I know I said I was done with running, but I didn't mention a mitigating circumstance surrounding the re-injury to my Achilles. That one run that caused the injury, the first run after returning from the U.S., was on a pair of new sneakers that I bought when I was there.

It was a pair of "natural running" branded Nike sneakers. My brother and sister-in-law knew I was shopping for sneakers and after I bought them I told them I went back to the "evil empire", and they both went "Nike?"

The appeal was that I had been reading about "natural running" and I had been experimenting for several weeks or months with shifting from my natural heel-strike to a "natural running" mid-sole strike. I knew I had to be careful after previously trying the "Pose method" (forefoot strike) to disastrous effect on my Achilles.

Whenever I shifted to a mid-sole landing, I only maintained it for about 20 steps before going back to my natural form, but I was eventually convinced of the inefficiency of heel-strike running. There were times when another faster runner would pass me and I would switch to a mid-sole strike and I was able to maintain that person's pace until I laid off to prevent injury.

The Nike were very comfortable, snug and light, and they are, I maintain, a very sweet pair of sneakers. But after the injury, I wondered whether they were the problem in that my feet may need the cushioning and support that my previous Asics Gel-Nimbus 16 provided and kept me from injury the past several months.

So it's possible my telling myself that I was done with running was a psychological measure to keep me from even trying to run before I gave my Achilles enough time to heal. Today, more than three weeks since the injury, I bought a new pair of Asics Gel-Nimbus 18.

I'm still wary. I ain't gonna get my hopes up. I'm gonna get started by just walking three miles daily for a while, and when I'm confident enough I'm gonna go through the same regimen as before: slow and easy. Three miles daily, easy jog or plod and build up from there to see if I can avoid injury.

Since the injury, I have gotten on my bike three times in December anticipating no more running. I'll try to continue getting on my bike; I won't not ride in order to run like I did before. I'll do both now with the main doubt about riding being whether I'm bored with Taipei area riding. I might be.