Back in February I changed to mid-foot striking. It's been akin to starting running all over again and, to be honest, my fitness has fallen back a long way over the years. I'm really starting from a base of zero (other than the "muscle memory" of the extremities of events in times past) but that's what happens when you do next to nothing!
The calf pain has gone and so have the lower back problems I used to experience. Since February until late-summer there were just a handful of weeks where I hadn't run a few miles, albeit not more than 13 in a week.
Without a doubt the change to mid-foot running from heel-striking has broken the impasse but it's getting a little worrying now that my Achilles tendons are giving the same issues no matter what I do: they are extremely tight for a good 10 minutes first thing on a morning, as they are after getting up from a desk or chair and having sat for a while.
Walking or running more than a couple of miles brings on Achilles tendon pain and tightness. With very little preparation or training my wife and I spent a couple of days walking the Dales Way back in August. My wife's knee put paid to the trip after day 2 and by then, having carried on to finish the day and clock up 32.5 miles in 2 days, my Achilles tendons weren't thanking me for it.
After that I was back to doing next to nothing again for several weeks!
The clock is ticking to MdS 2012 and while pulling out now wouldn't cost me anything (being on the Wait-list has just meant paying over a returnable £500 deposit) it seems a shame to say 'bye to the challenge without trying to work out the problems with my Achilles tendons.
As things stand now trying to step up the training volume to enable me to run 150 miles across the Moroccan Sahara in about 18 months time just isn't going to happen.
It's time to take some professional advice, I think.
