Carmel Week 12: My Achilles and Vacation

My Achilles and Vacation

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I wanted to attempt a headstand on the dock. I wasn't brave enough to extend my legs.

I ended last week with a bit of Achilles pain. I wasn't concerned because I've had it before. It typically lasts a day or two then  goes away (as long as I do my eccentric heel drop exercise, rest, or just take it easy). When it lingered from Saturday morning into Monday...then Tuesday....then Wednesday...I was getting ready to take more action.

One of the many gators at Babcock Ranch.

I wasn't going to let this Achilles situation get me down...I WAS ON VACATION!! We left last Saturday to stay with my in-laws in Punta Gorda, Florida (just north of Ft. Myers). I was ready to embrace the heat and humidity to make up for the craptastic Ohio winter.

Flexin' with my boy.

• 2/12: 6.05 miles, 9:13/mile; Bis/Tris, 30 minutes. Mondays are typically devoted to hill surges, but not when your Achilles is being a bitch. Two things to avoid are speed and hills. I attempted one hill surge and knew it wouldn't be wise to do more. I decided to just run the assigned number of minutes and be happy with it. When I finished, I was limping slightly. UGH. I iced my Achilles and soaked it in the cold pool. I continued to do my heel drop exercise at least two times per day.

  

  Beautiful sunset.

• 2/13: 11 miles, 8:22/mile. This was not awesome. Nope. Not at all. When I saw the workout on my schedule, I was SO EXCITED!! [2up, 4MP, 1HP, 3MP, 1down] It's the workout I've been hoping to see for several weeks. I couldn't wait to make it happen. I had grand plans to wake up early (pre-sunrise) and get it in before the sun tried to shrivel me up. I slept horribly the night before and opted for more sleep. It was freaking awful outside. The starting temp was 70 with humidity of 96%. It only got hotter from there. I was miserable. I was 4 miles into the run when I had to fix my shoe...it just didn't feel right. As I was squatting to fix it,  I could feel the sun baking me. Regarding my Achilles, it hurt a bit the first half mile, but went away after that. I made it another 2 miles and decided to take a gel. I was hoping it would make me feel better (I was already drinking water throughout the run). I then set off to run my half marathon pace mile. I thought I might actually die when I finished this one. I just wasn't handling this heat and humidity very well. With only 4 miles left, I just told myself to take it a mile at a time. I passed a water fountain and decided to refill my water. Just two miles left. Just make this shit happen, Lisa. I knocked out my last marathon pace mile and couldn't wait to slow down. I felt like complete crap. As I slowed down for my cool down, my Achilles pain set in. NO!!!! The cool down was tough. When I finished, I limped for at least an hour or so. I jumped in the pool to cool off and prayed this Achilles situation wasn't as big a deal as it seemed.

  

  Literally dripping sweat.

  
  

  

  It was a struggle.

• 2/14: 7.01 miles, 8:51/mile. This was a run of randomness. My Achilles bugged me a bit at first, but went away after I warmed up. It was all easy miles so I decided not to look at my watch. I ran from the condo to the bay area then met Jimmy and the kids for breakfast. I conquered one of my fears from my last trip here...the bridge from Punta Gorda to Port Charlotte. It's 1.25 miles in length and scares the shit out of me. There is a pedestrian walkway, but you have cars flying by on one side and huge body of water on the other. I have it in my head that someone is going to push me off of the bridge into the water. Completely ridiculous, I know. I live in fear almost every time I cross this bridge, but something in me feels drawn to it. I HAVE to run over it. As I was making my return to PG, I saw a fin come out of the water. My instinct was the yell the word "F*(!." It scared the shit out of me. Even though I was scared to look, I caught a glimpse of what was coming out of the water...it was a dolphin! My fear immediately turned to joy. I couldn't help but smile. To make things even better, I met my family at our new favorite breakfast spot...sweat and all. I had to have Jimmy bring me an extra shirt for my butt sweat. LOL.

  

  Heading back into PG.

  
  

  

  One of the dolphins.

• 2/15: Sunset Yoga Flow, 30 minutes. I was supposed to do 50-60 minutes of cross training, but I opted to rest my Achilles and do a restorative yoga workout to prep my body for my long run. I was hoping the rest would make a difference for me. I was so nervous about doing my long run with my Achilles feeling how it did.

  

  I enjoyed the sunsets.

• 2/16: 18 miles, 9:09/mile. Today's goal: 11 miles easy, 6 at MP, 1 mile easy. I started off so slow! I'm not sure what the deal was...I was just enjoying myself. I wanted to soak in all of my favorite sites on the last full day of vacation. I said hi to my fellow exercisers, saw more dolphins, and explored a couple of new spots. It was a cool start, so I didn't have to shed my shirt until 6 or 7 miles. It started getting steamy at that point. When I reached mile 12, I attempted to run my first MP mile...didn't happen. I was using my watch to try to get myself in the correct range, but my legs just weren't feeling it. I decided to stop looking at my watch and just listen to my body. I would make an attempt to at least keep my miles in the 8s. Mile 13 was awful. I didn't want to end my run on a bad note, so I didn't let it get me down. From this mile on, I slowly improved my pace. Only one of my miles was in MP range. Bummer. I'm sure it was the heat and humidity. I tried, but it just wasn't my day. The good news is that I had NO ACHILLES ISSUES!! Nothing before, during or after my run.

  

  "Run 26.2"

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  Rough start.

  
  

  

  Better finish.

  
  
• 2/17: 5.03 miles, 9:03/mile. Today was all about soaking in the surroundings since it would be my last run in Punta Gorda. I opted to forgo my strides to ensure my Achilles would continue to heal. I set off as the sun began to rise to take advantage of the chilly low of 58 degrees! I kept my shirt on the entire time! LOL. It was a beautiful way to end my vacation.

  

  Winter in PG, FL.

• 2/18: 3.55 walking miles, 18:20/mile. Since I was motivated to get my run in yesterday despite travel, I was able to connect with Meg for my walk this week. We met early at the dam with the goal of venturing across the dam to explore the roads on the other side. That didn't last long. The dam was an ice rink. I slipped immediately and fell right on my bum. Fortunately, I was good after that. I'm just glad pregnant Meg didn't fall! We turned around and ventured somewhere else. Nobody's got time for that crap

  

  A walk to get the baby out of her belly.

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My Achilles definitely felt better as the week went on. It helped that I was taking it easy and avoiding the things that irritate it. I'm hoping I can get back to normal this week. I enjoyed our vacation, but would have enjoyed it more without kids. LOL. Damn, that Ruthie is a freaking maniac. If we weren't telling her to leave something alone, we were telling James to stop standing close to the TV and get his hand out of his pants. UGH. I love my children, but it's not a true vacation with them.