TT Running Club

“Break out the xc skis roam!”

“So, i've been dealing with plantar fascitis for months. Been in some degree of pain for over a year now. In may, went to a local sports medicine guy, highly referred - and i think he's good. following typical treatment course, cortisone injection (relief), custom orthotics and am seeing good results. But - two days ago, tried to run a little - it'd been over 6 weeks since doing any running and very little back then - havn't run regularly since January when the pain became unbearable.

It went fairly good, very little pain - tolerable - but i'm not healed. Had a followup today and am told that I'm trying to come back too quickly - that i should wait about two more months before starting to run again.

ARGH!!!! this is frustrating - but since i'm seeing results, i'm going to take the advice.

In the meantime, i'm working on my swimming stroke and am now thinking very seriously abotu that road bike that i've wanted to buy for a few years.”

“PF is a tough one. I've been fighting ITBS for the past year and its really frustrating. I've been seeing a PT since feb and it seems like I make a ton of progress then BAM, back to square one.

You should definately pick up a bike. Good times.”

“Just started back this morning..walking/running..taking it slow but I have got to do sonething. So its up between 5 and 530 and out for an hour..that's the goal anyway..”

“uugghh...here come the shin splints. I wont be able to walk later today.”

“Do you have a plan for combating them? They are preventable for sure.”

“I dont know how...this always happens when I first start running...they will go away and i wont have them again until i take another long break. I would welcome any suggestions to prevent or at this point lessen the pain.”

“Sure. I used to get them until I started doing this ...

Cool down stretches. They are the key. There are two primary stretches you should do after each run.

1. standing, place your hands against a wall in front of you. extend one leg back with toes on the ground. Slowly lower heel to the ground and stretch the knee/leg toward the floor so as to stretch the back of the foot.

2. standing, lift one foot to your rear. grab the top of your foot with the hand on the same side. stretch the knee backward.

Switch sides of course for each exercise.

There are other techniques out there, but those above worked perfectly for me without the other techniques.

Other quick tips that may help:

Go to a good running shoe store (where the workers actually run) and have them find a shoe for you.

Start your runs slowly to warm up.

Ice before and after the runs for 20 minutes each.

Good luck.”

“There's a stretch you can do that might help elevate your toes and drop your heel - use a board or a curb and then lean forward so that it tightens along the front on the shin.

Look up on web md or the forums at runners world mag.

I used to get them too, they suck.

and use a dose of ibuprofen in the meantime.

good luck.

pain sux

i went for a long bike ride this am, its nice, but not the same as a good run.”

“ps - take the cool down stretches seriously - spend maybe 10 minutes doing the two listed above

if you have shin splints, don't run - treat them first”

“yep, the cool down is just as important.”

“I'm bad about not stretching. I like the ice idea..that sounds really good about now. I will do the ibuprophen and put some ice on them when i get home. I have good shoes...spent way too much at an actul running store where they fitted me. Best shoes ever. Thanks for the info/advice and I will start stretching:)

I have a bike but havent used it much..definately not the same as running...but different can be good!”

“i do like mixing it up, i try to get a little swimming in each week and bike rides. Not running for two months is gonna hurt my feelings - it'll take all winter to get back in form. Maybe if i swim more i can do a tri next summer! LOL

The stretches HPD refers to above, i do about 4 times each day - especially the one that stretches the back of the foot and calf muscle. when doing that one, if you roll your foot so that the weight is on the outside, it'll move the stretch higher in your calf. My foot doc has me doing it like that for the PF problem. I do it when i first get up, mid morn, mid afternoon and before bed - it really helps with the PF pain.”

“I'm really batting pf now Roam. Have you noticed an improvement yet?”

“I have - significantly.

The doc showed me a technique to tape my foot that provides support to the arch, and i now have custom orthotics that i wear all the time, even at my desk job and around the house. Very little barefoot time anymore. I also ice my foot almost nightly.

I had a couple of weeks virtually 100% pain free which is why i took a couple of short runs this week and that set me back again. The doc yesterday told me to wait about two months and really give the healing time to take hold. But yes - the treatment regimein of cortisone (three shots now, about a month apart), taping, and the orthotics (i don't tape much now with the shoe inserts) is really helping. I did tape my foot AND wear the orthotics for a strenuous hike a couple weeks ago. On my little backpack trip in Rawah last week, i didn't tape, but did soak my foot in the ice cold stream each night. The doc smiled about all this and said i was doing everything right - except NO RUNNING for two months.”

“Interesting, thanks. I shot down the idea of wearing an orthotic shoe at night (not sure the name) that pulls your toes back.

I'd suspect it's read important to stay off with the cortisone shots. My understanding is that they actually weaken the area for a time making it more susceptible to injury.

Thanks for the info. Damn, just sitting here the bottom of my foot is stinging.”

“yeah, once you get a cortisone injection, you can do a lot of damage and not realize it. it promotes healing, but also will mask pain symptoms. He told me 10 days is about the limit on the masking though.

I've known people that wore the stretch thing at night, but that was not suggested to me, and I don't think i'd tolerate that very well either.

good luck with yours.”

“Shin splints are usually an overuse injury from poor foot/ankle stability. There are muscles that wrap around the back of your leg and attach to the front of your shin that connect your foot to your lower leg. These steps are what have always worked for me:

Treat the inflammation: Fill paper dixie cups with water and freeze. Then peel the paper back and massage the crap out of the fronts on your legs. Work out all of the bumps on the front of your shins.

Stretch and lengthen the muscle: find a doorway with a few feet of wall on the side. Wearing a pair of shoes, put your heel on the floor close to the wall and your toe up on the wall. You'll have to lean back to get your heel in close enough. Support yourself by holding on to the door and contract your calf as hard as you can for 20 seconds, then very quickly, exhale, relax and pull yourself towards the wall into a deep calf stretch. When you release a contracted muscle, there is a biomech response that allows it to lengthen more than normal...giving a deeper stretch. Just be careful not to overdo it.

Strengthen: buy a half ball and balance barefoot on it. Work up to lIke 6x2min on each leg. Keep your knee relaxed and as you get better move the free leg around. Another one is to stand on a hard floor barefoot and balance on one leg. Try and get a nice high-neutral arch and don't let your ankle drop. While balancing, do one leg squats keeping your ankle strong and your knee tracking straight forward. If your knee swings inward, your ankle is dropping. These will strengthen the muscles in your calf that support your ankle and foot. If they aren't hard to do, you're doing it wrong.

Rest: if they are really bad don't run while recovering. Wait at least a week after you feel 100%. If they are mild, reduce your mileage drastically and stretch well before and after. If you can, replace real running with water running to reduce the impact.”

“Wow good info. Thanks.”

“Doh!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=409_1294082648”

“!! FINALLY !!

after losing the better part of a year, i think i'm finally running again. Plantar fascitis is awful. But, with good advice from a good doc, custom orthotics and more patience than I thought I had, i've got my workout routine back on track and i'm back up to 3 miles as a base workout. Ran an 8:53 pace this morning. :) Not that thats a very fast pace, but after a year off, I'm dang well pleased with it!

5k race on May 8 in Denver!”

“I have a 5K this weekend. Ran only once this year so far so this weekend will be interesting.”

“Good luck! Run your own race, treat it as a group training exercise. :)

I'm really trying to keep a regular routine and run at least three days each week, so far - since the first of March, I'm doing fairly good with that plan.”

“The weather here is keeping me from getting up in the morning to run. I hate running when temps are 45 or below.”

“i don't mind the cool temps, i'm just glad its finally daylight at 6 am!”

“did my first event today since recovering from plantar fascitis, or at least managing it. Did the the Colorodo Rockies Homerun for the Homeless 5k in downtown Denver. You finish by making a lap on teh warning track - way cool!

I was shooting for anything under 28 minutes and finihed at around 27:30 or so. SO, i'm bigtime happy with the results!”

“Tempering your expectations is part of getting old. I could prolly keep up with you now.

Good job!”

“Great Job Roam!!!

Congrats!!!!

'32oz”