Happy, happy me & RxOrthro Achilles Brace Review

Yesterday I ran 5 miles and it felt great!  It is a far cry from the 248 feet I attempted to run on Monday.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I had decided that yesterday's run attempt would kind of make or break it for me as far as running goes for this pregnancy... so to get some somewhat decent mileage in, made me totally ecstatic.

Several thing contributed to the run.  First off, I have been foam rolling my super tight hamstrings like crazy as well as using the stick on my calves.  I also decided to wear my awesome RxOrtho Achilles Brace from CEP along with the silicone wedge inserts that accompanied it.

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I received the brace and the inserts from CEP last summer when I was having Achilles issues prior to Hood to Coast.  Although I can't find that I said much about it then (did I not ever do a real review?! that's not good), the brace seemed to work wonders with the Achilles issues I was having at the time.  I did not however ever wear the silicone inserts.  Yesterday, I wore both the brace and the inserts and I think it really, really helped with my run.  After putting the inserts in my shoes and just walking around the house in them I could tell that my Achilles and calf muscles weren't being strained as much and it gave me good hopes for my run.  When I first started out, I could feel some slightly pulling in my lower calves but not so much in my Achilles and I really started feeling a lot better once I continued to warm up.  Lately the pain hasn't been going away as I run, but yesterday it did and didn't even come back after waiting at a couple of stop lights. I'm thrilled to death, I might be able to continue running throughout this pregnancy yet!  Since I can't find my original review of the brace, I'll tell you a little more about it now.  Straight from CEP's website (click on picture to make it larger):

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The brace is really comfortable and actually seems to massage my Achilles when I'm walking around with it on.  At first I didn't care for the way it felt when I was running with it but I eventually got used to it. Wearing the brace last summer really seemed to do the trick as far as helping my Achilles to heal more quickly and I'm hoping it will alleviate the possibly pregnancy related discomfort I am feeling now as well, even though my problem isn't so much injury related.  (CEP provided me with the brace (a long, long time ago) free of charge.  The review is completely my own opinion.) 

In addition to wearing the brace and wedge inserts, I was also pushing the stroller.  This was the first stroller run that I had been on in quite a while and I think  maybe having the stroller to lean on when I was exhausted for support may have helped a bit too.

The run itself did make me very happy though.  It was sunny when I started to get the kids ready to head outside but by the time we actually got going (it takes sooooo long to load to kids up, coats, snacks, books and all) the clouds had come in and it was pouring.  Luckily I had dressed for the rain as I figured it was inevitable (it is April in Eugene after all).  I did not however dress for the hail that accompanied it, luckily only briefly.  (Can you really dress for hail, or is one just expected to hide out until it passes?!)  I didn't really have any set distance in mind, I just was hoping to run so when both kiddos where asleep by 1.5 miles in, I decided to make it a nice 5 miles and let them get their naps.   It was a very peaceful run and even the path graffiti that is usually some sort of political slur was smiling happily at me.

By the time I got to my turnaround spot, the clouds had disappeared and I was starting to overheat.  It wasn't long, however before we were back in the clouds and then back in the rain and I was back to being soaked and on the cooler side.  All in all, though I am really encouraged by yesterday's run and feeling optimistic about my ability to continue running.  Yay!