Plantar Fasciitis

Well, it turns out that running 15 miles on a sore foot on Saturday was not the best idea since my foot is still a little sore and I have not run since.

At my appointment yesterday with Dr. Getzin I learned that I have plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the plantar fascia, a fibrous band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the base of the toes.

He said there is no quick fix but, with a modified schedule, I should still be able to run the marathon. Evidently my foot felt that I increased mileage a little too quickly and it just wasn't ready for it. On a positive note, Dr. Getzin thought my biomechanics were fine and I am very flexible.

So now I have to wear shoes with arch support all the time (barefoot is bad), take Naproxen twice a day for the inflammation, ice my foot for 10 minutes several times a day, wear a night splint when I am sleeping and try to do some alternate methods of training (like using an elliptical machine, pool running or riding a bike) for some of the running workouts. This cross training makes things more complicated since I have to go somewhere with an elliptical machine or a pool and have to put the kids in daycare. But, after having completed 15 weeks of training already and with only about 6 weeks to go, I very much want to run the marathon so I'll try to find a way.

I had to scratch plans to run the Labor Day race in Skaneateles but I am still hoping to run the Ithaca 5 & 10 this Sunday. And I've registered to run the Jefferson Hospital Distance Run (half-marathon) in Philadelphia on September 17th but I don't want to hazard a guess as to whether I'll be able to do that yet or not. I hope so since registration cost $55 but we'll see. I might try to run a mile or so tomorrow and see how I feel. My foot does seem to be improving but I don't want to go backwards just when I'm beginning to feel progress.

So, that's it. It's a little disheartening to be sitting around when I want to be running (plus I miss my audiobook!) but I'm hoping that a little care now will ensure a successful marathon in a few weeks.

(Oh, and Dr. Getzin confirmed that my toenails are on their way out. One is black and curved and bumpy and the other two have begun to separate from the nailbed and I can actually pry them up a little bit and look underneath. Thankfully, this isn't painful but it is gross.)