A Friend's Frustration and Possibly Ours as Well

Friday, June 23, 2017 · Mike Davis

Good morning!

Yesterday I had lunch with my dear friend Maria, and we had multiple topics of discussion and of course a few of the topics were running related. I will touch on a couple of them starting with this mornings chat.

Plantar Fasciitis has been wreaking havoc on Maris’s life and nothing seems to be helping to overcome it. I certainly understand the frustration, as I have been battling PF myself. Despite feeling that my PF is getting better, I cannot offer a clear plan to Maria as to how to overcome her battle. She has been doing many of the things that I have done, without any success. Not that it is a last resort, but I suggested that she change her running shoes to Hoka’s. She had no knowledge of these shoes and so I explained that they are designed to provide greater cushion and lessen the impact at landing and propulsion. I cannot say that I am an advocate of heavily cushioned running shoes, but I also do not have firsthand knowledge of them either. Some of the books I have read, do not advocate taking away the “feel” of landing, and I tend to agree with that philosophy, however, I am also open to trying whatever might help overcome whatever prevents someone from running.

This morning I thought about Maria’s problem and other questions came to my mind, such as: is her problem biomechanics, tight calf’s, combat boots (she is in the military), or like me, is she lacking ankle range of motion. Because it is both feet and she has not changed anything notably in either shoes or her running, it seems likely that her ankles suddenly are lacking range of motion. However, the one factor that we do not always consider is that today we are a day older and if we couple that with a flaw, we may just now start exhibiting issues. No one likes to think that aging will affect us as drastically as a case of Plantar Fasciitis, but the reality is, if we do not adjust our approach, we will most likely suffer both injuries and frustration. Both range of motion (ROM) and functional strength will diminish if ignored and injuries become more likely, as well as challenge to our overall functioning.

I cannot say that Maria’s struggles with Plantar Fasciitis is the result of her getting older, and hopefully it is not. Regardless, we all must accept that we need to be proactive as we get older and do those things that give us the best chance of maintaining the lifestyle that we enjoy so much. Functional strength training, Pilates, Yoga, and other such activities are all valuable and important as we age. I up each morning going a routine that I hope will help me not only with my posture, but also my running and overall functioning. I continue to add to this routine and hopefully it will become a lifetime habit. I cannot turn back time, but I can help myself much better.

Thanks for having coffee with me! Have a great Friday and a super weekend!

God Bless!

Mike