If you havin’ FOOT problems, I feel bad for you son…

…I got 99 problems and my foot IS one!

Alert! Alert! Alert! You guyyyyys!

On Monday, I went for the first long run I’ve done in a very long time. It’s been almost two months since my last long run for the La Jolla Half Marathon in April. I was supposed to run 90 minutes. I ran 72. I felt okay, but was really pushing it physically so I gave myself a break for the last little bit. I’m not proud of that, but it happened.

I was proud of the fact that I could plow out a 72 minute run at a pretty decent pace without ANY training for two months. There may be hope for this upcoming race in August.

But here’s what happened!

My foot… started giving out! My FOOT, you guys! Not a hamstring (which happens when I don’t stretch), not my knee (which has happened before from over-exertion without enough training), not my sides (which can get nasty stitches if I don’t eat the proper pre-run nutrition), not my stomach (which doesn’t take well to long-runs in general)…my FOOT!

My right foot starting hurting. Like major. Right in the arch area. Which is scary for me because I have feet like my mothers and she has arch problems. She’s warned me for years to take care of my feet and arches because they’ve caused her some serious pain and suffering throughout the years.

I’m worried that my shoes aren’t doing much for support since they’ve seen a lot of miles at this point. I very likely need to get new running shoes, but they can be EXPENSIVE and I’ve gotta watch my cash right now… so it just ain’t gonna happen.

My foot hurt a little the rest of the day and was really sore the next morning but I thought it would be no big deal. I’d recover, retrain my feet to take the beating that is a long run, and then be on my merry way back to racing.

But today, I went to the gym to do intervals, and my foot starting hurting AGAIN. Four days later. The same type of pain. I could only get about 1.5 miles in on the treadmill before I called uncle.

I don’t know much about injuries, but I do know that it’s really dumb to try and run through some pains. Side stitches- toughen up. Knee/joint/feet….rest it out. After I gave up the run, I went and did a minor amount of lifting and some ab work. I was going to lift legs since that’s a pretty decent replacement for a small run if you can’t run- but my foot was really angry at me.

I have tennis balls, which I hear are good to rub on the bottoms of your feet for plantar fasciitis, which this might be the start of.

I don’t know what it is. But I know to go with my gut on what to do with this thing, and the best idea is to let it rest. Don’t push it. Take it easy on the training runs this week to make it better, then see how it feels during next week’s long run.

I’ll let you know how it goes. And in the meantime, I guess I have to continue doing that new thing I discovered I absolutely love… lifting.