Thursday, October 29, 2009

R.I.P. Plantar Fasciitis (August 2008 - October 2009)

I've been meaning to mention it on the blog, but about a week ago I came to the realization that the plantar fasciitis is 100% gone. Its slow death was somewhat anti-climatic, as the past few months I had only felt it as soon as I got up in the morning and after the walk to the bathroom, it would go away. Now that's not even present. Good riddance.

I without a doubt think the barefoot/minimal shoe running helped. The PF was on its way out anyway, but the barefoot/minimal shoe running definitely gave it a noticeable push. I've read running barefoot can cause PF. Bunch of crap, if you ask me. Probably more shoe company propaganda. For me, it was just the opposite.

So, with that in mind, I strapped on the heelless road shoes and got in a touch over five miles before cross country practice started. Hit it at a pretty good pace, and though it was some work, at the same time it didn't require all that much effort. I seriously haven't felt this kind of speed and ease of pace in years. I attribute that mostly due to the fact that I took things really, really easy coming back form the stress fracture and taking my time with everything. Looking forward to starting to add some longer distances next.

I reached the practice field before the team, so kicked off the shoes and got in another 1.2 miles barefoot before the team arrived. Afterwards, shoes back on and ran 8/10's of a mile back to the school. Good day.

Ran 7.1 miles total.
Ran 5.1 miles @ 7:21/mile pace. AHR/MHR - 157/165, Heelless shoes (modified Asics GT-2120).
Ran 1.2 miles @ 8:28/mile pace. AHR/MHR - 146/152, Cool down run immediately after, done barefoot.
Ran .8 miles @ 7:15/mile pace. AHR/MHR - 146/156, Heelless shoes, run back to school after XC practice.

Paved roads for shoe run, grassy field for barefoot run.
Slightly hilly.
Around 50 degrees, sunny.
Shorts, long sleeved shirt.

9 comments:

mindy said...

WOO HOO!!!!!

Unknown said...

Congrats on your getting over your Plantar Fasciitis and getting back out running. That has to feel good . . .if you run into problems with your feet again, come and check out Kuru Footwear, www.kurufootwear.com. We have been getting wonderful feedback from our customer that our shoes really help those with Plantar Fasciitis.

Nathan

pathfinder said...

A few years back I had some pretty severe PF in my right foot. The only time I ran barefoot was on the beach.
After a couple miles running on the sand, the PF would flare up and bother me for days.

I don't know if it was the bare foot running or the soft sand that caused the flare up, but since then I have not run one step barefoot.

I am thinking however of running one a week on the treadmill this winter barefoot and see how it feels.

I am glad to hear yours is gone. It is one of the toughest injuries to deal with.....well second to the groin.

Damon said...

It's so great that you seem to be past all of your injuries and running so well.

Did you put your name in for WS for next year? You need a rematch out there when you're healthy.

Pam - www.apainintheheel.com said...

Hi there, I came across your blog while searching out athletes with PF. I was wondering if you would be interested in posting as a guest on my blog, www.apainintheheel.com, about your experience with PF (with links back to your blog of course). If you are interested, please contact me on my site. Thanks, Pam.

John said...

Let’s see if this happens to you as the cold weather approaches . . .the calloused bottom of my feet, which resulted from some barefoot running this summer, is now decaying slowly away. It is quite attractive!

Glad the running is going well for you!

Grellan said...

Glad to hear the PF is finally gone Jamie. Your barefoot/heelless running seems to be coming on well. Do you hope to gradually move off the grass and onto the trails with the barefoot running?

Haselsmasher (Jim Haselmaier) said...

Thanks for the report. It's very encouraging to hear a story about moving to minimalist shoes and having it improve PF. I've been struggling with it for 18 months. Just 10 days ago I decided "Enough is enough." I've decided to aggressively and purposefully pursue getting out of my orthotics and motion controls shoes. Thanks again.

Anonymous said...

I have high arches and started barefoot running a few weeks ago. While it has been a difficult transition (half the muscles in my feet apparently atrophied), it has been enjoyable not experiencing any strain on my knees. I think I still need to work on my form or maybe I transitioned too quickly to FiveFingers, because I think I have a case of plantar fasciitis or heel bursitis in my right foot. Honestly, I hope I can just work through it as you were able to and with proper form, have injury free running from now on.