Progress on plantar pain

Whatever gets you through the run

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles
Yesterday's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes

I just realized that it's been 20 days since I've last posted. That doesn't mean I've stopped running. But if you're counting the past six days, I hadn't. My layoff has been a combination of busy days and avoiding aggravating my plantar faciitis. I've substituted running with lots of walking and ellipticaling, but that doesn't really raise the bar in terms of fitness. The last time I ran before this morning was last Saturday. I was concerned I'd struggle a little today.

 My plantar soreness peaked last Sunday and it wasn't fun. I'd run with a lot of pain the prior day and toughed out a 3.5 mile run. I thought icing my foot on and off the rest of the day would help, but when I went outside on Sunday morning I didn't get very far. Every footfall radiated pain and I turned back before covering less than a quarter of a mile. I considered my options and headed upstairs to try my foot on the elliptical. The lack of impact and different motion made that a better choice.

I returned to work last Monday after a week's vacation and decided to wait until Friday for a run. My foot pain continued to improve, but I chose to give it one more day. Instead, I did an elliptical session which got my heart rate up, but not close to 80% of max. My foot felt okay after the workout and I decided I'd go for a test run today if the soreness didn't return

This morning's schedule was tight but I was determined to cover at least three miles.. I wore my Brooks Launches with Sof Sole plantar orthotics. I did feel some soreness at the start but it wasn't unbearable. I hoped that would go away once the tendon warmed up. I kept my speed moderate to avoid straining anything.

The easy pace and orthotics allowed me to keep pain to a minimum.That I could get through 3.25 miles without regret was a victory after two weeks of extreme discomfort. I'm not sure what type of workout I should do tomorrow but I'll probably do another easy run. I'm far away from the speed and distances I was achieving a year ago but I did feel stronger at the end than I expected. I hope  my right foot soreness leaves as quickly as it came. And when it does, I really hope it doesn't return to my left.