Today began the first day of following Gordon Bakoulis' pre-marathon/marathon schedule. Her schedule is composed of 'minutes of aerobic activity' rather than 'miles,' so it is a little different for me since I've always followed a miles schedule. The ligament that runs along the arch of my right foot, which after searching on the web I have discovered is my plantar fascia ligament, felt slightly stretched and uncomfortable beginning at about mile 7 this morning. I stopped for about 30 seconds to remove my shoe and massage my arch. I then put my shoe back on but I tightened the laces a little tighter. That seemed to help. I also noticed that if I ran at a slightly faster pace the tight sensation seemed to lessen. I noticed this same tight feeling in my arch a couple of week ago, but it did not occur until mile 9 or 10 if memory serves. From what little I have read on arch pain I believe I may have the beginning of plantar fasciitis. I got this bit of helpful information from drshoe.wordpress.com "Many patient’s I see have arch or heel pain, otherwise known as plantar
fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a structure on the bottom of the foot
which extends from the heel to the ball of the foot. When it is tight
(bow-strung) it can cause inflammation and pain." "Not surprisingly, shoes can cause plantar fasciitis, especially shoes
that are excessively worn, too short in the arch or too flexible. If you
have plantar fasciitis you will definitely want to evaluate your shoes.
You should also try not going barefoot in the house." "If the pain persists, you will want to visit your podiatrist who may
recommend calf stretches, anti-inflammatory medications (Motrin, Aleve)
or give you a cortisone injection. Custom orthotics may also help." I would not actually say that I have had what I consider to be pain at this point, but I'm cautious by nature and as a distance runner I know that I must listen to my body. I think I will massage my arches every day, stretch my calves, and go a little easier on my runs this week. I probably need to get some new work shoes too. Mine are getting a little worn out.
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