Good and Bad

It’s funny how I can have really good runs and feel really bad. Ok, maybe not REALLY bad, but what I mean is I clearly have something wrong with my foot going on.

A couple of weeks ago, my left heel felt like it was bruised. You know that feeling when you’ve stepped on something hard and it’s tender and sore deep inside? That was how my foot felt. It didn’t hurt at all when I was running, and I wouldn’t actually say that it “hurt” — I’d say it was bothering me. I told my massage therapist, Gayla, about it when I saw her. I had a fantastic massage and she complimented me on how my legs were feeling. She said I felt strong and fit and whatever I was doing, I needed to keep on doing it.

Fast forward two weeks later:  I went to see Gayla on Thursday. My left heel has been bothering me in the mornings and when I wear non-supportive shoes. Again, no problems when I’m running. In fact, I’d had several really, really good runs during these two weeks.

Gayla went to work on my heel/ankle/leg and it was hell. Painful. So painful that I came to the brink of asking her to stop. She was amazed and aghast at what was going on and told me I had the beginnings of a real problem. Great. I am currently three weeks out from my marathon. My thinking is that I have been in the wrong pair of shoes since we went to England in July and, as the road mileage has ramped up, the mis-fit has caused my foot to move in some way that doesn’t work for me…and hence the problem.

On Friday, I went to see my former coach and buddy Mac Allen, who’s working at the new Texas Running Company. Mac was his usual thorough self and told me he thought the shoes were just bad, badly made and bad for my gait. We got me in a new pair of Sauconys and I took off. Surprisingly, my foot was much better Friday; it was a rest day, and I spent all day in my comfortable, supportive casual shoes. I’m sure the previous day’s massage and Epsom salt bath helped immensely, too.

Today, I tested out the new shoes on my short, 10-mile run around the dam loop at LBL. While running, I felt good. At the end of the run, my heel was a bit sore. I drove home, changed in to an old pair of running shoes (NOT the crappy shoes), and went with my hubby to the boy’s cross country meet. When we got out of the car, I could barely walk on my left heel. After my foot warmed up, it was fine; I could even run. But today’s pain told me that I need to get into Dr. Ellspermann for some Airrosti therapy. If my foot hurts after the cushy, flat LBL trail, imagine what it’s going to feel like after 26.2 of hilly San Francisco roads.

Gayla is worried that I’ve been doing some subtle compensation for the right leg after the hamstring tear, and it’s just gotten to the point where it’s showing up. I’m worried at how much I know that Airrosti is going to hurt. And I hope that I haven’t screwed anything up.