The Good And The Bad

I heard back from the doctor's office this morning.  The x-rays showed a bone spur on the bottom of my heel.  I am happy that there wasn't a fracture, so I can put that out of my mind.  I also feel vindicated because I don't think anyone really believed me when I kept saying that there was still something wrong with my foot.  My doctor and podiatrist kept trying to tell me that I had plantar fasciitis, but I never thought I did.  I never had the painful first steps in the morning or any other common symptoms except for pain where the plantar fascia ligament attaches to the heel bone.  The podiatrist made his diagnosis of plantars bursitis by pushing directly upwards on my heel.  The reason for the pain was that he was pushing against the bone spur.  The treatment for bone spurs is the same as that for plantar fasciitis--rest, ice, stretching, and inflammatories--all of which I've been doing.  The bad news is that, with every step, I now imagine a jagged piece of bone tearing up my plantar fascia ligament.

I had a pretty good run today.  My legs still feel heavy, which is one of the markers for how I gauge my fitness.  The other is how quickly I can catch my breath and breathe at a comfortable rate while running.  The left insert still doesn't feel right, but it was better than the last time.  I used a liberal amount of Body Glide on my right arch to prevent the rubbing feeling I experienced last time.  It worked.  I could still feel that something was going on, but it didn't bother me.  I tried to shorten my stride to keep from heel striking.  I'm not fast enough yet for my stride to really open up like it used to.  I took my Ibuprofen and iced as soon as I got home.  So far, the feet feel good.  If they are going to have any problems, they probably won't manifest until later tonight or tomorrow morning. 

As far as the 5k race on Saturday goes, I think the best case scenario would be a 25 minute finish.  I just hope I don't get hurt.

Visiting The Doctor And Three NB Stores

I saw my doctor yesterday.  She didn't think I had a stress fracture, but sent me for an x-ray anyway.  She said that if I had a stress fracture in the calcaneus bone, it would show up on an x-ray as a dark or blurry spot.  I showed her my Superfeet inserts and she said I needed to get some with more heel cushioning.  The problem with that is that I have now grown to love the arch support that the Superfeets give.  The doctor also told me to continue my icing and stretching routines, but to also try 600mg of Ibuprofen immediately after I run.  I'm supposed to do this for two weeks and then taper to 400mg for the third week.  After the third week, we are going to re-evaluate where I'm at.  All this goes out the window if the x-ray is positive.

After I left the doctor, I resumed my search for an insert with a metatarsal pad, a cushioned heel, and a firm arch support.  I went to the New Balance store--not the same one that previously sold me the wrong sized insert.  They didn't have much of a selection.  Wouldn't you know it, they sent me back to the NB store that I had originally went to.  I went in and was looking for the ultra arch insert, but they didn't have it.  Only the pressure relief insert had the cushioning and metatarsal pad that I was looking for.  The problem with it was that the arch support is basically non-existent.  I checked the size and bought it anyway.  I left the store wearing my running shoes with the new inserts in them at 12:00.  I went to eat and to a store.  Along the way, I noticed that my right arch was really bothering me.  I loosened the shoes and adjusted them, but to no avail.  I got home and sat down at the computer for a few minutes before I couldn't take it any longer.  I took the shoes off and looked at the clock--it was 2:00.  I had only been wearing the new inserts for two hours.  I knew I had to return them.  There is a third NB store in Tucson, so I called them and asked if they had the sport cushion or the ultra arch inserts?  They said they had the sport cushion.  The Sport Cushion insert has some arch support, a metatarsal rise, and heel cushioning.  I exchanged the pressure relief inserts for the sport cushions.  They immediately reminded me of my custom orthotics except these have more cushioning in the heel.

I went for a run today in my newest NB inserts.  The bottom of my left foot was really uncomfortable from the metatarsal rise in the insert.  I thought it might go away as my foot got used to it.  After two miles, I had to stop and adjust the insert.  After 2.5 miles, I had to stop and loosen my shoe.  This seemed to solve the problem.  When one problem is solved, another pops up to take its place.  After three miles, my right arch felt like it was rubbing the lower part of my shoe.  I ignored it for another half mile, but didn't want a blister, so I stopped and made another adjustment.  I finished my planned 5 mile run feeling pretty good.  I was waiting for my son to finish his flag football practice, so I did some striders with the remaining time.  One thing I learned from the striders was that I don't have very fast leg turnover right now, and that means I'm not very fast.  I may try to run tomorrow to see if the inserts feel any better, but that'll be determined by how my body feels.  Anyway, I feel really good with how I felt during this run.  If I can get this insert thing sorted out, I think the future looks pretty good. 

I was thinking about my comeback and the struggles therein.  I realized that having been in good condition was a blessing and a curse.  It was a curse because, in the course of coming back, I remember how effortless it felt to run long distances fast (relatively).  My brain still remembers the way it was and can't process why it's so difficult now.  As I run, there are constant evaluations and conversations going on in my head--[Why are you breathing so hard at this speed?  You used to warm up at this speed and distance?  Wow, the legs feel really heavy.  They never used to feel like this.  Shut up, I'm on the brink of breaking through.  You can do it.  You'll get there.  Be patient.]  Yes, in my head, I talk to myself in the third person. 

The blessing part is that I also remember when I first started out and struggled to finish two miles.  I know that it won't be long before I am back to running the distances and speeds which I became accustomed to.  It's very easy to understand why new runners quit.  It's simply difficult to start and continue running.  The body isn't used to it and it doesn't feel very good.  Until you hit that certain conditioning level where things begin to feel easier and you begin feeling the health benefits from running, it's easier to quit than to stick it out.     
        

Thankful for Dilemmas

I've had my Superfeet Green inserts for a whole 5 days now.  I've run in them twice for a total of 6 miles.  I must say that I love the arch support that they provide, but am still skeptical about the lack of heel cushioning.  As I woke up today, I thought about returning them.  My heels were achy after yesterday's run.  The good news is that the achy feelings were gone by the next day.  I was putting the inserts back into the package for return when I noticed the instructions.  They said that some discomfort might arise due to the use of the inserts and to give them a couple of weeks.  I changed my mind and decided to give them that extra week.

I've had two good runs in the Superfeet inserts--one on a track and one at a park.  I'm getting faster with less effort so that's good.  I'm about to begin week three of my comeback.  I plan on adding a fourth day of running to the week, so we'll see how that feels.  There's a 5k run for a local food bank this Saturday that I had signed up for.  I'm not in any shape to try and race a 5k at this point, and I don't want to get hurt by pushing too hard.  I'm asking myself if I should treat it as a regular run or go all out and let the chips fall where they may?  I'm thankful for the dilemma.  I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to have her check my heels.  I'm not sure if she'll send me for an MRI, or back to the podiatrist, or she might just say," get over it you baby." 

I read a book last week called Why We Run by Bernd Heinrich.  I liked it, but can't recommend it.  The book chronicles the author's running experiences from high school through college and culminates with his attempt to run a 100k ultra in Chicago.  I really enjoyed reading about his running experiences.  The parts that I didn't find so great dealt with the biology and physiology of animals and insects.  Heinrich spends a great deal of the book analyzing how animals and insects are able to achieve speed or endurance.

I watched the Millrose games on Friday and was very happy to see Bernard Lagat win his 8th Wanamaker mile in an effortless 3:56--just amazing.  Lagat is 35 years old and still at the top.  He trains in Tucson with one of the coaches from my alma mater, The University of Arizona.  I've heard that he's a good guy who is known to offer a nod or wave to other runners during his easy runs. 

Visiting Tucson's Fleet Feet Store

Tuesday, I went to my local Fleet Feet store for an insert and bought the Superfeet Green model.  I really hope this works.  I am so tired of trying to find the right shoe/insert/sock combination.  I just want to run!  I had a great experience at the store.  Antonio (the staff member I worked with) was friendly--without being fake--and knowledgeable.  I felt as though he was actually listening to me when I told him about my conditions and perceived problems.  I was so inspired by the level of customer service that I actually wrote an e-mail to the owner complimenting him and the staff.  This is something that I've never done. 

The owner actually wrote me back saying that he had spoken to Antonio about my visit.  One of my concerns with the Superfeet inserts is that they don't have a metatarsal pad.  The met pad is something that I became accustomed to and relied upon.  One of the things the store owner said in his e-mail was that they could modify the insert and add a met pad if I found that I still needed it.  I was very relieved to read this.  One other thing that impressed me was that they said I could bring the insert back for a refund or exchange at any time.  This was quite different from the New Balance store where they told me I had one week, and the insert had to be in new or re-sellable condition.  I was advised to wear the Superfeet insoles for around an hour a day to slowly break it in.  The insert has a plastic cover under the heel, which is very concerning to me as my orthotic had the same thing and caused my plantars bursitis.  There seems to be a little more cushioning in the heel of the Superfeet insole than there was in my orthotic--my orthotic had a thin layer of fabric over the hard shell.  I wore the insert in my running shoes yesterday for a few hours--I wasn't on my feet the whole time.  My left heel--the source of all my current problems--felt a little achy the whole day.  I'm assuming that was from the four miles I did the night before.  The course was kind of hilly and, as I became tired, my stride opened up on the downhills causing me to heel-strike even more than usual. 

Customer service is something that I usually don't pay much attention to.  Unless it's really bad, I just assume that that's normal.  If it's really bad, I don't say anything, but I never go back.  I assume that runners are a little different when it comes to running stores.  Runners tend to be very loyal when they find something they like.  I've been wanting to try the Injinji socks, but haven't had any problems with my Balegas, so I keep buying more.  I guess what I'm saying is that runners are loyal--loyal to brands as well as stores.  I would like to know whether this loyal streak applies to other areas of life such as marriage, restaurants we visit, vacation spots, driving routes, or what meals we make at home.  I wonder if married runners have lower divorce rates than non-runners? How about the couples where only one of the two are runners and do the stats change if the male is the runner versus the non-runner in the marriage?  Sounds like a good thesis paper to me.

In case you were wondering:  I have been married for 11.5 years.  My wife is not a runner nor an exercise enthusiast.  I eat at the same handful of restaurants where I typically order the same things.  At home, I pretty much make the same 10 meals every month.  Vacations are comprised of three destinations: Disneyland, Vegas, and San Diego.  Not having a good sense of direction, I always follow the same route.  Thanks to GPS, I have been freed from worry about getting lost, but still follow the same known routes.  Some might call me boring, but I say, "I'm loyal."  How about you?

In case anyone's interested, the Millrose games are on ESPN 2 on Friday night.

Movie Night

Last night I watched another movie about running.  This one was called Ultramarathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days.  It's a documentary that follows Dean Karnazes as he runs to raise money and promote awareness about childhood obesity.  As the title states, he runs 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states.  I had come across Karnazes' name before in a negative way.  I believe the person referred to him as a self promoter or something that carried the same negative connotation.  He seemed like a genuine guy to me.

Whatever your feelings for Karnazes, as a runner, I don't see how you could not be inspired by him.  I know I was.  As the movie went on, I noticed that I was as inspired more by some of the runners who joined him along the way.  There was even some comedy in there too.  During the marathon in Seattle, one of the runners was trying to be funny for the camera and wasn't watching where he was going.  He ended up running into a pole and broke 2 ribs, but he still finished--props to that guy for turning an embarrassing moment into a macho story he can proudly recite.  I was really surprised by how many states it was raining in when he did the run.  Living in Tucson, you become accustomed to experiencing no real weather other than extreme heat.  When I say it was cold outside, I mean it was in the 50's or 60's.  Our summer ends in late October to mid November, so when the temps drop to the low 70's, you still see people here wearing light jackets. 

One of the things that struck me was the great scenery that we have in America.  Every state except one had something beautiful to look at during the run.  Wouldn't you know it, that one state happens to be my state--Arizona.  Karnazes had just gone from San Francisco to Maui and then to Surprise, Arizona.  Surprise is a little northwest of Phoenix.  I'm sure that having just come from beautiful Maui didn't help, but there is no denying that Surprise, just like my hometown of Tucson, is downright ugly.  It's beautiful if you enjoy looking at dirt and rotting tumbleweeds.  It also happened to be 102 degrees when he ran there.  It was obvious that he didn't enjoy the heat nor was he inspired by the scenery.  Overall, I enjoyed the movie and think it's worth watching.

I'm beginning the second week of my running every other day comeback schedule.  Today, I ran 4 miles around a park in a little over 36 minutes.  It was a hilly course.  Hills used to be the bane of my running existence, but prior to getting hurt, I had been running 8 miles at a 4-6.5% grade on the treadmill.  I had embraced hillwork and dare say even conquered it.  It'll be a while before I attempt any serious hill work though.  The good news from this run was that I increased mileage and had no problems in my feet.  I'm planning on making a trip to the Fleet Feet store tomorrow for an insert.  I've never been in a Fleet Feet so I'm hoping for magic since I have yet to hear any negative stories about them.  Anyway, for now, I'm feeling Michael Buble good.       

Questions Answered

I checked my NB insert (per Rachael's instructions) and found that when I pushed down on the center, it wasn't lying flat against the sole of the shoe, but rather formed a small tent like shape.  I returned to the NB store and told them about my displeasure with the product.  The associate looked at the insert box and said my problem might be due to the inserts being for a wide shoe--I think they were EE or EEE sized.  I wear a regular sized width shoe.  It stated the width right on the box, but the 'NB Fit Expert' either didn't notice or sold that one to me because they didn't have the regular width one in stock.  I didn't notice because the 'expert' took the insert out of the box and placed them into my shoes for me.  I didn't really look at the box until I was putting them back in to return them.  I'm planning on going to the Fleet Feet store here in town where I hope to receive a final solution to my insert problem.  I would have gone to them earlier, but they are way across town, and since Tucson has such a poorly planned freeway system, it'll take me about 40 minutes to get there if I don't run into traffic.

My stomach problems finally subsided.  I rolled out of bed this morning at 11:30.  Yes, I can still say it was morning because the clock said AM and not PM.  I got dressed, drank some water, stretched and headed out the door.  I've been running one day and then resting the next.  Today's run was the best of the week.  Little to no wind makes a huge difference.  Since I returned my inserts yesterday, I had to run in the inserts that came with the shoes.  I must admit that they are thicker than the standard ones that ususally come with running shoes, but they didn't have anywhere near the cushioning of the ones I returned.  I noticed the difference immediately.  I proceeded anyway with the hope that there wouldn't be any problems.  I felt great for the first 2 miles.  My breathing was good, and the legs didn't feel too heavy.  At 2.5 miles, I noticed my toes beginning to go numb in my left foot.  I had feared this would happen since I had no metatarsal pad in the shoe.  I didn't want to stop without getting 3 miles in. When my left foot was in the air, I clenched my toes as tight as I could in the hopes that the circulation would improve.  To my surprise, it worked.  I only did it for 10-15 steps, but the numbness went away and didn't return. 

When I set out for today's run, I had two questions: 1) Do I still need a metatarsal pad in my shoe? and 2) Do I need a lot of heel cushioning?  The answer to #1 is yes, I want the metatasal pad to relieve the stresses to my forefoot.  The answer to #2 is no, I don't think I need a whole lot of cushioning in the heel.  I felt no pain in the heel then or now and it's been around eight hours since that run.  So far so good--fingers are crossed.  If I don't feel any pain tomorrow, I may try another short run to see how going back to back feels.  I'm still going way too fast and will have to get that under control.  I think I should be doing somewhere between a 9 and 10 minute mile for now. 

One thing I've been pretty happy about is all the saving on clothing that I've been doing.  For the last two months, I've been hitting the clearance racks at the Nike store, Target, and Dicks.  I had been getting savings of 50% off before Chrismas.  After Christmas, I was seeing sales of another 50-75% off of the already discounted clearance prices.  I picked up a lot of running shirts and everyday shirts too.  But, all good things come to an end.  I now see that the additional percent off is no longer available on the clearance section.  The clearance prices are still really good, but it's harder to pay $12.00 for a $20.00 shirt when, a week earlier, it was $4.00.  I missed out on some Livestrong T-shirts that I wanted.  I don't know why I didn't get them for $4.00.  I guess I assumed the super deals would last longer.  Anyone else addicted to the clearance racks?    

I finished

All day yesterday, my back was sore, but loosened up today.  I've never had back issues, so I wasn't really concerned about it.  The great concern was how my stomach felt today.  I felt like I was on the verge of vomiting from the time I got up to a half hour before I ran.  In addition to that feeling, I had a wicked (channeling my inner Boston) case of acid reflux.  This wonky feeling could be attributed to my only getting 4 hours of sleep last night--watched the movie "500 Days of Summer" and loved it.  Three of my five kids have been sick with a stomach thing in the last few days, so in addition to their undying love, they may have also given me their virus.  I don't know and don't care at this point.

The weather in Tucson, like the rest of the country, is not really ideal right now.  The temps were nice--60's, but the wind was a steady 30mph with gusts up to 50mph.  I forced myself out figuring that I would stay close to home in case I couldn't physically run.  I set out through the neighborhood and didn't notice the wind for the first mile and a half.  That's when I turned around to return home.  The wind smacked me in the face.  I dealt with it okay.  After 100 yards or so, the wind really picked up and threw dirt into my mouth and eyes.  It blew so hard that for a while I was leaning forward and pumping my arms like Usain Bolt, but wasn't going anywhere.  It must have looked hilarious from the viewpoint of the cars that were driving by on the road.  This was one of those runs that don't feel good, but down the road, you're glad you persevered.

One thing I think I forgot to mention about my new shoes are the laces.  They come with shoe laces that have some kind of special name like Sure Lock or something like that.  Anyway, they are designed so that they don't come loose, and man oh man do they work as advertised.  I'm still not sure about the NB insert.  I used some Body Glide on the arch where the shoe rubbed last time, but still felt the rubbing throughout today's run.  When I finished running, I noticed that my left arch didn't feel good.  I can't describe it, but I'm wondering if the insert needs to be trimmed or is simply too thick for my shoe.  Rachael from http://thebeginningrunnersblog.blogspot.com/ gave me some good advice about the inserts.  Thank you Rachael.  If you're on my blog and haven't been to hers, what are you doing?  Her blog is far more interesting than mine.

Today's run was 3.26 miles done in 27:01.  It felt bad, but I can already feel my cardio conditioning coming back.  There wasn't the same kind of huffing and puffing as the last run even though today's was much more difficult.  My stomach still doesn't feel good so I'm going to go now.