Oops I did it again (update 1)

Initial Challenge; Update 1 (three weeks); Update 2 (seven weeks); Final Update (fifteen weeks)

It has been three weeks since I reported on my planned interventions to solve Achilles Tendon pain. Summary – it is working!

A quick compliance check with the six protocols I had identified:

Clean Eating to minimize systemic inflammation: I have been eating clean but not super clean. A few beers on sunny evenings, bottle of wine at the weekend and even a slice of wedding cake. But basically sticking to the game plan. Only way to really look at systemic inflammation would be to get a blood test which will happen later.

Vitamin E, Ginger and Turmeric as anti-inflammatory agents: Easy. I added Vitamin E and Turmeric to my daily supplements, and will keep that going for maybe three months before cycling off it. I prepare a ginger tea each morning from pure ginger juice and hot water (not ginger tea bags). That packs a punch and wakes you up like a cold shower in the morning!

General Mobility Routine: Once again I fell off the mobility wagon after a week. I suspect this is one of the best longevity levers that I am not pulling, but somehow have consistently failed to incorporate a basic mobility routine into my daily habits.

Achilles Running Socks: Love ’em. They are great and I now use them for every run at least until this issue is fully resolved.

Slant Board 3×10 minutes: Reasonable compliance on working days. Obviously skipped when travelling. Definitely feel the stretch. I have not yet tried increasing the angle from 20° to 30°.

Wearing a Splint at Night: I missed two nights only while travelling. This is easy, hassle-free and the impact is clear the next morning. As my ankle improves I will start to reduce usage.

Initially, I found these measures worked so long as I did not run fast or long. I still have some swelling which is sensitive if I prod at it, but I think has improved. Over the weekend, I tried a 50 minute 8K run with 7×1 minute 5:20 pace intervals (thank Garmin Coach for the specificity). No pain even when I ran again the next day. This is measurable improvement! I will start to slowly increase pace and distance now to see if I can get back to my normal runs.

I have also added Bulgarian Split Squats once per week to my lifting program. I was a little nervous at first but it seems to help overall. Since the ultimate objective is to climb on boulders and presumably jump on uneven, hard surfaces, as my confidence increases, I will look to add jumping, hopping or skipping to the program.