I'm marathon training and running a half this weekend. I've taken things easy this week not least because I've had a stiff back. So I've had a couple of sports massages to sort the back out and a regime of lots of hamstring stretches and that's worked pretty well.
I went out yesterday for a gentle 30 mins to see if the back would flare and no problem, however bizarrely I've got a mild achilles pain on the LHS which is a surprise as I took it really easy. It's the first time I've experienced any problems with my achilles - so I'm new to this.
The problem manifested itself as some morning stiffness, some mild tenderness when the tendon is pinched at its thinnest point behind the ankle bone, and some pain when the tendon is fully stretched.
As this is all so mild and incipient I'm wondering if the massage has caused a transient bit of achilles bruising - not that I'm looking to apportion blame, I'm interested in what might have caused this and how to treat it. I'll ice the foot and do more stretches before Sunday's half but probably avoid eccentric loading exercise (if it proves necessary) until next week.
I have a neoprene prosport ankle support that I'll use for the race - I haven't worn this for ten years since a bad sprain on the other ankle. Additionally I'll probably go for a steady pace over the distance and not a PB.
Any comments on this strategy and further suggestions? As I say, achilles problems are new to me...
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