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....

Shutting her down?

   Agonizingly, it appears as though I may have come down with a case of plantar fasciitis (p-fash) and, frankly, I'm a little annoyed. More than annoyed, actually.
   I had a bout of p-fash the summer before last. It was the result of a little too much ball hockey and all the twisting, turning and sudden stopping which goes along with it. I took a little time off and eventually got some store-bought orthotics. Since then I really haven't had a hard time with it.

   About a week ago, though, I started to develop that familiar tenderness in the bottom of my right heel. At the time it was a little difficult to differentiate that discomfort from all the general discomfort my aging body feels right after a run and then again the next morning. I found, though, that the heel pain was lingering beyond the rest of my pain and starting to interfere with my mobility at home and at work.
   The p-fash seems to have shown up round about the same time I increased my running workload so I see this increase as being the culprit. I've shut things down the last couple of days and heel is starting to feel much better.
   Tomorrow, however, is the day I was planning on running 10k for the first time. I have been looking forward to this for a long time and the thought of not running it is a  little hard to take. If I was in a lot of pain right at the moment then I wouldn't even consider running it but, like I said, I'm not feeling too bad. And if I'm not feeling too bad today then I know I'm going to want to run tomorrow.
   This is all fine and dandy and I suppose I could run tomorrow and if the run really did a number on my heel I could then just shut things down for an extended period, no harm done.
   The bigger picture, though, is that I have a 5k race coming up near the end of April and shutting things down right at the moment for any long period would put quite the crimp in my training for that race.
   So what to do...?
   Fortuitously, I have my yearly physical scheduled for this coming Monday morning. The p-fash wasn't on the original agenda for discussion but now most certainly is. If p-fash is going to possibly be something I may be running into (giggle) then I think I might be looking at a script for orthotics. Seems like the right thing to do.
   As far as tomorrow goes, I imagine I will just get up and see how I feel. Common sense says don't run, everything else says run!

Form

   Earlier on in this running adventure, it was very easy to lose my form. I would find myself running with my head down, hunched over my knees. This always seemed to be the result of being tired and having to concentrate on forcing my legs to follow each other. The feeling was that my weight was centred over my knees and that my knees were then being forced to propel me not only forward but upward. Not only that, every now and then one of my feet (the right one, for some reason) would shuffle and catch pavement. To top things off, I would get wobbly-kneed and head off in one direction or the other.

Courtesy of newbreedrunning.com

   This was not how I was taught to run. I was taught to run with an upright posture, looking ahead, with my torso centred over my hips and a bit of a forward tilt. When I am struggling, I remind myself of this and try as much as possible to go back to a more upright running posture. Whenever I do this, the running immediately seems to get easier. My legs feel more like they are gliding across the pavement, rather than pounding down on it. The sensation is that my legs are being flung out and then back by my hips, rather than as part of a conscious effort on my part. Breathing also seems to get a little easier with all my internal organs in a more natural alignment (at least I guess this is what's happening...)
   When I began running, I was a heel striker, meaning it was my heel which hit the ground first with a running stride. I assume I had run this way since Day One. I never even knew there was more than one way to run. I was quickly taught, however, that a mid-foot strike was a more efficient method  and caused less impact as well.
   It took me a little while to re-train myself. Soon, however, running with a mid-foot strike seemed like the only natural way, and occasionally reverting back to a heel strike seemed awkward and jarring.

   If there is an area of my running form which might require some attention, it might be my arm movement. My arms have a very minimal swing to them and tend to stay centred on my mid-torso. Apparently a runner's arms should swing back and forth from the shoulders and should maintain an approximately ninety degree angle at the elbow. I have no idea how close I come to that!
   So, as with everything else in my running life, my form is still a work-in-progress. My form at rest has lost about twenty-five pounds at this point, since the beginning of August. As the weight has come down the running has, naturally, become easier. I am currently able to do things that just five months ago I would never have thought possible, let alone likely. All I really wanted to be able to do at the beginning was a 3k fun run. Now I'm contemplating 10k races somewhere in the not-too-distant future and it would always be kind of cool to say I ran a marathon once....