Returning to Running

I am crossing my fingers but I do believe there is some light at the end of the tunnel as I am beginning to run again. Albeit very short runs and I am still feeling my injured heel. I am finding that after a mile my plantar fasciitis hurts a lot for a few minutes and then goes enabling me to run short distances. Currently there is no lasting affect and this is the difference compared to  back in May as then when I ran I was limping by the evening and the following day.

I have had a very frustrating time with this injury and I began to consider if my running days were over and perhaps I just wouldn't be able to do this anymore. It was difficult with the weather being so good and seeing other runners out and about when I was driving only rubbed this in as a sore point.

My last proper run was on the 23rd of April 2010. Since then I ran a few times in May in hope that I could just ignore the injury. I had a couple of goes in July and then at the beginning of August I have managed a number of very short runs :- 2 miles on the 1st , 2 on the 2nd , 3 on the 4th , 4 on the 6th and 3 miles this morning.

I tried cycling for a while and as good a sport as it is (love watching the Tour De France) I just found it wasn't for me. Partly I suppose because I didn't give it enough time, my bike was a freebie given to me probably about £70 retail but is a heavy town cycle not a specialist light road
cycle. It was heavy and sore on my back side and there was the constant threat of traffic on our Suffolk roads. When I cycled for an hour or hour and half I just didn't get the same effect that runners high , I just felt sore in the back side. I wouldn't rule it out in the future but it would have to be with a proper road cycle.

So in the break I have totally festered and when I got on the scales I had managed to put on 7 kilos and go from 83 to 90 kilos! Thats a lot of extra weight and is another prime cause I believe of plantar fasciitis.

I am not out of the woods yet as I say I can still feel pain at the beginning of a run.I highly recommed wearing Fitflops  these have been my saving grace as I don't feel any pain when wearing these. I am now making use of the Scholl Orthaheel Gel Heel Orthotic. 
These seem to help.

All I am attempting to do in the near future is hopefully continue my recovery and once again get fit and at the same time lose the weight I put on. I am going to plan out out a gentle return to running using a heart rate monitor instead of running to pace per mile. I don;t know about you but I have always followed training schedules using pace as the key factor.  Running using a heart rate monitor will be new to me and this will exciting to see how well this works in practice.

Thanks to runners who have posted me kind words of encouragement during my break. I am sorry that I haven't been to on the ball in returning any comments. I just found that as I wasn't running it was difficult to have anything to do with running without feeling frustrated and jealous. I stopped buying Runners World magazine as well as clearly I was no longer a runner.

Hopefully I am back!

Fitflops

Bought a pair of Fitflops today from Intersports in Whiting St Bury St Edmunds . Willing to try anything to help overcome plantar fascitiis. Fitflops contain a wobble board which supposedly give you a workout while you walk.

I am a little sceptical as to whether these will greatly help but after reading many reviews of folks with sciatica and plantar fascitiis problems benefiting from using these shoes I will give them a try and let you know my verdict in due course.


The official blurb on the Fitflop web site says
"Dass sandals are widely reported to almost instantly reduce pain in the knees, ankles and lower back, to reduce plantar foot pressure, and to help speed recovery from sports injuries. Recommended by physiotherapists and leading podiatrists for injury recovery and realignment, they’re wearable relief for sports warriors everywhere™"

Since April I haven't been able to run and even walking leaves me limping at the moment . Following a visit to my GP early in June she confirmed that I have plantar fascitiis. She said I had two choices  to wait and eventually it will go of its own accord but it may take up to a year! Or my other option would be to have a cortisone injection though this doesn't always work and carries some risks of permanent damage to the heel.

So I am going for the slow wait and see option and doing a range of exercises such as the rolling the golf ball under the foot , pulling a towel back with the toes and foot rises on the stairs!

In the meantime I haven't  been cycling since early June , it does act as a substitute though I much prefer running. I guess I will have to get back on to the bike in the short term. I would prefer long distance walking if I could but this seems to aggravate the heel pain in my left foot. Perhaps the new fitflops will give me sufficient support to do some longer walks in comfort.

I give in - lets try cycling!!

I can't rid myself of the curse of plantar fascitiis and several others have told me that I am doing myself no good by trying to run every few days.

Its because I love my running that I don't want to give it up but at present it is just not working for me. Even after a break of a week, if I run I am ok over a short run of a few miles but the next day I am hobbling and limping. The Scholl orthotic inserts will help but I was deluded if I felt this would provide a major wand cure. The spring is here and summer dawns and with it a great selection of road races but my winter training will now count for nowt. The 12th of April was my last proper week  of training and a month on from this my level of fitness will have slipped. I will have to start all over again from scratch when I eventually get over this injury.


So for now I am taking up cycling. This has the great advantage of not causing me any further damage to my foot.I have a road bike this was given to me and is very much an ordinary bike and definitely not one of those fancy Dan £2,000 jobs More's the pity!

Several folks have suggested to me why don;t you try cycling including Revrunner, Darren Baker and finally my better half said to get out there and do it
I am going to stop running for 1 month and then see if I am ok to run again. I think I will know if this is the case. Like a lot of people with plantar fascitiis I find my foot can be painful first thing in the morning when I stand up on it. Hopefully in a month perhaps this will have healed and I can run again but there are no guarantees with this and I know this can linger for many months .

So today I switched my garmin forerunner to the cycling function, got a back pack ready with a spare waterproof jacket , a map and a drink. Pumped up the tyres and set off.

Cycling isn't something I have actively tried before. I have of course used a bike to get from a to b , pop into town but as a form of exercise no apart from the stationary cycle machines in a gym. I have also been a bit wary of traffic and know that bikes always come off second best in a fight with a car, I am therefore a real novice - totally green so this makes this a bit of an adventure and something exciting to do as a temporary replacement for running.

I put on my ipod and listened to Mark Kemode and Simon Mayo's Film Review podcast.  The episode I listened to included a review of the latest Iron man 2 film. As a boy I was a fan of all of the Marvel Comics including Ironman, Spiderman, The Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer to name a few  and this latest offering is definitely a precursor to the launch of the Avengers as a film.  The film introduced the Black Widow character played by Scarlet Johansson. The film is worth a watch if you like comic book character films.

The miles passed by on the bike fairly easily but at no great pace. My route took me through the villages of Fornham All Saints, Fornham St Genevieve, West Stow, Ingham and Timworth  all to the north of Bury St Edmunds. Obviously you can get a lot further afield on a bike and travel further than on a run. I stopped a couple of times for a quick drink but other than that I just kept going. I wasn't sure what I could do and how far to go and I wasn't prepared if I had of got a puncture.

But I did 14 miles in 1 hr 20 Min's for an average speed of 11 miles an hour.From what I can see this is very much an average speed for a complete beginner. Club cyclists spin the wheel at around 18 miles an hour.

Road-bike.co.UK indicates the following as a guide with all of the provisos concerning weather , hills equipment, traffic etc

• Beginner, short distance (say 10-15 miles): average speed 12 mph. Most cyclists can achieve 10-12 mph average very quickly with limited training
• More experienced, short-medium distance (say 20-30 miles): average speed 15-16 mph
• Reasonable experience, medium (say 40 miles): average speed 16-19 mph
• Quite competent club rider, some regular training likely, medium-long distances (say 50-60 miles): 20-24 mph

I forgot to take my camera so along with a puncture kit and a phone I will be better prepared next time. Did I enjoy it? Yes as a substitute for running it wasn't bad and I will want to make it competitive and give my self some challenges and improve my speed and the distance I cover.

Did I get bum ache? Yes my backside just isn't used to sitting on a bike.

The only other problem today was the amount of green fly in the air. There must be some outbreak of the pests at the moment and cycling meant keeping the mouth closed and wiping away the green fly every so often.

Orthaheel Gel Heel Orthotic for Plantar Fascitiis

After another week of no running I attempted to run on Saturday morning and I did manage 3 miles but with pain afterwards. In fact on Sunday I was still feeling enough pain in  my heel so that the walk in to town was only managed with a limp.

Real Food & Beer Festival

It was worth the mile limp to attend the 'The Real Food and Beer Festival at Greene King’ in Bury St Edmunds. This was a really good event and I hope is repeated on an annual basis . There were lots of local producers providing samples and selling their products including Suffolk Food Hall, Jimmy’s Farm, The English Whisky Company, Yum Yum Tree Fudge and Rodwell Farm Dairy.
A few pints of Greene King and the pain in my heel was at least temporarily relieved!

On Saturdays run I inserted 3 insoles in my left shoe to try and help obsorb some of the shock when my foot hits the ground. It didn't work but was slightly better. So after the festival a trip to Boots the Chemists resulted in the purchase of a Scholl Orthaheel Gel Heel Orthotic.








According to the promotional material Scholl Orthaheel is an innovative biomechanical solution made from the highest grade materials and technology available to help realign the lower limbs through to the hips, to restore the feet and body back to a neutral position just as nature intended. The soft flexible moulded gel reduces impact and fatigue.

I removed one of my insoles and inserted both of the gel orthaheels although I am only feeling pain in the left foot. I suppose this is the right thing to do so that I am balanced on both sides and don't cause an injury to my right foot.

I repeated another 3 mile run this afternoon and will now see if there is any reaction. Initially it did feel a little odd as if I was running on stitles and I wondered if the inserts would slip out of position.  The Scholl Orthaheel isn't cheap and cost £16.99 but if it works it will be worth every penny. Time will tell if I am limping tomorrow!

May blossom going over now!

Walnut Tree

Attempting a running comeback

My running has come to pretty much a complete halt. The dreaded plantar fasciitis has struck and I don't how long it will take for me to recover from this.

I attempted a run last Sunday and it went fairly well for four miles and then a mile from home I came to a halt as the pain in my left foot returned with a vengence. The pain is around the heel and middle of the sole of the foot. I decided to run on and I did finish my 5 miles in 43.47 . However shortly afterwards I was crippled and I limped for the next 2 days unable to put my full weight on the foot without pain.

After this experience you become very wary of running in case the same happens again. It is difficult to know when to try and run again as after another week of not running I can still feel my foot and clearly there is still some inflamation and tenderness.

This is very frustrating after running throughout one of the worst winters for years and we get to Spring I want to be out running and enjoying probably the best time of the year to run. But I can't!

This morning I decided just to do a mile and see what happens. I added an extra insole to my left shoe to provide a little more shock absorbtion. It was good to get out and run but all I am thinking about is my left foot, waiting to see if the pain gets worse. A mile was enough I can still feel to much pain. I will just have to wait and see what happens afterwards and whether I get a bad reaction leading to me limping again.

What to do If I am not running?! Well after sulking and becoming a hermit from running not looking at my blog or any sites for a week or two I have decided I have gotter snap out of it and at least try and do some all round exercises.

I have restarted from scratch the 100 push ups programme. The week 1 option included five sets of  20, 12,10,7, and 7 push ups with a minute rest between.

After this not feeling that I had done a lot of exercise I took a look at the 200 sit ups logger. I have never really got on with this exercise before and looking at the video of how to  perform these I have always done these wrong. I always used to return my shoulders to the floor after each sit up and would strain from my shoulders and head to sit up.  Instead from the videos I have seen good form sit ups or crunches mean you start with your shoulders raised from the ground. The sit up or crunch is actually a much smaller movement than I had previously been attempting no wonder I had struggled with them previously.


Once I was happy with how to perform a sit up I did an initial test and I managed 40. Following the sit up logger this determines the level of the programme that you follow over the next few weeks.

I then had a go at massaging my foot as demonstrated in the video below


Massage Physical Therapy Techniques for Plantar Fasciitis -- powered by eHow.com
I am hoping there is not too much of a reaction to my short run today and that I can try to run again shortly in the next few days

Running Injuries - Plantar Fasciitis

I am injured and not running at present. I reacted badly to the run on Friday. On Saturday morning I was particularly bad first thing in the morning when I was limping and hobbling around and unable to put my heel flat on the ground without pain.

The feeling in my left foot was as if I was walking directly on my bones and my skin and shoes were not able to protect me. The plantar fascia is a strong band of tissue that stretches from your heel to your middle foot bones. It supports the arch of your foot and also acts as a shock-absorber in your foot. My shock absorber has decided enough is enough for the moment.

Bad timing as I was in training for a 10k race at Breckland on the 3rd of May but this is out the window now.

As a previous sufferer of this condition the only real cure is rest. What causes plantar fasciitis?  Lots of running if you are not used to it. Could be the case for me as folowing injury I did put in a fairly intensive 3 months of training.

Running on  a surface you are not used to such as track or road if you are used to the country. In my case I always mix up my running on all surfaces so this wouldn't apply to me.

Wearing shoes with poor cushioning. As a neutral runner with high arches I need shoes with good support. I have alternated two pairs of Asics Gel Stratus 2 and 3's. Both showed wear fairly quickly. The Asics Gel Straus 3's I am still using but are beginning to show signs of wear after only 250 miles which is disappointing in a shoe as I expect to get 450 miles  to be considered a decent shoe. I have always got on well with Asics but am giving a pair of Saucony a go. It may be coincidence but it has put a doubt in my mind regarding Asics at the moment.

Increasing your running intensity - Yes guilty on this one. But what can you do if you follow a training plan you want to increase your intensity and quality of training sessions so you lengthen your longest run and run tempo and intervals. In doing this you can overstretch your foot sole.

Tight Achilles tendon - this is the  big tendon above your heel at the bottom of your calf. Yes after walking on Saturday or limping to a Beer Festival ( I forgot all about my heel pain for a while!) the pain has seemingly transferred from my heel my achilles.http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007021.htm

Having high arches  - yes this is me. You can tell by doing the paper test . Take your shoes and socks off and slightly wet the heel of your foot and then place it on a piece of white paper. If you see just your heel, the ball of your foot, and a thin line on the outside of your foot, you have a high arch, the least common foot type.

It is most common in people aged between 40 and 60- Yes thats me 

More common in overweight people who are over their BMI ideal weight. Yes again guilty of this by about a stone in weight but I need to run to lose some weight!

When will I be able to run again ? Well I am impatient and I will try running again on Wednesday. However if this is a bad episode of plantar then I may have this problem for many weeks or months.