Thursday - 2 x 2km controlled (off 3 minutes)

A little bit nervous this morning introducing a little bit of intensity back into the running. The key word was 'controlled,' which I did my best to adhere to. A twenty minute warm-up had the Achilles feeling the best it has. Started the first effort heading north from Manly LSC. Remarkably, it was the first time that I ran without even noticing the Achilles. It remained that way the for the entire interval. On the contrary, it is amazing how much you notice the effort when you haven't run for a few weeks! I don't think the GPS was entirely accurate for the first rep, clocking me in at 6:16 (3:08's). I am adamant that it was not that quick. A three minute walk and this is when the Achilles let me know it hadn't completely disappeared. Headed back for the second rep, again, barely noticing the Achilles. A more realistic 6:32 this time (3:16's). Pretty knackered after that, a bit of a worry (not really, this is what is expected after time off). The good news is that the fitness is well and truly there (thanks to the mind numbing ergo sessions), it's simply the neuromuscular action of running that is a bit stale. The Achilles was a bit angry after this, and made its presence know for the 5km cooldown. It wasn't unbearable, but not amazing either. Probably at a similar level to how it felt for the 20km run I put it through on Sunday. It'll be interesting to see how it pulls up as the day progresses. I'm optimistic though. A complete rest day tomorrow will do it a world of good.