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.

Injured!!

Frustration is the name of the game!! Today I should have run at Bungay at a 20k race but I am unable to run at the moment. I woke on Friday with a bad back problem. I have pain in the spine which has meant I am currently struggling to stand up straight without pain.

I still tried and didn't give up on doing the run until Sunday morning. On Saturday and Sunday morning I tried to run and ventured out the front day only to go a few yards before I had to give in to pain from every step. Stupid really even to try as it probably hasn't helped me recover.

I have been in a bad mood every since Friday which again is silly but it is only when you have something taken away that you realise how much you take for granted. On Friday I was just hoping to be able to stand up straight instead of working around like a hunch back.

My February curse has struck again. Last year I had the flu and hardly ran in February.

Back pain isn't new to me. I can recall doing my back in about 18 years ago in the mundane act of changing a nappy. I know that sounds odd but I was tired and overstretched to reach a nappy and I had a big click in my back and ever since once or twice a year I have a reoccurence.

I have been to Gp's and to be honest this is always a waste of time as they always point out that there is no cure apart from rest and they always look at more in an accusing manor once they discover that you run. I am once again taking the musle relaxation tablets and hoping for recovery before next week when I ma supposed to be doing the nearly 10 in Bury. Looks doubtful at the moment!