Achilles Heel - Myth & Reality
Achilles was the son of Thetis and Peleus, the bravest hero in the Trojan war, according to Greek mythology.
When Achilles was born, his mother, Thetis, tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. As she immersed him, she held him by one heel and forgot to dip him a second time so the heel she held onto could get wet too. Therefore, the place where she held him remained untouched by the magic water of the Styx and that part stayed mortal or vulnerable.
Achilles fought heroically against the Trojans, but was killed by Paris, who shot him with an arrow from behind. Paris's hand was guided by Apollo who took revenge for the death of his son.
To this day, any weak point is called an "Achilles Heel". We also refer to the strong tendon that connects the muscles of the calf of the leg with the heel bone as the "achilles tendon" and this is where my "mortal blog" begins.
Halfway in training for the marathon- the weakest part of my body has surfaced (reality check!). My “Achilles’ heel” is my achilles heel.
Both of my achilles are close to the point of soreness that when after resting at night and getting out of bed in the morning- I am limping- and that is a sign of acuteness in the tendon. There is a big difference between tendons and muscles and that is mainly tendons and ligaments (smaller muscles) takes longer to heal then muscles, also the tendons are what connect the muscle and attach to the bone, and if overlooked or ignored can lead to tendonitis. I am now taking a week off from running and I hope that will help heal them. It's not like I am in considerable pain- but this is something that cannot be ignored (unlike a stitch in your side, stomach cramps, blisters on your feet, etc.) to do so could bring permanant scarring and I still have alot of running to do in my life.
I will ease back into the running next week slowly with the mileage and keep the pace of running scaled way back. I was so tempted to go out and run 3 miles today since it is sunny and warm (we haven't had many of those this past month) but I am writing this blog instead. I am not the only one beseiged by injuries, illness and accidents. We all will come face to face with our limitations and setbacks bringing us to this place of stillness and/or soreness, but we have the support of each other facing similar situations of inconvenience and hardship. I tend to think of it as a time for reflection on a new direction. If I can recover from this- I will be confident that I can step up to the starting line and bring whatever I have for this run. Setting a goal, committing to it, and doing the best you can is what matters.
When Achilles was born, his mother, Thetis, tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. As she immersed him, she held him by one heel and forgot to dip him a second time so the heel she held onto could get wet too. Therefore, the place where she held him remained untouched by the magic water of the Styx and that part stayed mortal or vulnerable.
Achilles fought heroically against the Trojans, but was killed by Paris, who shot him with an arrow from behind. Paris's hand was guided by Apollo who took revenge for the death of his son.
To this day, any weak point is called an "Achilles Heel". We also refer to the strong tendon that connects the muscles of the calf of the leg with the heel bone as the "achilles tendon" and this is where my "mortal blog" begins.
Halfway in training for the marathon- the weakest part of my body has surfaced (reality check!). My “Achilles’ heel” is my achilles heel.
Both of my achilles are close to the point of soreness that when after resting at night and getting out of bed in the morning- I am limping- and that is a sign of acuteness in the tendon. There is a big difference between tendons and muscles and that is mainly tendons and ligaments (smaller muscles) takes longer to heal then muscles, also the tendons are what connect the muscle and attach to the bone, and if overlooked or ignored can lead to tendonitis. I am now taking a week off from running and I hope that will help heal them. It's not like I am in considerable pain- but this is something that cannot be ignored (unlike a stitch in your side, stomach cramps, blisters on your feet, etc.) to do so could bring permanant scarring and I still have alot of running to do in my life.
I will ease back into the running next week slowly with the mileage and keep the pace of running scaled way back. I was so tempted to go out and run 3 miles today since it is sunny and warm (we haven't had many of those this past month) but I am writing this blog instead. I am not the only one beseiged by injuries, illness and accidents. We all will come face to face with our limitations and setbacks bringing us to this place of stillness and/or soreness, but we have the support of each other facing similar situations of inconvenience and hardship. I tend to think of it as a time for reflection on a new direction. If I can recover from this- I will be confident that I can step up to the starting line and bring whatever I have for this run. Setting a goal, committing to it, and doing the best you can is what matters.
posted by Tomba at 11:59 AM
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