Today, I wanted to culminate my plantar fasciitis posts by letting everyone know that I think I’m good to go!
Well, I hope I’m good to go. It’s been 9 weeks since I last ran, and so I’m going to test it out tomorrow to see how it responds. This week, I have started lower body weightlifting again, and the one lift I’ve added back into my routine is the front squat. I went up to 245# today for triples, so not very heavy. My foot didn’t hurt throughout the day, and the only soreness is on the outsides of the foot where my weight has been shifting throughout the 9 weeks. So, I’m a bit nervous, but I’m excited to test it out tomorrow.
One other thing I’ve noticed is that footwear makes a big difference. I’ve been walking around almost nonstop in my Nike Zoom Pegasus 33’s, even inside, unless I get a bit skittish about wearing shoes I’ve worn pretty much everywhere else inside my house. Then I’m wearing my Adidas Sequence 9’s, which I’ve not worn outside (except to put kids in the car) yet. I can wear my Cole Haan GrandOS shoes with my SuperFeet inserts, but my Nike Pegasus 33’s with the SuperFeet Insoles are by far the most comfortable combination. So anyone with non-chronic PF may want to try certainly the SuperFeet, but also the Pegasus 33’s. Don’t wear the Pegasus without some inserts or additional support, however, since the Pegasus is not very supportive at all. Try the Asics Gel Nimbus if you want a neutral shoe that has a bit more support. I thoroughly enjoyed those shoes, and would still run in them if they weren’t completely worn down. In fact, if I were to do it from scratch today, I’d probably rotate the Gel Nimbus and the Pegasus 33’s (of course with my SuperFeet) as my training combination. I’m not serious enough for racing flats…
If you’re struggling with plantar fasciitis, and it just won’t go away, my advice to you is to rest. Before I took 9 weeks off of running, I had been dealing with PF from April 9th through July 9th or so. I would let it rest just enough to not hurt through the day, and then I’d run on it and it would hurt for two or three days. I’d go on and off like this until I tried to run a 60-minute fartlek workout in late June and it felt like something popped. I thought I’d broken something or torn a foot muscle and scheduled a doctor’s appointment, only to have a diagnosis of PF confirmed by cortisone injection. That acute injury probably saved my running career, certainly in the near-term. If I had kept on running on it, it might have turned into a chronic PF case. So, if you don’t have money for doctors, etc.., my advice to you is to bite the bullet and rest. If you can see a doctor, go get a cortisone shot and rest. Don’t run on it for at least 6 weeks. Go swim, tackle some weightlifting or calisthenics goals, catch up on reading or family/friends time, gain some weight (not too much) and let the rest of your body recover as well. Have the discipline to shut it down and alter your race plans. From what I’ve read, rest is the only thing that works for most people, and if you’ve gotten PF from running, you’ve probably got an acute case that will respond to rest. So make sure you rest. Don’t go looking for a magic cure or secret that will help you recover fast. There is no such thing, and people who recover instantly have a unique natural history with the disease.
I’m so excited to get back running, even if I have gotten into a sort of rhythm with swimming. I bless God for recovery, and I am more passionate about staying fit than I was before. This injury has taught me that your physical strength and health is not a blessing to take lightly, and that you should enjoy it while you can.
Peace and Blessings.