My Achilles Heel: These Boots Weren't Made for Barefooters

Well, it's now been just over a week since I initially hurt my ankle.I went to a sports medicine doctor two days ago and was diagnosed with Achilles Tendonitis. Since then I've been wearing a cast boot, taking an anti-inflammatory, doing heat therapy and trying to rest as much as possible.

This Wednesday I go for a one-week followup to see how things have progressed and find out if I'll be able to run the 5K on January 31 that I've been training for. I'm hoping that he'll give me the go ahead and I can use kinesio tape such as KT Tape to support my achilles during the run.

So how is my achilles right now?

As of this morning my ankle doesn't feel much better at all, actually. It doesn't hurt while I'm wearing the boot, however any time I walk without it on, my ankle starts hurting in exactly the same way it has been. It also continues to be just as swollen even after two days of the (strong) anti-inflammatory drug.

Injuring my achilles has turned my barefooted world upside down!

My barefooted "spirits" are down, too. For a guy who normally always wants to go barefooted or wear only minimalist shoes, wearing a cast boot and regular boot (to offset the height difference of the thick sole) is almost like a prison sentence; punishment for my wrongdoing of overtraining for the 5K. Sigh.

What this does do is reinforce my feelings about going barefooted. I'd been unshod or minimalist for so long that going back to such restrictive footwear -- even in the form of a "regular" boot -- is a good reminder of how truly comfortable and unrestrictive bare feet really can be.

Honestly, I've really wanted to rip this stuff off of me. Last night, while at a youth event that I'm helping support for my church, I cam so close to getting my elastic wrap, ditching the boots, wrapping my achilles and going essentially barefooted the rest of the night. But alas, I knew that wouldn't be best. I've got to fight the good fight and be patient for my achilles to heal and me to be able to return to walking, running and living barefooted.

So we'll see what happens. If there's any more news I'll share it here, Twitter, Facebook, blah, blah, blah.