My Wife the Runner

I’m back to running after about a 2 ½ month hiatus. During my down time I kept into shape by riding my mountain bike on 20 mile brisk rides. Then a couple of weeks ago I started to ease back into running. I now run 10k (6.2 miles) about every other day and at a very slow pace so not to apply too much stress on my foot with Plantar Fasciitis. My foot is responding very well to my adjusted training program so I’ve started to enter 5k and 10k races. It feels wonderful to be back running, but the better story is about my wife Renee.

A couple of years ago Renee would have never considered herself as a runner. Her knees give her problems and her asthma robs her breath when doing strenuous exercise. So for aerobic exercise she started out fast walking a couple of miles. The couple of miles grew to 4 to 5 miles. But as she got into better and better physical condition she needed more to get her heart rate up for a good aerobic workout, so she started running for short spurts during her fast walks. Then the short spurts became long spurts, and the long spurts blended into an entire run. Then length of her runs stretched from 4 miles to 10k.

Yesterday on the 4th of July Renee and I ran the Excelsior Firecracker 10k. This is Renee’s first 10k race. Last year at the same event I ran the 10k and Renee ran the 2 mile, which was a big deal for her at the time. This year we ran the 10k together. Rather than running at my own pace I ran alongside Renee. There was no way I was going to miss her first 10k and not be by her side all the way to the finish line. She had a tough start; her asthma was particularly strong at the begging, but she finished with probably her best time/pace for that distance.

Renee’s running is a good example of what can be accomplished if one takes their time and slowly but steadily works their way to improvement. To become a runner you don’t have to start out running many miles and beating yourself up in the process. In fact, you don’t even have to start out running; you just have to get your feet moving and challenge yourself a little bit each day.

The Big Picture

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.