Look Ma, no heel pain!

In my last post I told you about my little achilles problem that knocked me off my game. And I also shared with you about how I was tentatively getting my feet back on the track, having successfully attempted a 2-mile run. It's been a busy couple of weeks since then. I am happy to report that after my 2-mile run, I was able to complete a 4 mile run the same week, with no problems (i.e. no intense, stabbing heel pain - yea!) I didn't have any pain during my runs and only a little bit after. Icing my foot really helped, as did ample stretching.

The next week (which was last week), I was able to do a 4 mile run on Tuesday and a 5 mile run on Thursday. (According to my training plan, my weekly runs should be around 5 miles.) The run I mapped for myself around campus on Thursday was nice and hilly, giving me some needed preparation for the hills I will face on race day.

Over the weekend, my son and I traveled to Albuquerque for a gymnastics meet, which meant that I did not have the opportunity do my long run. I had hoped I would be able to work in at least a short run, but it was so busy and we were so exhausted, that it just didn't happen.

Of course I am nervous about the race coming up so quickly, but I have been encouraged by several things. First and foremost, I have been running again now for about 2 weeks and I have had no recurring heel pain. That is fantastic! Additionally, I had the great experience yesterday of running my 5 mile campus route and actually making it up some of the hills that had kicked my butt just the Thursday before.

I feel strong, and it feels good.

This weekend I will shoot for a long run. What "long" will mean for me hasn't been defined yet. This will likely be my longest run prior to race day, so I want to make sure it's a good one. I'll let you know how it goes.