Finding My Achilles Heel

We experienced a typical, yet atypical early Midwestern US spring week. The week started cold with highs in the 20's (F), so we were still wearing our cold weather gear, but by the end of the week, it was in the 70's (F), and we were down to shorts and t-shirts. Jil and her group had one last easy week on the schedule before they really start to build up. I don't get a lot of details, just get told that 'what happens on the run, stays on the run'! Two of the three are now signed up (read 'committed') for the 1/2 marathon, so it will be harder to back out - although I have already heard some 'cold feet' comments.

My week was ups and downs. I started the week with a really hard, easy run. I just didn't seemed to be well fueled, and my legs were just tired. Then on Wednesday, I had a great tempo run, followed by a nice, short, easy run on Thursday. However, after finishing on Thursday and logging the run, my right achilles got really sore. Luckily by Saturday morning I was able to get my long run in, and didn't even notice the soreness after the first 2 miles. I had fun with the run, make the trek from our house to the Carmel HS pool for the swim meet. It was a beautiful morning, and I definitely found 'the zone'. I was actually bummed that I was early in building my base, because I could have gone a lot further. After ward finishing though, my achilles tightened up again, so I made sure to do a lot of stretching, which did help some. However, after spending 30+ hours in the 85 degree aquatic center, my right heel/ankle swelled up to the point that I could find my ankle bones. It didn't hurt, the skin just felt really tight. I'm just glad that I'm coming up on a rest/recovery week, so I can take the time to really get it healed.