No formatting tonight, just a quick update. In the last few months I've been waiting for my toe to get better. Right about the time that my right foot stopped hurting me, the index toe on my left foot started hurting. The best me and my doctor could figure was that I was favoring the right foot by taking more strain on the left, which caused the toe to eventually start hurting.
Anyway, the custom orthotics I got were part of the solution, along with a little pad for the front part of my foot, and more time to let it rest. It's taken a while, but my toe has been pain free for a couple weeks now, which is how long I wanted to wait before I tried running again.
So I went out tonight for a short 2-mile run. The weather was prefect - about 60 degrees and slightly breezy. I ran my normal pace and felt pretty good, given the fact that I hadn't run in so long. A little sore, but nothing abnormal. I'm very excited that I think I can finally get back into a regular running schedule again!
I tried tracking the run, but it was having trouble finding the GPS satellites, so it didn't work right. Anyway, 2 miles, about 22 minutes.
My first scheduled race is the Shamrock Shuffle 5-mile (8k) run on April 10th, and it looks like I'm on track to be ready for that. Yay!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Update
So where have I been?
A month ago, my doctor decided it was time for me to try custom orthotics. He took molds of my feet, then said it'd be about 3 weeks.
Today I was able to pick them up! I brought in my running shoes to the doctor's office and got them cut and fit to my shoes. I'm wearing them now. They feel a little weird, but that's normal for the first week or two. I have an appointment in another month to have any remaining pressure ares trimmed down, but already they feel pretty good. I'm going to let my feet get used to these for about a week, but then hopefully I'll be able to go for a run and see how I feel. Wish me luck!
A month ago, my doctor decided it was time for me to try custom orthotics. He took molds of my feet, then said it'd be about 3 weeks.
Today I was able to pick them up! I brought in my running shoes to the doctor's office and got them cut and fit to my shoes. I'm wearing them now. They feel a little weird, but that's normal for the first week or two. I have an appointment in another month to have any remaining pressure ares trimmed down, but already they feel pretty good. I'm going to let my feet get used to these for about a week, but then hopefully I'll be able to go for a run and see how I feel. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
First run back!
Statistics:
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 33:03
Observations:
Well, I finally couldn't wait any longer, and I went for a 3-mile run tonight. Oddly, I don't have much to say. The run felt good. My feet didn't hurt inordinately, at least not any more than my legs. In other words, I'm a little sore following my first run after not running for two and a half months, but hopefully that's all.
Pace-wise I did great! I was right on my 11-minute per mile pace. I wasn't pushing it to stay at that speed, it was just my natural speed. So that's a positive thing. I'll check in with my foot tomorrow and make sure it's ok.
Next:
The tentative plan is to go for a run on Saturday morning. I'm thinking 4 miles. Then re-assess and see about building up some mileage in the next few weeks. If I'm going to do the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon in February, I don't have tons of time to coast, so hopefully I can be aggressive and careful at the same time. We'll see...
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 33:03
Observations:
Well, I finally couldn't wait any longer, and I went for a 3-mile run tonight. Oddly, I don't have much to say. The run felt good. My feet didn't hurt inordinately, at least not any more than my legs. In other words, I'm a little sore following my first run after not running for two and a half months, but hopefully that's all.
Pace-wise I did great! I was right on my 11-minute per mile pace. I wasn't pushing it to stay at that speed, it was just my natural speed. So that's a positive thing. I'll check in with my foot tomorrow and make sure it's ok.
Next:
The tentative plan is to go for a run on Saturday morning. I'm thinking 4 miles. Then re-assess and see about building up some mileage in the next few weeks. If I'm going to do the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon in February, I don't have tons of time to coast, so hopefully I can be aggressive and careful at the same time. We'll see...
Monday, September 27, 2010
Injury update, shoes, long-term plans
It's been a while since I've updated here, mostly because there hasn't been much to update. But now I do have updates, so here they are.
I still don't feel like my foot is 100%. It's definitely better than it was a few weeks ago, but every now and then, I'll notice something not feeling quite right. I'm still taping it up every day, though, and I think that helps.
I have a follow-up doctor's appointment on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to seeing the ultrasound to see if things are better on the inside.
I went to Fleet Feet on Friday to get new running shows. My doctor had given me a list of shoes he recommended for my foot type, so I took that in. We went through the list and I tried the different brands on. Most of them didn't feel like they fit my foot right, except for one style of Saucony that I liked. Unfortunately, they didn't have that style in my shoe size (I have wide feet). They had to special order them and it's going to take a couple weeks to come in. So I'm going to take that extra time to let my foot recuperate that much more before I start running again.
Well, taking that extra time off means I don't have enough time to train for the Monster Half-Marathon I was planning to run on October 31st (it was going to be pushing it to be ready for 10/31 as it was if I could have run this week). There just aren't enough weeks for me to get back to 13 miles after losing my conditioning during this injury. But, this leaves me with a certain clarity of purpose. My ultimate goal has been to run the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon in February. So once I get my new shoes and my foot is better, I'm going to make that day 1 of training for the marathon. Once I figure out my training schedule, I'll get that posted up here. Wish me luck!
I still don't feel like my foot is 100%. It's definitely better than it was a few weeks ago, but every now and then, I'll notice something not feeling quite right. I'm still taping it up every day, though, and I think that helps.
I have a follow-up doctor's appointment on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to seeing the ultrasound to see if things are better on the inside.
I went to Fleet Feet on Friday to get new running shows. My doctor had given me a list of shoes he recommended for my foot type, so I took that in. We went through the list and I tried the different brands on. Most of them didn't feel like they fit my foot right, except for one style of Saucony that I liked. Unfortunately, they didn't have that style in my shoe size (I have wide feet). They had to special order them and it's going to take a couple weeks to come in. So I'm going to take that extra time to let my foot recuperate that much more before I start running again.
Well, taking that extra time off means I don't have enough time to train for the Monster Half-Marathon I was planning to run on October 31st (it was going to be pushing it to be ready for 10/31 as it was if I could have run this week). There just aren't enough weeks for me to get back to 13 miles after losing my conditioning during this injury. But, this leaves me with a certain clarity of purpose. My ultimate goal has been to run the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon in February. So once I get my new shoes and my foot is better, I'm going to make that day 1 of training for the marathon. Once I figure out my training schedule, I'll get that posted up here. Wish me luck!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Injury update - my new doctor!
I met yesterday with Dr. Chin from The Running Institute, recommended by my coach, Jenny Hadfield (who also happens to be a writer for Runner's World magazine, so she knows what she's talking about).
I'm so happy I went there! The first podiatrist I saw, back in July, gave me about 5 minutes of his time, told me to buy inserts, and that was that. In contrast, my visit to Dr. Chin involved an extensive history so they could understand the likely causes of my injury. My foot was then thoroughly examined by hand. Then he did an ultrasound and was able to see that I didn't have plantar fasciitis at all, but a muscle contusion. My plantar fascia tendon was not inflamed, but normal size. But there was a knot of muscle that should not be knotted when I flex my foot, and we could see it on the ultrasound as I flexed my foot. Very cool! I forgot to ask if it was going to be a boy or a girl, though.
Then Dr. Chin taped the arch of my foot with this super-sticky athletic take, Leukotape, that would help spread the impact of my foot across the whole arch as it struck the ground. Then he had me run on a treadmill and filmed it, so we could watch my gait in slow motion. We could see how my foot hit the ground and what my shoes were doing to/for my feet.
As it turns out, Fleet Feet didn't give me the right kind of shoes for my feet, which surprises me, given their supposed expertise. They'd given me stability shoes, when Dr. Chin said a neutral shoe would be best. My previous shoes were apparently giving me too much support in my arch. Thankfully the new pair of shoes I bought are still within the 30-day window, so I can return them. Then when my foot is healed, I can get the right kind of shoe for me. He gave me a list of shoes specifically for me.
My healing regime is three-fold. 1) Tape my foot up every day like he showed me. 2) Massage my foot, especially the heel, to work out that knot. 3) Stretch out my calves, which are apparently fairly tight. I now have a sort of rocking chair cradle for my foot that I stand on that helps me stretch out my calves, one at a time. I'm supposed to do this ten times for each leg, for 20-30 seconds each time. And if I do all that, I should be 85-90% healed in the next two to three weeks and can start running again.
I've got a follow-up visit in a month so Dr. Chin can evaluate my progress.
All in all, I was very pleased with the amount of time and attention that Dr. Chin gave me. In retrospect, it's clear that the other podiatrist I'd been to didn't want to spend the time to properly diagnose me and give me the right advice. So, if your doctor isn't doing everything that Dr. Chin did, find another doctor!
I'm so happy I went there! The first podiatrist I saw, back in July, gave me about 5 minutes of his time, told me to buy inserts, and that was that. In contrast, my visit to Dr. Chin involved an extensive history so they could understand the likely causes of my injury. My foot was then thoroughly examined by hand. Then he did an ultrasound and was able to see that I didn't have plantar fasciitis at all, but a muscle contusion. My plantar fascia tendon was not inflamed, but normal size. But there was a knot of muscle that should not be knotted when I flex my foot, and we could see it on the ultrasound as I flexed my foot. Very cool! I forgot to ask if it was going to be a boy or a girl, though.
Then Dr. Chin taped the arch of my foot with this super-sticky athletic take, Leukotape, that would help spread the impact of my foot across the whole arch as it struck the ground. Then he had me run on a treadmill and filmed it, so we could watch my gait in slow motion. We could see how my foot hit the ground and what my shoes were doing to/for my feet.
As it turns out, Fleet Feet didn't give me the right kind of shoes for my feet, which surprises me, given their supposed expertise. They'd given me stability shoes, when Dr. Chin said a neutral shoe would be best. My previous shoes were apparently giving me too much support in my arch. Thankfully the new pair of shoes I bought are still within the 30-day window, so I can return them. Then when my foot is healed, I can get the right kind of shoe for me. He gave me a list of shoes specifically for me.
My healing regime is three-fold. 1) Tape my foot up every day like he showed me. 2) Massage my foot, especially the heel, to work out that knot. 3) Stretch out my calves, which are apparently fairly tight. I now have a sort of rocking chair cradle for my foot that I stand on that helps me stretch out my calves, one at a time. I'm supposed to do this ten times for each leg, for 20-30 seconds each time. And if I do all that, I should be 85-90% healed in the next two to three weeks and can start running again.
I've got a follow-up visit in a month so Dr. Chin can evaluate my progress.
All in all, I was very pleased with the amount of time and attention that Dr. Chin gave me. In retrospect, it's clear that the other podiatrist I'd been to didn't want to spend the time to properly diagnose me and give me the right advice. So, if your doctor isn't doing everything that Dr. Chin did, find another doctor!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Gotta (re)start somewhere!
Statistics:
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 33:35
Observations:
Since my foot was hurting with the old inserts, on Saturday I went back to Fleet Feet and got re-assessed and ended up getting new shoes and less extreme inserts. So I decided to take them out for a test drive last night. During the day yesterday, I was thinking six miles, but at night I decided that four would be a little smarter for my first run in two weeks. The extra two miles wouldn't do that much for me, and might just make things worse. So I aimed for four miles. After two, my stomach was cramping up, I think from late lunch/early dinner, so I decided to cut my run to 3 miles.
My feet felt pretty good. My foot isn't 100% better yet, but I just couldn't stand to sit around anymore. Of course, I had an old blister on my big toe that wasn't quite healed, apparently, and the run re-aggravated it. I swear, if it's not one thing, it's another. I hope that heals quickly. Neosporin and band-aids to the rescue!
In other news, I signed up for the October 31st running of the Monster Half Marathon! It sounds like a lot of fun, and a good bridge to keep me in shape as I transition to training for February's Mardi Gras Marathon!
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 33:35
Observations:
Since my foot was hurting with the old inserts, on Saturday I went back to Fleet Feet and got re-assessed and ended up getting new shoes and less extreme inserts. So I decided to take them out for a test drive last night. During the day yesterday, I was thinking six miles, but at night I decided that four would be a little smarter for my first run in two weeks. The extra two miles wouldn't do that much for me, and might just make things worse. So I aimed for four miles. After two, my stomach was cramping up, I think from late lunch/early dinner, so I decided to cut my run to 3 miles.
My feet felt pretty good. My foot isn't 100% better yet, but I just couldn't stand to sit around anymore. Of course, I had an old blister on my big toe that wasn't quite healed, apparently, and the run re-aggravated it. I swear, if it's not one thing, it's another. I hope that heals quickly. Neosporin and band-aids to the rescue!
In other news, I signed up for the October 31st running of the Monster Half Marathon! It sounds like a lot of fun, and a good bridge to keep me in shape as I transition to training for February's Mardi Gras Marathon!
Friday, August 13, 2010
I haven't disappeared
I'm not being lazy about blogging. It's just that I haven't run since the half-marathon.
I was feeling good after about a week and was ready to start back, and then my foot started hurting, in the heel. I haven't been doing anything strenuous, just the walking that's required to get through the day. But the front part of my heel, where it meets the arch of my foot hurts now and then, kind of like a bruise, but there's no bruise visible.
So I am waiting for that to go away before I start back. It's one month until the second half-marathon, so there's still time to get some good training in, but I want to not hurt my foot any more before the race.
Sucks!
I was feeling good after about a week and was ready to start back, and then my foot started hurting, in the heel. I haven't been doing anything strenuous, just the walking that's required to get through the day. But the front part of my heel, where it meets the arch of my foot hurts now and then, kind of like a bruise, but there's no bruise visible.
So I am waiting for that to go away before I start back. It's one month until the second half-marathon, so there's still time to get some good training in, but I want to not hurt my foot any more before the race.
Sucks!
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