I was signed up for the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon and was considering running the New York City Marathon this fall, but a problem with my left foot has interrupted my running. The pain actually started last fall after a run on a rocky desert trail in Phoenix. I thought I had bruised my heel on a rock, but now it seems like the symptoms best match with Plantar Fasciitis. For a few months the heel pain mostly occurred during the first few steps in the morning and wasn’t getting worse even though I continue to train. But a few weeks ago things changes dramatically.
I went for a 13 mile run and afterwards I noticed a big change in my foot. That evening it was so painful to walk on it that I crawled on my hands and knees to go from my bed to the bathroom. After that I stopped training until my foot felt better and decided to put long runs on hold. But even with shorter and fewer runs my foot is only getting worse. So I have put my running on hold until I fully recover from my foot injury.
I’ve been doing everything I know I should do to treat a foot injury like this. I replaced my old running shoes with new ones, I’m using an orthopedic heel insert, I been wearing shoes around the house and do some stretching exercises. I’m planning on seeking medical help to make sure I have the correct diagnosis and to make sure I’m doing everything to completely heal. I’ve read about people who have trained through their Plantar Fasciitis and now have chronic pain and no longer can run. I don’t want that to happen. I’ve prepared myself mentally for the possibility that I may not be running for a long time, maybe the entire summer. To stay in shape I’ll replace running with bike riding, and if that proves to be too much I’ll find something else.
Running is really hard for me to give up, even temporarily. But I have my sights on the big picture – I plan to be running marathons well into my seventies. Ever since I was passed up by a couple of 74+ runners at mile 23 of the Twin City marathon I was determined to do the same when I hit that age. To get there I’ll need to take good care of my body by eating well and training with good techniques. I still have a lot of room for improvement in both those areas. Some people look at growing old as getting worse, but I see it as an opportunity to get better – again, looking at the big picture.
