I haven't blogged in a week because I haven't had anything positive to say, now its Sunday and I'm still stuck, so I thought I'd just write about why I'm so miserable:
Last Sunday I did a workout in preparation for the Kure Beach triathlon where I swam for 30min, ran 7miles then swam another 30min. It went fairly well, but I had a little pain in my right heel. I tried not to be concerned because I had two days off of running after that. Then on Wednesday when I tried to go for my next run I couldn't...not at all, it was very painful. My heel hurt even to walk on. So I immediately went to Active Care Chiropractor (Dr. Eric McGraw), who does Active Release Treatment as well as chiropractic stuff. I've been to him before (he fixed my hip), hes great. The following day (Thursday) it felt a lot better. I decided to just cancel my runs for the week and let it rest for Sunday (race day!). By Saturday it felt totally normal to walk on, so that night as I was putting my race stuff in the car I decided to give it a try....I jogged not even 50yds and couldn't handle the pain. It was the worst kind of pain I have ever felt from a sports related injury. After some research I diagnosed myself with Plantar Fascitis, and Dr. McGraw agrees. Here's a little excerpt from WebMD:
What is plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis (say "PLAN-ter fash-ee-EYE-tus") is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia
is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.
Plantar fasciitis is common in middle-aged people. It also occurs in younger people who are on their feet a lot, like athletes or soldiers. It can happen in one foot or both feet.
What causes plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is caused by straining the ligament that supports your arch. Repeated strain can cause tiny tears in the ligament. These can lead to pain and swelling. This is more likely to happen if:
- Your feet roll inward too much when you walk (excessive pronation
- You have high arches or flat feet.
- You walk, stand, or run for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces.
- You are overweight.
- You wear shoes that don't fit well or are worn out.
- You have tight Achilles tendons or calf muscles.
What are the symptoms?
Most people with plantar fasciitis have pain when they take their first steps after they get out of bed or sit for a long time. You may have less stiffness and pain after you take a few steps, but your foot may hurt more as the day goes on. It may hurt the most when you climb stairs or after you stand for a long time.
How long will it take for the pain to go away?
Plantar fasciitis most often occurs because of injuries that have happened over time. With treatment, you will have less pain within a few weeks. But it may take time for the pain to go away completely-from a few months to a year.
Stay with your treatment. If you don't, you may have constant pain when you stand or walk. The sooner you start treatment, the sooner your feet will stop hurting.
Not good. Not good at all. I am swimming in a pool of self pity right now....no...its more like I'm drowning in that pool. So no Kure Beach Triathlon, which just so happens to be my favourite race in the North Carolina Triathlon Series (NCTS). I went down to the race this morning to do Tech Support for Two Wheeler Dealer (TWD), then I left. (Side note: I am done with PT's Grille!!! I work only at TWD now, no more greasy burgers for me!!...The only good thing that came of this week.) I probably won't be doing Triangle Triathlon either, seeing as its in two weeks.
Right now I'm thinking that if I'm not running for another month and then after that month I have to build my running back up from zero miles, I will never be ready for B2B (iron distance). How can I build a long run from 2-3 miles to 20-22miles in 3months!? Should I just quit now, and try for next year? Any advice on this would be much appreciated.
I'm going to go see a podiatrist name Dr. Robert O'Malley this week. He was recommended to me by a local phenom in the triathlon community, Phyllis Mason. She spoke very highly of him and his treatment of the same injury on her. Pray for me.
PS:
"DNS" = Did Not Start (in my race list, where an overall time would normally be posted)
"DNF" = Did Not Finish....hopefully that will never happen, it seems tragic to me.
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