Saturday, November 30, 2024

3 October Races = Plantar Fasciitis

My heel was kind of hurting as I entered October. Not sure when it started, but something was wrong. Nothing hurt too bad, so why let a little heel pain stop my October race plans? First up was the October 5 Allerton Trail Ultra. I knew I couldn't do the full 5 loops (~29 miles), but I figured 2 or 3 loops would be OK. I finished with 3 loops, 17+ miles. It was a DNF, but still a good trail run. My heel survived. 

Second race was the Dam Site Half-Marathon on October 20. It was rolling roads around a lake. If I could do 17 trail miles, I should be able to finish 13 miles on the roads without much harm. I ran a steady medium pace and finished in 1:50 (8:17 pace). During the race my heel was OK, afterward it hurt more than usual. Time to ice, stretch, roll the foot and massage the calf. Another race was one week away!

My third race was the Allerton Trail 5.7 mile run on October 27. A few hills and lots of roots. But less than 6 miles. No problem! The weather was perfect and the trail was in good condition. I ran hard, but disciplined. Felt good, but the heel started to hurt within 2 miles. It continued to bother me, but I kept going...until I passed the 4 mile mark and water station which has a sharp turn. I hit a root, twisted my foot and ankle and my heel erupted. Felt like a torch on my foot. I slowed down to ease the stress on my foot, but the pain persisted. Wanted to walk the last 1.5 miles to the finish. My ego kept me going and I "ran" the best I could and finished in 48:42, good enough for 4th in age group and 33rd overall. I was happy since this was the last race in the local "Triple Crown" (Allerton HM, Kirby Derby 5K, Allerton Trail). I had my fleece jacket and was heading home. With plantar fasciitis

When I got home, that's when the pain really settled into my heel. I was hobbling around for days. Tried icing, ibuprofen, foam rolling, stretching, massage. It helped. A little. The pain was 8/10. Time for many days off from running. November has been a slow month. Many days off, with just a few 1-2 mile runs to check on progress. Slowly got better and I can now run 2-3 miles with pain at 2/10 level. I hope December continues the positive trend. Maybe by the new year I'll be healed? 

Any lesson learned? I'm too old to race too often. And if something is hurting, even a little, I need to take time off from running. Need to be smart. Or is it wise? 

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