Injuries Suck!

This summer has been a train-wreck for my running -- beautiful for running, but my "equipment" would just not cooperate. My Plantar Fasciitis (PF), on and off, and right calf muscle derailed any real running; August was a complete washout. My calf had soreness and tightness in different places with varying intensities and though physical therapy (PT) provided some relief, no significant improvement to the underlying condition occurred, thus keeping my runs limited to 1/4 or 1/2 miles jogs, interspersed with walking.

So at present, I am a walker with regular thoughts that my running days are over and with contemplations of becoming a biker. It's become a day-to-day matter of trial and error with exercises, PT, shoe inserts and alternating shoes. I discovered KURU footwear, designed with PF in mind, but they don't have a running shoe yet. So my daily walking is ok, but not enabling me to run like I used to. For awhile I thought maybe I was having hydration issues ..

It is so difficult pinpointing the root cause with my leg. Maybe with the change in seasons I'll see a change with my leg ... and maybe I won't -- Time will tell!

This summer's running has been unique, to say the least. Usually, it's a battle dealing with the weather and getting miles in to be sufficiently prepared for a fall marathon. Not this year. Though I am registered for the NYC marathon, my calf and heel problems have kept my training sidelined. At best, however, I have spent the past two and half weeks doing rehab workouts at the Syosset high school track. These workouts have consisted of walking and running. I have been limited to 1 mile of running against 3 miles in total. Today, was the fifth day I have cheated by increasing to 1.5 miles of running. When I first started these workouts, I doubted I'd ever be able to get up to any real distances but lately I have been feeling much stronger and confident. Though the marathon is out this year, I plan to do a 5K trail run in the middle of September. Tomorrow I am going to stretch it to 2 miles - I hope my physical therapist won't be upset with me. And a marathon next year; we'll see.