and light walking I’m much more mobile. But I do have days where no matter the amount of stretching the blasted tendon hurts all day.

About a month ago it started hurting right after my runs. So I decided to go light on the running, just to play it safe. The last thing I want to do is rupture my Achilles.

What does playing it safe mean? First, I changed my Easy 5K app’s run/walk ratio from 1 minute-run/1 minute-walk to 15-second run/45-second run. Second, if the ankle felt too tender, then no running that day. That meant instead of running 3 days a week, some times it was once a week or not at all. Finally, icing up the problem ankle was mandatory after all walks or leg workouts.

Well yesterday morning I tested my foot. During my 5-mile walk morning I ran 1/2 mile during mile 3. I felt great and ran a 1/2-mile during both mile 4 and 5 (hey, that’s like half a 5K).

No swelling. No pain.  No ice needed. My ankle felt great.

Also I noticed that I didn’t feel winded during the running portions of my walk. It felt as if I could keep going. Thankfully caution got the best of me as I really was trying to test my ankle, not my distance.
Going The Distance & Managing Expectations
Clearly my spin classes, power walks and 5K training are paying off. Tomorrow morning I’m going to see how far I can run without stopping. That should give me an idea where I’m at in my training and if I have a shot at running the full 5K.

I just need to remember to take short strides and not to worry about speed during my run to prevent injuries.

Obviously I want to run the upcoming 5K completely. But I’ll consider it a victory if I can only run one-third of the 5K.  That’s a mile more than my last 5K.