I was browsing the site and noticed that my last post was in October.  At the time I was struggling with foot pain and my Achilles, but I had lofty goals.  So now, nearly 7 months later, where do I stand?

Well, the foot pain is still there.  It happens only when I squeeze my foot the wide way across, or if I kick a ball with that foot.  It seems to vary in intensity, but never when I’m running, and as I type this I squeezed my foot hard and it barely hurt at all.

My Achilles has still been bothering me, but not nearly as much as before.

I have been working out with weights and doing some HIIT workouts.  My legs feel strong as a result, and I have put a bit of muscle on my upper body as well (nothing really all that significant, but I do notice a change).

I have been running since late winter, and have gotten some good distance (I’ve gotten to a 10.5 mile run).  My Achilles aches slightly until I warm up, and then feels fine through the run.  It is always sore the night that I run, but by 24 hours it isn’t sore anymore.  I have been stretching and foam rolling my calves and using a field hockey ball to roll my feet.

Lately I have been more consistently doing the eccentric heel drop exercises, and I have even started adding some weights while doing so.  I also bought a night brace and have been using that the last few days. My Achilles seems to be improving, and I’m hopeful that I can beat this condition once and for all.

For what I’m guessing is a related reason, I have also been experiencing less foot pain.  Perhaps my Achilles was putting some sort of pressure on my foot as well, not sure.

This last weekend I completed an indoor sprint triathlon (.5 mile swim, 13 mile spin bike, and 3.1 mile outdoor run).  I did fine considering my lack of bike and swim training, and my Achilles wasn’t too bad the next day.

As to my goals, I am scheduled to do the Iron Horse half marathon in a couple of weeks.  I have also registered for the Spartan Beast, which will be a real test of how well my Achilles is healing.  I have a century on the horizon, and am planning on doing a marathon in the fall of my body holds together, and if I can get my swim together I may be doing a half iron man in late summer.

In between I may do a sprint and perhaps even an Olympic tri if the swim training goes ok, and budget and schedules allow.