My right foot has been hurting and from the sounds (and feel) of it, it's plantar fasciitis. I've had a dull pain in my arch and heel for awhile. Last Tuesday we ran hills and that's when it really reared its ugly head. My arch/heel hurt that night during and after the run, which made it a pretty rough night. I was so sad because I saw everything I've wanted and worked so hard for vanish before my eyes. I pictured myself porked up, sitting on the couch with a big vat of ice cream, watching Ironman on TV, wishing that could be me. In my already mopey state, I started thinking about my dad and how much I miss him, and deep down how much harder everything is without having him here with me. I kept thinking "I just want to talk to him again. Why can't I have just one more hour with him?" Just to be able to tell him about my semi setback, and have his reassuring voice respond back "Don't give up Christina. You can still do this." I feel those responses now in my heart, but yet, that's just not the same.
Needless to say, I've jumped on the bandwagon of trying to fix this! I'm doing lots of stretching of my feet and calves and I have gotten some inserts for my running and cycling shoes. The inserts came from a running store, although I am contemplating going to the Good Feet Store to have some custom made. I don't have a whole lot of time to mess around with this. If I can find the right doctor, I may get it checked out. I am just not sure I need to hear what they'll say. Complete rest isn't an option so I'm going to go with the next best thing... adjusting the training slightly.
At first I tried a funky plastic brace to hold my foot in this position while I slept. It was really awkward and started hurting the tendons on the top of my foot, so that had to go. I slept in the sock last night and I really didn't mind it much at all! It may have helped that I started out with a boot like contraption, so moving from that, to this sock, was a 'treat'. My first few steps out of bed this morning were better than any morning I can remember for a long time.
Coach has altered my plan a bit to avoid the running and just bike more when we only do a 15 to 30 minute run after a bike. I am still running when I have longer runs on the schedule. When I run on flat surfaces, it doesn't hurt. Even last night, we ran hills again, and it felt somewhat OK. I think overall, it's only a mild flare-up. That's what I am going to keep telling myself anyway.
I also just realized yesterday, that this week is officially the start of race season! I am running the Trail Mix 25k on Saturday. Next weekend is the MN Ironman bike ride, where if the weather agrees, I'll be doing my first century (100 mile) ride. The following weekend will be my first triathlon of the season, a sprint distance. The weekend after that is the New Prague half marathon... Whew!
"Don't give up Christina. You can still do this..."
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