This past weekend I ran a recovery 12 miles for my long run. I love that I find myself saying “only” twelve miles when I prepare myself for that distance. Everything is relative now with marathon training. The reason for the low mileage is that it was a recovery week from my long run the weekend before.
I had a great run the weekend before running 20 miles. I had no knee pain or any issues throughout the race. I did however have a slight foot ache while running that I attributed to the uneven road surface. It felt as if the laces of my running shoes were tied too tightly. I even checked and they were not. Weird. I shrugged it off and was able to continue my run with no other issues.
Fast forward to this past weekend where I ran 12 easy miles at a recovery pace. Upon hitting mile 4, I had sharp shooting pains from my foot. It was the same spot on the top of my foot (right where the laces tie) and even on the bottom outside of my foot. Weird.
The pain lessoned as I stretched each stop light… but continued as I pounded away finishing my run. I wasn’t sure if it was a boredom pain or a true pain to be concerned with. I was able to continue and finish my run. My pace was where it should have been (slow and steady).
Since Saturday, I have been resting, icing, and rolling the top/bottom of my foot. I have been wearing supportive (comfortable) shoes and doing a lot of rolling and stretching.
I will NOT let this issue slow or stop me from completing my first marathon in just 3 short weeks. However, I will be monitoring and doing a lot more self care… making sure that this isn’t something more serious.
So for now… I spend a lot of time rubbing Arnicare on my foot, rubbing with a tennis or golf ball, icing and stretching.
My plan is to run an easy 4 miles this afternoon to test my foot. I pray that it will be a pain free run and I will be good to go.
What do you do when you have pain when working out?
Knowing my pain is not a serious injury (thanks to google and a physical therapist checking me out) helps and reassures me. However, pain is pain. I do not want to run injured for my first marathon.
For me, the best medicine for running pain seems to be a day of rest. It’s hard when I have a race ahead and miles planned, but I think it’s worth it in the end. I hope you’re pain-free soon!
I think you already know what I would do, as I have recently developed a tendancy to err on the side of caution when it comes to injuries, and I believe rest and good nutrition can heal more than any amount of medicine and therapy when it comes to orthopaedic stuffs 🙂
I would do long cross-trainer (elliptical) workouts that would mimic the cardiovascular endurance training that the running was meant to do – in other words put in the time on the trainer that it would take for you to do the distances on your plan. Eliminating the pounding that comes from running for a week will allow the injured tissue to heal – there’s no point in being a hero and running through pain if it causes the injury to become serious. I should have listened to my own advice at Ragnar, but I was stubborn…. My second leg caused a tender spot to become a serious injury and afterwards I could barely walk! My third leg was excruciating and I have never run through so much pain – it took a month of full rest to recover. If it weren’t for the gal that I paired up with and ran with, I would have called the van to come to my rescue… again. Admittedly I was too embarrassed to call it quits and my pride got in the way.
Best wishes and good luck with the marathon!
Rachel, always good to read your stuff. Hey, I see the Arnicare cream and I wanted you to know that I’m an affiliate distributor for FG Xpress, and we have an herbal adhesive patch that I’ve been using for my aches and pains after my runs. Works like a charm. Ginseng, germanium and phytoplankton, all naturally occurring materials in a water soluble, FDA approved adhesive patch. If you’re interested in trying a sample, just let me know and I’ll send you a two-day supply to try after your next run. BTW, as always, GREAT JOB on your “only 12 miles.”
Chuck
iwrite@chuckdouros.com
I tend to grumble and run anyway, with ice and foam rolling afterwards. Good luck with your marathon! I’m sure you will do great. 🙂