Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Feet, Rest, Podiatrist


Wouldn't it be nice if we could just tell our body to be fast certain days or tell our 3rd metatarsal to just stop hurting and it would listen? Maybe the reality is that if we listened to our bodies, they would listen back. I am heading to the podiatrist today. First time I've ever been to a foot doctor. I love my feet (Don't worry, I don't have some fetish. I just think feet are cool. Thus, one of my drawings up top.), seriously grateful for the years of dancing I put them through and of course now all the running miles I put on them. My 3rd metatarsal is a bit unhappy. Last Wednesday, I hopped out of bed surprised by the pain. It appeared out of nowhere and of course, I continued to run. Ok I took Saturday off and I've been running less miles, but really I should just rest. Common sense (especially when you develop the gangster limp), but yet so difficult. I think about my yoga practice. Every day that I practice my body is different. Some days I am more flexible, some more energetic. While doing yoga, I pay attention to what my body says and I listen. And, that is what I teach to others as well. But, for some reason it is harder to do that with running. Before I started running ultras, I literally ran every day. I am sure that within a years time, I would only miss one or two days because of illness, travel, etc. It is like brushing my teeth, I get up every day and just do it. I am a complete addict. As much as I know that rest is good and listening to my body is important, it is fucking hard to do when it comes to running. I tend to just want to push through things and hope that they'll disappear. Not going to ignore my poor metatarsal, it is trying to tell me something. Wish me luck at the podiatrist.

10 comments:

willgotthardt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luis Velasquez said...

I am sorry.. been there and just sucks not being able to run when you want to. Last year I had some major plantar fasciatis and it was miserable..

Hope you get better soon.. :)

Luis

wcaitlin said...

Feeling better today... yay!!! By the way, I don't recommend the podiatrist that I went to, so not helpful. Her prognosis = unknown and she basically said a lot of things, none that made a whole lot of sense. I guess my big toe doesn't do all the work it should and my other toes are hyper-mobile... go figure, the little guys like doing the work.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Seslar at 3017 Telegraph Ave Suite #210 Berkeley kicks ass. He helped me recover from a 2nd metatarsal injury last year. Be careful, those suckers can take a while to heal and can break if ignored. He had another patient who kept running on an injured one until it snapped. Good luck healing.

Peter Watson said...
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Peter Watson said...

sounds like a case of plantar fasciatis. I would recommend putting a pair of Superfeet or Sole orthotics into your current footwear. By minimizing the range of motion of the bones in your feet it will help to make inflamed areas in your forefoot recover.

Ive been fitting footwear and insoles for about 10years now. Both of the brands that I recommended have money back guarantees so its worth it IMO.

wcaitlin said...

Peter, planter fasciatis has been ruled out. The pain is on the top of my foot, but I think you're right about orthodics being introduced. Thanks for the input and recommendations :).

Peter Watson said...

maybe even as simple as a metatarsal pad, then. But still a rear foot arch support might just make the recovery a little quicker.

Paige said...

I completely agree with you about how it's so hard to obey your body when it comes to running; everything else I'm fine with taking rest days and proper recovery. But running? Not so much! I like to try and bargain with my body, particularly my knees and shins these days, right before each long run. Sometimes they take the bait, other days I remember why we're supposed to have rest days :) Such is the life of an ultrarunner I 'spose! Great blog by the way, I found it through David Ray's blog :)

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