So here I am...ONE WEEK AWAY! I qualified for the Boston Marathon in January 2015 and let me tell you, it's been a LONG time coming! Where am I at with training? Well, here's the scoop and it's not good. It's not horrible, but it's not where I had hoped to be.
8 weeks ago I started feeling a dull pain in the bottom of my left heel. The best way to describe it was that it felt as though I had bruised my heel bone. I was able to run and I even completed a 20 miler but I decided I should be proactive and consult a podiatrist. After an x-ray and ultrasound, the podiatrist diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis. His advice? Cancel my hotel reservations..."you're not running Boston". My reply? "Uh, I'm running Boston so you need to give me a plan B." PLAN B:
I could "try" to run the Boston Marathon as long as I didn't run for the next 2 months. Essentially, race day would be my comeback run. I didn't feel good about this plan at all, but according to him it was my only hope for staying in the game. He gave me a shot of cortisone below the ankle and told me to purchase Super Feet Orthotics. After a week of wearing the orthotics I discovered they were making my PF much worse. Up until I started wearing the orthotics I was able to run and I even completed a 20 miler. A week after wearing the orthotics, the PF became so inflamed that I couldn't even walk. I finally had no choice but to ditched the "Super Feet" and find another alternative that worked for me.
TREATING THE PLANTAR FASCIITIS:
Now don't laugh but I went to Kohls and purchased an inexpensive pair of New Balance running sneakers that were very cushioned in the heel. I also found a heel cup at Shoprite that worked well for me. This combination, my New Balance sneakers and ProFoot heel cup, was the ONLY setup that allowed me to walk without agony. Mentally I was in a bad place. The countdown to Boston was on and everyone was posting their long run days, except for me. And yes, on more than one occasion Tom reminded me that at least I didn't have cancer. Thanks Tom.For the first three weeks after diagnosis I had to stop running completely. I replaced running with bicycling and instead of having a long run day, I had long cycling day. Since my long run days took me anywhere from 3 to 3 1/2 hours to complete, I cycled on the trainer for that amount of time. Bicycling didn't aggravate my foot at all, but I would have stopped if I was in pain. I tried to stay off my feet as much as possible. Someone mentioned purchasing a boot and while it sounds extreme, PF is a very nasty injury and I don't think it's an over the top idea. My aunt is lending me her night splint so after Boston, I'll give it a try. She said it helped her to get over her PF. It's worth a shot. I made sure to ice my foot 2 to 3 times a day, I didn't walk barefoot anywhere in the house (especially on hardwood or tiled flooring) and I used Voltaren cream twice daily. Voltaren is a prescription cream that's a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). After 3 weeks the pain began to subside and the intensity of the pain eased up. Initially the pain wasn't just in the arch of the foot, it went towards the back of the heel and up towards the ankle. The pain felt "big" as if it covered a large area outside of the arch. Put a rock in the arch of your shoe and try running with it. That's what it felt like.
Once I got the pain to subside I was able to begin a stretching and strengthening routine. I did a series of plantar fasciitis and calf exercises 2 to 3 times a day. I also went back to doing my one-legged squats, front and back lunges and side leg lifts. I couldn't do too many of these in a row, but I kept at it until I built my leg strength up again. I also started deep-water-running 3 times a week. My longest deep water "run" was 2 full hours with some speed intervals thrown in. My chiropractor (Dr. Joe Palonis aka Evil Genius) mentioned K-Laser treatment and how it seemed to work well for PF. Now I know it sounds too good to be true, but I honestly believe the K-Laser treatments accelerated the healing process. After the first 3 treatments I noticed the pain didn't radiate out as much and the area of pain got smaller and smaller. I was down to one small area of discomfort on the bottom of the foot and I was ready to try running again.
My first run was a very slow 6 miler and yes there was some mild pain. I did another 6 mile run a few days later and then I did a 10 mile slow run. I did two more 10 mile runs (giving myself a couple of days off in between) and then I tried a very slow 16 mile run two days ago. Towards the end of the 16 miler my foot did become uncomfortable, but I wasn't in pain. My breathing? Well, that's a whole different story. I feel as though my breathing is terrible and completely off since I stopped running. I get winded very quickly and I haven't been hydrating like I used to. No matter how much bicycling and deep water running I did, nothing seems to replace actual running. Although I didn't mind the deep water running as much as I thought I would. I may even continue incorporating it into my schedule in the future.
AS OF TODAY IT'S ONE WEEK UNTIL BOSTON
So this is where I'm at right now: The Boston Marathon is exactly one week away and I'm feeling pretty good again. I forgot to mention that I came down with a brutal cold 2 weeks ago but everything is coming together now. When I was first diagnosed 8 weeks ago, I would have never imagined being this far along with PF. My spirits have lifted and I now believe I have a chance at completing the entire course. I know it'll be slow and painful, but I'm ready to earn that medal. This injury damaged more than my ability to run, it damaged my spirit a bit. This is the longest amount of time that I've been unable to run because of an injury. I also heard my fair share of plantar fasciitis horror stories and I felt like I would never get beyond the initial pain. I've met people who have been dealing with it for well over a year. And yes, I know it's a recurring issue and that worries me. So while I may not be 100%, I guess nothing in life ever is. I'll run with whatever I've got and hope for the best. And as my friend Mark stated
"The Boston Marathon isn't a race, it's a victory lap of your accomplishments".
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