This week was These past two weeks were tough and called into question whether I am even going to attempt this marathon. I’m dealing with plantar fasciitis, and now am looking at a lengthy layoff of at least 2-3 weeks one month [the Dr. said “be good”, and I figure if all I have to give up is one month for pain free running, I can do it, hard as it will be]. Because it is very early in the cycle, there is a chance I can recover early enough to start a buildup. [The good thing about writing out, by hand, a calendar through race day is that you have a tangible picture of exactly how long there is between now and race day.]
It is crucial at this point to make haste slowly. On the one hand, I had to research what the injury meant, what types of exercises rehabbed the injury, and a recovery timetable. I had to make doctor’s appointments, research and purchase footwear and inserts, do x-rays, all with 2 and 5 year-old in tow.
I wish this injury was just like a muscle strain. Rest a couple days, take it easy a couple more, in a week back good as new. Unfortunately, recovery times from plantar fasciitis seem to be all over the map. Some recover quickly and don’t miss any time, while others take quite a bit longer. Hence, one must be deliberate about the subsequent buildup to fitness, and be thoughtful about everything related to fitness, including thinking about how to develop aerobic fitness while not running.
It is tempting to give the whole race up and say this is all too hard. One might even say that running a marathon is altogether stupid. But I’m not willing to give it up just yet. I believe my foot will be healed, and that I will recover. I believe God will bring me through this.
At the same time, my body is getting used to working out 6 days per week. I have been doing more general strength and conditioning, and swimming for some moderate cardio. The pattern is helpful in establishing some initial level of acclimatization to the fatigue running training will entail. And, my weight is somewhat stable, and will probably start dropping more once I’m regularly running.
One thing I may consider doing is writing about my personal struggle with plantar fasciitis, and treat this as a narrative case study. I read quite a lot of information online, especially about shoes and the standard fasciitis/fasciosis blather, but very little from an actual runner’s perspective. [One very helpful post was The Running Man’s “How to Beat Plantar Fasciitis”, though. I was trying to avoid the long layoff, but that’s precisely what’s been prescribed.] The information about shoes was especially terrible. To make matters worse, it seems it is very individualistic, so what I say may not matter much. Nonetheless, I will try and share my experiences so that others can be helped by a real, no-ads, no-ambassador, no-fluff, amateur athlete perspective when researching their own situation. No promises on schedule or regularity of posting, but I’ll do my best.
Here’s looking to what this month will bring in terms of recovery and perseverance.