Time to heel!

Last time out I was just about to step out on my latest long training run....

Well after some decent planning I felt confident that this time the planned 25 miles would prove easier than the last time out.

Unfortunitely, as well as confident I also felt I slight pain in my right heel. I'd had this pain before and it didn't end well as I got about a mile into a long run before having to stop and quit.

As I stepped out into the pouring rain wearing Lunas and Injini socks, I felt good. Even when within a few seconds as my footwear were soaked, the feet felt refreshed. For the first few minutes I thought the foot niggle would not be an issue but this was short lived.

As I approached town after about a mile the pain quickly spread and the whole heel area was in pain and I couldn't run anymore. This was exactly like before and I knew I couldn't run it off. I made the quick decision to get back home limped to the nearest bus stop.

When I got back home I put my feet up and could actually see the swelling on the inside of my ankle and it was really sensitive to touch. I always used to suffer from PF and I thought this was the case but he pain was slightly different and the way it came on didn't feel 100% like PF.

By lunch time I managed to walk around town as it had calmed down and I took the opportunity to buy a pair of New Balance MT110 Minimal Trail shoes which were £34 from Sports Direct. I'd thought about buying these for quite a while as the Trailgloves were a little light on grip and these were cheap!

After a couple of days rest I had some light massage on the foot by a physio from my running club Jen Lovelock who works out of Toe Zone Foot Care Chelmsford. I have to admit I'd have sports massage everyday if I could afford it as I think it makes a huge difference when training especially as you get older and the body doesn't recover as quick as it used too.

It was interesting having a chat with Jen about barefoot running and her views on it. She's not a huge supporter of minimal footwear as she feels that it defeats the purpose of proper barefoot running. But admitted that going true barefoot probably was positive.

Its been said that one of the main reasons for converting is the fact that as soon as you ditch the trainers that you never get injured again....

Well that isn't true (for me). As a largish flat footed runner with a poor running style even though I've taken 7 months to get where I am and theres a need to be realistic and take things slow.

Well planning a little jog out tomorrow, ill let you know how a get on.