Running Through It

   If you've been following this blog at all, then you know that right at the moment the running has kind of taken a backseat to an attempt at recovering from an annoying case of plantar fasciitis (p-fash).

   In the meantime, I've met with my family doctor and have acquired a script for custom orthotics. A visit to the Running Room this past Monday landed a pair of shoes that likely will be good for the problem, cushioning-wise, and also produced a referral to the Fowler-Kennedy sports injury clinic at Western, the local university. I am headed there next Monday.
   I have also been on the internet almost daily, reading up on p-fash and all the possible cures, treatments and preventative routines. The beauty and/or frustration of the internet is that you get a plethora of opinions and observations on the subject, many of which contradict each other. It seems that no two people's experience with p-fash are the same and there is not a lot of consensus out there, apart from the fact that the condition is painful and annoying and persistent.
   My biggest decision right at the moment is whether or not to try and run through it. It's been an issue for almost a month now and was so painful at the beginning that taking a couple of weeks off not only was a good idea, it also didn't bother me, it was simply too painful to run.   Of course, what eventually happens with this and many other sports injuries is that at some point the athlete starts to feel a little better and the passion for engaging in their sport re-surfaces, bigtime. This is what happened to me, I started feeling better, the heel wasn't bothering me and I wanted to get out there again. So I did.
   The result of this was that the heel flared up again and I found myself kicking myself. With the other foot.
   The difference this time was that the recovery period was not nearly as long before I started feeling better again. This indicated to me that I was engaged in some kind of overall healing, which was good.

   With this in mind, I think I'll return to regular running. It will, however, be at a much less intense level. The runs will be shorter and slower. In between runs, I'll be more consistent with things like icing and stretching. I may also engage in some cross-training, maybe hop on the elliptical or lift some weights.
   The principal thing holding me back from just stopping entirely is the fact that I have a race coming up in a month. The thought of showing up for a race without having trained at all in the previous month seems unacceptable to me. So I am going to try and squeeze in at least a little careful training. The idea of limping up to a starting line is also unacceptable.