This weekend was full of snow, it also saw the first runs that I have been able to do in about 8 weeks. Since my injury I have been itching to go out and run, its hard to describe how frustrating it is to not be able to just go out if you feel like it, but I knew that resting would allow me to heal quicker.
I mentioned in previous posts the methods I was using to treat the Achilles and I am pleased to say that they seem to have worked. Hindsight now says that I simply wasn’t stretching enough and I believe that the injury was caused by tight calf muscles as well as overuse. A regime of stretching, eccentric exercises, RICE, and rolling appears to have made a vast improvement so come this weekend I was in a position to take a tentative run out in the snow.
I love running in the snow, the trails just look so amazing and it is just so much fun to be out there. Had it not have snowed then I may have held off on the running for another week, but it was an opportunity that I just didn’t want to miss.
Saturday was an easy 4 mile run, walking on any steep inclines and moderating the overall pace to not push my body too far. Despite the cycling I can tell that I have lost some running fitness, my breathing was heavy at times on sections that previous to my injury wouldn’t have been an issue, but this is something I can build back up. As Saturday seemed to go so well I decided to do a short evening run in the fresh snowfall to test out my new Silva Trailrunner Plus headtorch that I got for Christmas. A 3 mile run at a slightly quicker pace on Saturday with snow falling all around me was just what I needed, and the headtorch worked exactly as expected.
It’s still a long way to go to get back up to the distances I was running before, but I am confident I can get back there. The NDW50 in May is still possible with some focused training and extensive stretching.
Below are some photos I captured on my runs this weekend:






I was up on the North Downs in the snow last weekend too. Entered for NDW50 and 100 as well, so will probably meet you then if not before. Hope the training goes well! Will bookmark the blog.
Best wishes, Anthony.