When To Back Off

I've been struggling with some achilles pain for a few weeks. I've been really encouraged by my improvement in running and with the jump rope, as well as my ability to get through a WOD at CrossFit without taking as many breaks. But this achilles soreness has been plaguing me for a while and is taking some of the satisfaction out of my improvement. It's all related to running, I'm sure. I've been through this before, it's just one of those nagging overuse things that seem to crop up when I start running again. I've certainly started and stopped running enough times over the years to know.

So, now I am in a quandary. Do I back off and try to heal up? Or do I continue through it? It can be a fine line sometimes, am I doing the right thing for myself and giving my body the rest it needs, or am I wimping out? I chose not to go to CrossFit on Friday because the WOD was calling for a lot of running, jump rope and rowing, all of which aggravates my achilles. But I have been kicking myself all weekend for not going and am second-guessing myself. I still can't decide what the best thing is to do. I have tried some of the treatment documented in this article, and have been icing and wrapping my ankle. I don't think it's getting any worse. But I also don't think it's getting any better.

So, here I sit, couch surfing, trying to decide, 'Will I run a couple of miles on the treadmill today? Will I go to CrossFit tomorrow?' I just don't know.