Well, lets get into it, I guess. First, running. Its happening. Its ugly, but I'm gutting 'em out. Actually, I'm not really. Last week, I ran two days and spun once. Granted, for a total of 55 combined miles, but its not the same thing. Yes, I'm hurting, a lot, but I can't let that take over my life. Yes, I know you're not supposed to run on painkillers, but right now I'm searching for answers, and nothing seems to be working. I saw the doctor, he referred me to a shoe store for a meditarsal pad. The shoe store guy basically blasted the doctor and gave me some insoles. I went to Run 'n' Fun, and the guy there blasted the shoe store guy saying that the insoles won't do a thing for me. I'm tired of this s***, I really don't need it right now. I have to run, its my way out, and I really need an escape now.
In addition to not running, my professors figured now would be a good time to dump a semester's worth of homework. In addition to that, I'm being constantly reminded of how awful I am with women. See, we have the Sigma Chi Sweetheart ball coming up, which is a formal, so we have to find a date. So far, I'm 0 for 5 in that department, with a really good chance of striking out again when this girl calls me back. Oh well, at least its not for lack of trying. This usually wouldn't bother me so much, but combined with everything else going on... life sucks right now.
To round out my list of ills, I'm dead tired and apathetic about everything. I haven't gotten over six and a half hours of sleep in two weeks or so, and tonight looks like the first time since spring break that I'll get anywhere close to eight.
I should stop whining and man up. You guys don't care about my problems.
I actually was going to see a podiatrist today to see if he could fix me. I'm not counting on it though. A while ago, I explained it on daily mile:
You've got to understand that this is more of a defensive reaction than anything. I went to the doctor, and that was no help. I cut my training volume, and that didn't help. I stopped running completely for two weeks and that didn't help at all. If I knew what move to make, believe me I would. Maybe I should see a specialist, and I will look in to that, but the problem is that Doctors' schedules- especially specialists- and my schedule usually don't coincide. Like I said, if I knew a specialist could help me, I'd be more then happy to make time ASAP, but I'm apprehensive about continuing this cycle any longer because its kind of depressing. All they say is "don't run." I hate to do that, but I did, and that didn't solve a thing.
They had an in house- podiatrist at Marathon Sports on the first and third Tuesday of every month, and I was hoping he could tell me what's what. The podiatrist wasn't there because his wife just had a kid, but I did get some reinforcement from Jason Lemkhule's wife that I was in the wrong shoes and some neutral- cushioned shoes would do me well.
So, I ordered a pair of Ghost 2's off Running Warehouse, because I can't plan ahead for s*** and can't afford to wait the three weeks that the ID site takes to ship things, so I spent $40 more than I needed to. Sweet. They're much needed though. The only pair of neutral shoes I have are my Green Silence racing flats, which are awesome, but at the same time, they aren't meant to be worn on everyday medium distance runs. They just don't have enough structure to go 6+ miles, and I have blisters to show for it.
I also registered for the Get in Gear 10k this Saturday. I was initially shooting for the half marathon, but after I cut today's run short, I was pretty sure I couldn't race a half marathon, so I compromised on the 10k. I'd love nothing more than to do well in my age group. I just need something good to hold on to.
hang in there : ) good luck this weekend!
ReplyDeleteI'm a fellow Brooks I.D.er and blogger, and boy, do I understand how frustrating it is to have podiatric woes. I've got about the exact opposite set of foot issues, but it's taken me a long time to get them under control. Getting custom orthotics from a podiatrist who is also a serious marathoner (if you were in Philly, I'd give you his #) helped a lot, but even then I was still in the wrong shoes (people at the shoe store didn't think that I could be overcorrecting with an orthotic in a light stability shoe - durr) and had some biomechanical issues to work out with a physical therapist (who makes orthotics).
ReplyDeleteSo my official recommendation as a runner with a wide range of mechanical woes is:
1) podiatrist who is also a runner. Get a recommendation from another runner in your area or the shoe store, and then check online to see what others say about potential running podiatrists, OR
2) see a physical therapist who is also qualified to make orthotics. The guy I saw in Ann Arbor was tremendous, he tweaked my orthotics to last me until I was back in Philly and my biomechanics to fix my other issues. I'm not sure how good he'd have been with my initial issue, but as far as following up and making little changes, he was superb.
And no matter what:
3) When you go to a shoe store, don't settle for a sales associate. Always call ahead and ask if the owner is in. The store I buy from in Philly is locally owned, and I always call ahead to see if Bob, the owner, is in before I make a visit. When I get there, I refuse the sales associates by saying that I'm supposed to get fitted by Bob. And Bob has been the best shoe vendor I've ever had, even after the disasters I had with some of his other staff members.
Good luck with everything. Try to keep your spirits up - there really are medical professionals out there who will work with you until you are running at the level you'd like to be.