Marathon training

It sounds like you might have overtrained.

Might be worth engaging a physio and or coach to assist rather than over opinioned internet bampots who know nothing of which I am one.

If you’re not already make sure you’re doing heel raises and lowers every day. Between 10 and 20 reps, on a step, 10-15 seconds down, same up, getting through a full range of movement.

This’ll help your Achilles and stop the issue coming back.

Generally, there’s no harm taking a week or 10 days off, doing lots of the above and then getting back to plan. You’re early enough in the training programme for it not to affect your time to much.

Remember, you’re better off going into a race fit but a bit undercooked than perfectly training but injured.

I failed to complete 4 attempts at marathon distance due to repeated injury over 16 miles. In the end I'd had enough and decided running wasn't my thing...

Give yourself some breathing space to recover, in my case, nursing an injury through a rigid training programme just lead to other problems as my body compensated.

On the up side, it got me fit enough to enjoy cycling uphill 🙂

Has anyone else had achilles tendonitis and managed it in a training plan and race?

When I played a lot of football in m 20s I had knee pain with lower back pain. I saw a brilliant physio (who happened to be next door) who diagnosed tendinopathy in the knees. Loads of knee exercises later he sent me to a sports podiatrist- he made a massive difference by making me inner soles that corrected a slight difference in my leg lengths. The back pain went. But also the niggle in my Achilles i had since childhood. Nowadays if I get a sore right hip flexor I know it’s time for new orthotics.

Maybe gait analysis would be worthwhile for you?

had minor Achilles pain in my right heel.

I’m not a physio, just someone who’s be running for 50 years, used to get lots of niggly Achilles problems so treat this with scepticism if you wish.

Achilles problem could be over-use, lack of flexibility or over-striding. The fact that you’re getting hip-flexor pain could also be indicative of over-striding.

Take a week off, work on your flexibility and see if the symptoms recede. When you restart training, do it gradually, every second day and build up gradually - you won’t really lose any fitness. See if reducing your stride length and increasing cadence helps alleviate the symptoms.

If things don’t improve, see a physio as pushing-through isn’t likely to improve things.

I’ve run a few marathons now. Just rest for a bit, sounds like you’ve just over done it.

Your current mileage volume and times will get you round just fine if you can rest and repair the achilles in the next couple of weeks. You’ve got plenty of time before the race.

3:30 might be a bit keen, but 4 hours should be comfortably on with a 1:45 half. Although full disclosure, I’ve got a 1:40 road half, and a 4:27 marathon best 🙂

If you want to try and self cure, back off the training a little and Google Alfredson protocol.

That will help the Achilles but the root cause could be a weak glute or hip flexor and you're unlikely to diagnose that in your own.

Absolutely see a physio. One that's sports orientated / sports sympathetic.  As soon as possible. Explain fully what you've been doing etc.

Whilst not achilles, I've had mad calf disease (strains / tears in the soleus muscle that is in the lower calf  which the achilles attaches to the foot) and never got above 18 miles running in training for an Iron distance triathlon. In fact only up to 13.8 miles in the lead up to one of them, and 15.1 in another because of calf problems  (i just checked the distances on my Garmin). But rested + iced + heat properly and followed what the physio said.  In my case, I swapped the run time to more bike time and swimming to still get the best fitness I could.

I always completed the races inc the marathon leg.of them. Slower than maybe I could have achieved,  but still finished. Just nowhere near the podium! (And I'd have been nowhere near the podium anyway.)

Good luck

Overtrained

annoyingly running isn’t like cycling - where you can do as much mileage as you like without consequence

to do the amount of mileage you’re doing, you need a very strong routine of calf raise type exercises as said above by everyone else. Seek advice from a physio - make sure they give you a progressive plan (so you don’t have to go back every month just to be told ‘ok now do it with 15kg’)

rest for now if the pain is over 3/10 while running. If it’s 3/10 or less while running, tentatively (reduced mileage) continue while doing the above mentioned exercises AND seeking an asap physio appt

if you’re in midlands, see Matt Bergin at WPB

Injury and overtraining aren't the same thing, though the treatment is much the same (less running!)

Thanks all for the encouragement and reality pills.

I've got a physio appointment next Tuesday. Planning to take a few days off and see how I feel later in the week.

I can't swim so that's out of the question so might jump on a bike for a bit and do some additional stretching and a million calf raises 🙂

Calf lowers are possibly more use than calf raises if the Achilles is already aggrieved

Has anyone else had achilles tendonitis and managed it in a training plan and race?

Run/"train" yes. Race-No. Tendon issues can often be managed through reduced training load. They are one of the few injuries IME that can be trained through, although you have to make the call on pain level etc and symptoms and be very careful I was running well many years ago and had achilles pain and swelling. Cut out hills and speed work but similar mileage for 2-3 months before it settled enough to return to harder training and racing and got back to race fitness quickly.

Ice is very effective plus concentric heel drops. I would avoid any massage etc IME they only make it worse.

I've battled thro' a lot of things but I drew the line hard at achilles pain as it's a potentially a big injury that takes a long time to fix and has a habit of recurring.

So I'd be very  careful managing it.  Calf stretches, bent and straight leg, hamstring stretches, make sure your shoes are what you need, and not worn out, and try to run offroad as much as possible (easier now it's getting lighter).

Achilles problems pretty much ended my wife's running "career". She does the odd parkrun now and then, but nothing much longer. Walking long distances is a bit of a no-no also (it was probably hillwalking that started it, big sustained climbs with a heavy pack). Luckily cycling is pretty much ok for her, and she always preferred cycling to running anyway.

I found a monthly sports massage made a huge difference when I was marathon training.   A recurring calf niggle that caused it to feel locked up and impossible to stretch was completely sorted after a couple of sessions (and some decent rest).  That said, one of those sessions had to include some cross-frictions - tears-to-your-eyes pain but worth it.  And of course that tight calf had been exacerbating the achilles tendon.

If you are based in Sussex, I can recommend Josh Petty for sorting out running /lower limb issues
https://www.sp-physiotherapy.com/team/josh-petty

Cheers all for the replies. I've lowered milage and intensity for the past couple of days, also been doing some eccentric calve lowering which has reduced pain and swelling to a degree. The pain hasn't increased since I wrote this message so I'm hoping that easy miles will not aggravate it further. Got physio on Tuesday so hopefully my leg won't fall off before then!

Go to run walk run? Easy 4minute run with a 30s walk then repeat? Takes some strain off allowing a bit better recovery.
Easy run pace not race pace.

You need to see your doctor and then a physio.Achilles Tendon problems are a serious issue if ignored.I know to my cost.

How well can you balance on one leg?Not well if your like me.I would practice that a minute each leg.

Saw the physio today. Had ultrasound on the mid-portion of the tendon. Physio said that tendons heal quicker with warmth and the ultrasound can penetrate right into the injury. Ran to the surgery and back, nine miles easy pace. Felt much better on the way home. Got a hot water bottle on the tendon know. Anything quicker than steady pace seems to flair the pain but easy miles are manageable. Going to resume some leg lowering when the pain reduces a bit more.