Plantar Fasciaitis

It was great wrapping up our last long-run of a whopping 8-miles last Saturday. I planned to run my 8 at GMP and slightly faster the last 2-miles of run with the first mile WU ca mid-8's. I accomplished that goal averaging 7:53 for the entire run, as well as meeting the objective to run the last 2-miles sub-GMP at 7:49 and 7:45 average pace.

I didn't have much issues before or during the run and actually felt the L-hamstring not saying a thing and the L-plantar very mild. But, 10-min after finishing and standing around out there, then walking out to find the last of the pack the hamstring was throbbing at the L-hip and tight down to the knee and the L-plantar was really talking to me. It loosened up a little as I slogged the 4/10 mile or so back falling behind the last of the runners, but working as a parking attendant and standing for 5 straight hours at Thorn Creek Woods Garlic Fest (as volunteer) didn't help the matters much.

But, after the 8-miler back at the store and just having gotten my paycheck for the month, I got a few products to try to beat this hamstring tendonitis and plantar issue. Noelle sold me a pair of Super Feet (the copper version that has more cushioning) and the effect in reducing plantar pain was virtually immediate in the first 2-minutes after putting in the orthotics. I am reticent to use these inserts when I run the marathon because I haven't any long-run trials to go by and I did have some negative issues last time I was running my training miles in SF that has me very cautious of using them for the race. But, they are working nicely in my everyday shoes (i.e. retired run shoes). Apparently the extra support helps alleviate the strain on the plantar tissue.

The other product I got was a Pro-Tech arch support strap. I had been doing some web research on plantar fasciatis and the PT arch support strap came up numerous times as an effective aid to alleviate the issue. Noelle didn't point me to this one, I just went and bought it and strapped it on that L-foot and within a few minutes, you could feel noticeable relief. Note that I did this test without using the shoes with the SF orthotics, so its an independent test of its effectiveness. I now where it in the shoes with the SF and getting good results and contemplating running the Chicago Marathon with the PT arch support strap.

The 3rd product I bought, again this one based on my web research, was a Strassburg sock. I didn't get a chance to use it Saturday night, but by Sunday evening I had read through all the instructions and put it on overnight. Woke up the next morning without the typical tightness and pain that I normally encounter. Yes, the plantar was still present, but it was far subdued and no noticeable limping when first starting to walk around. It definitely is a viable aid for dealing with plantar injuries. My web research showed some other "night-splints" that get some very high reviews, but still haven't bought one and probably won't resort to that until I get Chicago finished and head into 4-6 week running lay-off to totally heal-up.

OK, my post here is not about my injuries, but is intended to make you aware that there are potential, pro-active actions you can take to deal and/or treat plantar injuries. I wish I had discovered these sooner since I might have been able to better salvage my training and heal or partially heal-up the injury that would have allowed me to run my "training" best at Chicago.

If there are any of you that have incurred Plantar issues, then feel free to talk to me Thursday at the pasta festivity, or just email me individually. If none of you have Plantar issues, then great, but make a mental note of this post because the more you run, the higher the probability it will crop-up. And, taking therapeutic actions sooner at its initial onset will go a long way towards reducing your time off or playing havoc with your race goals.