Run. Stop. Run. Repeat.

   Yesterday I really wanted to avoid another one of those days when I only got out there for a long walk. Due to the p-fash, it had been about two weeks since I actually ran in anger and I decided to give this another go.

   I started off walking my normal 5K route with the hills. I walked pretty strenuously as a warm-up. When I got to the 1K mark I started to run. Co-incidentally, this is the part of the route where the hills kick in so whether this was a good idea or not, I'm not sure. I managed to make it through this not too badly and then I stopped running at the end of 2K, walking the rest of the way in.
   Back home I stretched and iced again and, all in all, felt pretty good.
   Later on that afternoon, however, I was out running errands and the heel was hurting like hell. Not only was it hurting but there was also this strange new strained sensation down the right side of the front of my shin. It felt somewhat like a light sprain. Walking on my heel alleviated the shin but aggravated the heel. Walking on my forefoot alleviated the heel but aggravated the shin. Not a good situation to be in.
   As per usual, I tried to analyze the source of this new pain. None of the likely suspects raised their heads but the wildcard in all of this was the new orthotics. Yesterday was the first time I'd actually run in them and it seemed likely that the subtle change they presented might have been the most likely cause of this new painful sensation. By the end of the day the pain had lessened somewhat and once again I found myself waiting til morning. It was hard, though, not to be just a little discouraged last night.
   Today---slightly better news. There was very little unmanageable pain in either the heel or the shin. As far as the shin goes, the new exercises Dr. Dombroski has me doing might also have partly affected it. He has me doing a range of motion exercise which involves carving out the letters of the alphabet with my toes and forefoot. This helps stretch the plantar fascia. It also serves to provide a bit of a workout to several other tendons, ligaments and muscles down there which normally might not have received this. It has occurred to me that the shin discomfort might have had something to do with my whole foot being asked to do things it wouldn't normally be asked to do.
   Tomorrow I go in for my rescheduled GAiT assessment at SoleScience. I got a bit of a taste of what this was all about last week and I anticipate a pretty interesting blog post about it. Later this week, I've got follow-up with Dr. Dombroski wherein we'll discuss both the GAiT assessment and, basically, how the new orthotics are working out.
   It was nice to be out running again yesterday, even if it was only a kilometer. With the warmer weather (finally!) there are runners out there everywhere and I sure want to be joining them on a regular basis as soon as possible!

My Little Chickensh**t Walk (And A Couple Of Other Only Mildly Interesting Things)

   I had hoped that by today I would have a blog post ready describing the 3D GAiT assessment I was scheduled to have yesterday at SoleScience here in London. Unfortunately the appointment needed to be re-scheduled to next week, so THAT post will have to wait a little longer.
   Today, I had been thinking that I would go out for my first run in two weeks. I'd been following (fairly closely) the at-home regimen Dr. Dombroski had recommended for treating the p-fash which has been my close companion for over a month now. The heel was feeling great and as I was walking around today it felt perfectly normal. Dr. Dombroski had even suggested giving running a try as I now had my new orthotics. Evrything pointed to giving it a shot--- and then I chickened out.
   The heel felt great, the new shoes felt wonderful, I wanted to run--but I still chickened out.
   I'm not totally sure why I did this. More than anything, I think it might have been the fact that, because the heel was SO good, I didn't want to risk taking a backward step. I felt that the psychological impact of going from no pain back to pain might have been more than I was prepared to handle at the moment.

Part of the route. Looks flat. It ain't.

   I opted instead for a 5K walk, following the hilly route I'd been running to prepare myself for the Uxbridge 5K trail run in two weeks. I chose to walk it as fast as I possibly could, so that the heel would get a decent workout without as much fear of reinjuring it. I even Garmin'd it. My virtual running partner was "on" and was set to a running pace. Very quickly my virtual partner outdistanced me and disappeared from the screen (I had visions of him on my front porch, waiting for me to show up...) but this didn't bother me. I completed the walk in about forty-five minutes and enjoyed the mild sweat it caused. I re-stretched, massaged and iced and will see how things are in the morning. If I'm still feeling good, I will repeat the same thing but will add perhaps a kilometer of running to the mix and see how that goes. Assuming it goes okay, I will very gradually increase the running.
   Now for the Only Mildly Interesting stuff.


My plantar fasciitis killers.

   I now have orthotics. So far, they feel great and I really hope they help prevent further p-fash episodes. Fingers crossed there. In the process of removing sock liners from various pairs of shoes the past few days in order to slide in the orthotics, I discovered something quite interesting. Well, it was interesting to me, a fairly new runner, it may actually be old hat to other, more seasoned runners. When I removed the sock liner from the left shoe of my new Air Pegasus+29's, I discovered a funny little foam tab. My wife then got curious and removed the foam tab. This left a plastic hole, or well.
   I couldn't for the life of me figure out what this hole was for and why only in the left shoe.



Above, plugged. Below, unplugged.

   Quickly I went to Google and discovered what it was. This is the built-in spot for your Nike Sensor. The Sensor is a wireless transmitter which will send running data (times, laps, pace, calories burned, etc.) directly to your iPod nano, iPod touch, Nike+ SportBand or iPhone, so that you can view it, as you are running.

Nike Sensor
 

   Okay, this was pretty cool! Not sure if I'll ever get the Sensor but it was still good to know.
   At this point, it's several hours since my strenuous little chickens**t walk and the heel is a little more tender than it was before. I'm not too worried about this, I'll find out in the morning if there's been a major setback at all. My new mantra has become time will tell and heal as well! Cheers!
  


   

  

 

Those that can't...blog!

   It's a little hard to maintain a running blog when you're not actually running. The p-fash has stopped me in my tracks (literally) and I'm busy investigating and lining up medical treatment for it. I've also been doing the stretching and icing thing, along with some exercises Dr. Dombroski suggested. But I am not running and, apart from wearing my brand-new Air Pegasus shoes around the house, it's a little hard to consider myself a runner these days.
   One of my biggest fears in taking this much time off from running is that the weight would slowly start to creep back up. Frankly, I was almost panicky about this a couple of weeks ago. To my relief, I've found that the weight has stayed at pretty well what it was when I stopped running. Not sure why this has happened as I don't feel as though I've compensated for the lack of running by cutting back on the calories too much.
   Okay, I think I might need to revise that last statement. In retrospect, I think running made me hungry and that I ate extra to squash that hunger. Now that I'm not running, I don't feel the same need to replace carbs or fluids and so I'm probably not eating as much as before and I'm guessing that this is likely why there have been no major upward weight gains.

   With all this non-running time on my hands, I have resorted to simply reading about it. I've had a couple of running mags cross my path lately and I've also discovered how popular a blog topic running is. I had no idea that so many blogs dedicated to running or some aspect of it actually existed until just lately. Some of them are pretty technical. Others, like mine, are more for the "lay" runner--people who have discovered running and the different things it means to them. They tell stories about the role running has in their quests for weight loss, personal and spiritual fulfillment, travel plans and social outlets. Like pretty well any human endeavour, their stories are filled with pain, loss, triumph, confusion, enlightenment and much introspection. Running seems to have filled a void for many people.

   Many running bloggers took up running as a weight loss solution. The smarter ones not only run but also have made other lifestyle changes, many of them including diet. Quite a few also happily include recipes and pictures. In light of this, I have decided to post a picture of a delicious meal I recently made for myself. I'll let you take a look at it for a bit and see if you can guess at the ingredients. It was yummy! I don't know that I'd necessarily recommend it as part of a healthy diet but I did really like the colour combination. Very pretty!
   So I'm hoping that I'll be back hitting the bricks sometime soon. Orthotics arrive the day after tomorrow and then a GAiT assessment a couple of days after that. I may just wait to get both of those behind me, listen to what the doctor has to say, and then head on out. There's a race I need to run in three weeks from today and I'm a little leery of how much conditioning I might have lost the last little while. Normally I would ratchet things up a bit to get caught up but I'm guessing that might be a touch counter-productive to helping the p-fash continue to heal. Time will tell (and I understand that it will also heal!)

P.S romaine, bacon, cheezies, lemon poppy seed dressing
  

The Science of Sole (My Good Monday)

   Monday was a great day for running!
   Well...I didn't actually run but I did have my first appointment at the Fowler Kennedy clinic here in London to see if there was anything they might be able to do about this now-recurring plantar fasciitis (p-fash) I've been struggling with for over a month now.

   I had an appointment scheduled with Dr. Colin Dombroski, a certified pedorthist and the only one in Canada with a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Science. He is also the founder and head of SoleScience, a group of professionals who specialize in pedorthic and kinesiology services. SoleScience operates out of the same building as and is affiliated with the Fowler Kennedy sports medicine clinic, one of the most renowned in the world.
   Once I got over the part where I couldn't remember the name of my work's group insurance provider and then had to be sent back to my seat to fill out the reverse side of the questionnaire they give new patients, the appointment went very well.
   I was greeted right on time by Colin, who took me back into the assessment area. He was very eager to hear about my problem and quite interested in analyzing my own personal feedback on it. He then went on to examine both my feet and watch me walk back and forth across the room. In short order, both his affability and knowledgeability made me comfortable that I was in good hands.

   He also took a look at the old pair of Asics I'd been running in since the summer. He was amazed at the unusualness of the wear pattern on them and then offered to buy them from me, so that they could be used for teaching purposes! Pretty cool.
   It was determined that orthotics would be helpful in my case so he set about taking a mold of both feet and I'll be going back next week to get them. Excellent turn-around time!
   As part of the whole procedure, one of things they'll have me do is a 3D GAiT profile. This is procedure which produces a much more accurate picture of how a person actually walks or runs, better enabling adjustments in style which would then optimize performance and/or help prevent further injury.
   Later on that day, I spoke with Colin and told him about this blog. I suggested that it might be interesting to document my SoleScience adventure and would it be okay to take pics next week. He was more than fine with this and even suggested videotaping the GAiT profile. So next week on "Strides" might be pretty entertaining...


MUCH brighter in person!

   To make my Monday even better, "running"-wise, I found out I was able to pick up my new Nike Air Pegasus+29 run shoes from the Running Room. The glow-in-the-dark neon yellow ones. These shoes are so bright yellow that when I'm wearing them around the house it looks like I'm walking on giant fireflies. My initial reaction when I saw them was nope. Then I looked at them a little longer. And a little longer. And fell in love with them! No further need for reflective garments when running at night! So far, I have only been wearing them in the house and will not likely actually run in them til the orthotics are ready. On top of everything else, the heel still hurts, so I'm happy to wait for a bit.
   So that's the story of my great Monday for "running"! Knowing that the p-fash is being tended to by experts and that the weather is finally looking like it's turning around and that I've got great feeling shoes to run in has me excited for a whole new beginning!   

Birthday!

   My birthday rolled around while I was in the middle of being on the shelf, running-wise. This was bittersweet in a funny kind of way--I received some wonderful running-related presents but was unable to utilise them to their full extent. At the same time, it took my focus a little away from being depressed about the lack of running and gave me something else with which to obsess about until I can get out again on a regular basis.

Just a little out of my colour scheme...

   I got some Running Room gift certificates and this has paved the way for being able to buy new shoes. My current shoes already had holes in them before I started into running back in August and they have only depreciated since then. It will be so nice to be running on new shoes! After some consultation with the staff at the Running Room I finally ended up choosing a pair of Nike Air Pegasus+29's. I ended up choosing the neon colour you see pictured. This is a huge departure from any other colour scheme I've ever been comfortable with and I'm kind of excited about it.
   I also got a Runner's World magazine which has helped quaff my running thirst and, at the same time, whet my appetite. It even has an article about gluten-free stuff!

...but then right back into it!

   Finally, my Sweetheart gave me a Garmin running watch, the Forerunner 410. I'd been wanting one of these for the longest time but, given everything else I needed, it was just not feasible. Now, however, I will be able to GPS myself, time laps, run against a virtual partner, create alarms and a whole host of other things I haven't even been able to find out about yet. Cool!

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.

Back too soon?

   Today I hit the streets once more. For the last almost two weeks I've been on the shelf, running-wise, due to plantar fasciitis (p-fash). Recently, I've been feeling well enough to give it another shot.


What I might have to start doing...

    The run has gotten mixed reviews. I found myself needing to stop and walk three or four times and did not actually complete the 5k I'd originally set out to run. On top of that, my heel is bothering me once again this evening. I imagine the sternest test will be in the morning when I try and walk on it again.
   I'm not sure whether I'm kicking myself or not. What I did today was simply give in to the urge to run again when, in fact, I know I was not one hundred percent healthy. As good as I've been feeling the past week or so, I also knew there was still a hint of tenderness in the heel area.
   So this afternoon may have been a bit of a learning experience. Tomorrow will tell.
   I really hope I don't become a p-fash expert....