Elliptical Miles

One half mile on the treadmill, and the foot began to hurt, so I switched right away to the elliptical machine and burned 450 calories there. The machine said 3.8 miles in 32 minutes. Heart rate got up to 146, which is rather high but: (a) I’m a little out of shape; and (b) I was still digesting breakfast, which does make some difference. Good exercise, but I prefer running.

I had an appointment for my second pair of custom orthotics today. And I got a bill for $405 for the first pair today as well. Medicare covers the doctor visit, but not the orthotics. I suppose the second pair will cost a similar amount, but I hope they are a little more appropriate for running. Anyway OUCH!


No-hormone no-antibiotic beef roast with organic sweet potato, organic carrots, onions.

Estimated Weight Watcher Points = 5.

Four Mile Run

Forty minutes of cool, morning running on grass trails. I meant to go about half that far, but made a wrong turn in the park and then I was committed. Lovely, delightful run, except that the plantar fasciitis foot did hurt some, especially in the last mile or so. In fact it hurt in a new and different way, I think, more on the outside of the heel instead of the bottom. Not sure what’s going on there, but it still hurts as I write this in the evening. Sigh.

But it really was a nice run otherwise. And interesting. As I drove in, there were police cars all over the place, some from Duluth. I parked and took off on a jog anyway, passing an officer in plain clothes. I half expected him to say I shouldn’t go down that trail, but he didn’t, so I asked him if this was just an exercise and he affirmed that they were training. Later I saw canine units, and the police cars seemd to be spread out all over the park.


Wild caught Alaskan salmon (canned), organic yogurt, local dill, paprika, organic rice chips, organic peas. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 7.

Two-Mile Recovery Run

We three went to the park and ran on grass and dirt trails, just an easy run since we ran a tough 28-mile marathon just last Saturday. No real problems, the muscle soreness in my right thigh (from compensating) was worse than the left plantar-fasciitis heel, and neither was very bad. Very enjoyable little run.

Looking back at our conversations about plantar fasciitis (PF) with the two podiatrists, there are a few things on which they definitely agree:

• PF goes away without surgery, one way or another, 90 to 95% of the time.
• Surgery is to be avoided if possible.
• Stretching several times per day is important to correcting PF.
• A night splint is important. Both thought that the Strassburg Sock was a good splint.
• Custom (not drug store) orthotics are important, both for running and while not running, though they did not agree on the nature of the orthotics. One made them with a fairly hard heel, and the other prefers soft.
• Neither podiatrist cared what shoes I wear for running, as long as they are comfortable and contain the orthotics.

Some opinions by Don, for what little that’s worth:

• The Strassburg Sock (night splint) is much more comfortable in bed than a hard splint, and may even do a better job. It’s the first thing to try and may resolve a mild PF problem (morning pain) all by itself.
• Orthotics are a mild inconvenience, but not really that bad. I wish I had more than one pair so I wouldn’t have to keep moving them from one pair of shoes to another. What feels good is an orthotic with some arch support and a very cushioned heel. I don’t know if that is what will cure PF, however.
• Stretching is the hardest; I just don’t seem to get up and do it often enough. Some days have gone by with no stretching at all.

Today's lunch:

Turkey bacon, kiwi, chard dish (organic rainbow chard, organic olive oil, Door County dried cherry/cranberry/blueberry mix, almonds, purple onion), shredded organic raw cheddar cheese. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 7.

The Foot Surgeon Recommended ...

NOT surgery. Not yet. Imagine! He has more things to suggest before we try surgery on the plantar fasciitis. I don’t think he was very impressed with the other podiatrist’s recommendation of two months of "hammock therapy." And neither was I - it didn’t work and it seems I wasted two months. He was also not impressed with the custom orthotics that the podiatrist had made for me, with a rather hard heel plate; he prefers a softer one, so I will be getting ANOTHER pair of custom orthotics. Interesting factoid: I got in to see the orthopedic surgeon in ONE DAY, but the appointment for the orthotics takes at least a week, no exceptions, “Ron” is very busy. Is there a message there?

Whether there is or not, I really like this doctor. He is a board-certified podiatrist and podiatric surgeon. He is young (compared to me) but not TOO young, he didn’t recommend surgery as the first option even with my history, he is a very competitive runner and triathlete, and he was VERY informative. So much information that I wish I’d taped it. Happily, Sunshine went with me, so we can compare notes. I had an appointment with the other podiatrist too, and I just cancelled it.

This guy is my new foot doc. His name is Troy A. Vargas, D.P.M., at St. Croix Orthopaedics, centered in Stillwater, Minnesota. Here are some of the things I heard him say (not to be confused with whatever he ACTUALLY may have said):

• Plantar fasciitis can be cured without surgery 90% - 95% of the time.
• It appears more in aging people, so may be somewhat of a degenerative problem.
• The surgery is simple and quick - just a few minutes to remove the center (usually) of the fascia where it attaches to the bone, and put in a few stitches. The only surgical issue is getting through the layer of fat which forms the heel pad. The body ultimately replaces the removed portion of fascia with scar tissue.
• There is a potential complication of nerve pain CAUSED by the surgery, which is very hard to treat and is the primary reason why doctors are slow to treat plantar fasciitis with surgery. It can make the pain worse. As far as he knows this complication has never appeared after one of his surgeries.
• Running on grass trails is much better than running on pavement. Go to the park. I will!
• A second steroid shot is not out of the question (I’ve had one already).
• Night splints are good - keep it up.
• Stretches are very important - several times per day, both the Achilles’ tendon and the hamstrings; that’s all connected.
• He suggested all sorts of cross-training: Biking, pool running, swimming, elliptical, and more. Of course.
• I didn’t ask about hot and cold treatments, and he didn’t offer anything.
• There is another therapy (I missed what it was exactly) that he might want to try before doing surgery.
• He knows that PF is impacting my lifestyle, and that is an important consideration.
• There is a theory that some cases of PF may become chronic, without inflammation, and if so the correct medical term would be plantar fasciosis instead of plantar fasciitis.
• In an aside, not discussing PF in particular, he did mention that sometimes an injury will rupture and then the pain will actually go away. I think he was implying that’s what may happen in some cases with PF.

Specific, immediate instructions for me:

• OK to run on grass, be guided by the pain. Yay!
• Avoid hills.
• Go immediately to the Brace Place (do not pass GO) and get new orthotics by Ron. Wear them all the time, including running.
• Continue with the Strassburg Sock night splint.
• Stretch the Achilles, calves, and hamstrings several times per day.
• Come back in three weeks for a steroid shot (one week before my next marathon).

I’ll keep posting. I really would like to stop writing about plantar fasciitis pretty soon, but today I feel hopeful and cheerful. Despite the pain at the end, the Moose Mountain Marathon was a delight, and now I have a doctor in whom I feel some confidence. This day is a masterpiece!

More Moose Mountain Marathon Pix

Hover over a picture to see remarks about it, click to enlarge it:

















Plantar fasciitis still hurts, and I have an appointment with a podiatric surgeon tomorrow morning. Can't wait to see what he says!

Moose Mountain Marathon

What a marathon! The Moose Mountain Marathon is one of three simultaneous races traversing sections of the Superior National Hiking Trail. Besides the marathon there is a 50-mile and a 100-mile race. We three “only” ran the marathon, but that is a far tougher course than any other marathon I’ve ever run. First we spotted ourselves a two-mile handicap by missing a turn at the START. I was just livid when I found that out (but maybe at myself?). However, it’s very hard to stay angry when surrounded by so much natural beauty, and with perfect running conditions, the temperature varying only between 52 and 57 degrees all day. After the iffy start, we hiked (no running for us) another eight miles to the first of three aid stations, then continued on to the others. The trail is sometimes very nice, soft earth, but more often it is obstructed with roots and rocks. There are lots of long uphill and downhill treks, and those are usually the rockiest parts of the trail. In a few places, it would be very hard to navigate the trail without using hands to steady oneself.
	The fastest runner this year actually did finish in just under four hours, but people who do that can probably run a paved marathon in 2:30 to 2:40. One friend who can normally run a marathon under 4:30 needed over eight hours last year. It’s a TOUGH, challenging race, not just for people who are competing for a place but for anyone trying to finish it at any speed. The incredible beauty of the Superior Hiking Trail is the compensation. This race has few rules, but does have cutoff times: You may not leave the last aid station after 5:00 pm unless you have a flashlight or headlight. Further, you may not leave the last aid station after 7:00 pm, period. We arrived there at about 5:50, and my sweeties decided that they wouldn't risk running the last leg on very tired legs in the dark. So I donned a headlamp and took off for the finish, traveling the last seven miles in a little less than two hours, much of that in semi-darkness. It rained for the last half hour or so, making the trail a little more slippery, but otherwise not causing a problem. In this segment I did run, as fast as I could, walking the steep uphills, the treacherous downhills, and wherever else the trail was too uneven to run safely.
I loved traveling with my sweeties, but I loved this part too, crusing alone, almost silently, through the forest as fast as possible. It’s hard to believe that I averaged only 17 minutes per mile; it sure felt faster. Must be more than seven miles :-) The casualty, unfortunately was the plantar-fasciitis foot. It hardly hurt at all hiking into the last aid station, then started to hurt a little more as I ran the last seven miles, and finally hurt a lot when I reached the pavement of the last half-mile. It seems like the podiatrist-recommended two months of “hammock therapy,” with night splint every night and special orthotics, didn’t help at all; the PF came right back. Two wasted months. It still hurts today; we’ll see about tomorrow. Maybe it’s time to see if a surgeon has any advice. The marathon was delightful, but the foot is a big disappointment. See more Moose Marathon information on Sunshine's blog Best Day of the Year.

Plantar Fasciitis is NOT Gone

Wednesday, Sept 5:

Running is out because of the plantar fasciitis, and biking is out for the moment because of a hamstring problem that seems to be made worse by biking. So today my sweeties and I went to the park reserve for some trail training. I walked fast, and they walked & ran to keep up. We went 3.8 miles in 1:02:00, which is not fast, but fast enough.

We will be running a trail marathon before too long, so this was a dress rehearsal. We all got our feet wet, which will probably also happen in the real race and we’ll have to deal with it. I learned that I should have applied skeeter dope! All around it was a good experience. We may do something like that tomorrow, and adjust our pace more closely to the pace we’re shooting for in the marathon.

Unfortunately, I did feel the PF heel again today, so I wonder whether it will be ready for another race anytime soon. Guess we’ll see.

Monday, Sept 3:

Because of the resurging (lurking) plantar fasciitis, I walked the Victory 5k rather than run it. That’s nice too, because I walked/ran with my sweeties and got some good photos. The PF didn’t seem to get any worse.

I certainly enjoyed seeing some of my good running friends as well. Been too long. If it turns out that I can’t run, maybe I’ll need to volunteer at some races to keep those friendships going.

Saturday, Sept 1:

Buckshot 2 mile race in Eau Claire. I started fairly far back, not knowing how it would feel to race. As it went along I felt fine and passed quite a few people, but took second place in my age group to a good runner. I’m quite happy with the race result.

EXCEPT, the plantar-fasciitis foot hurt a little, just in the last half mile or so. I slowed a little when I felt that, and it didn’t get worse, but it’s really quite discouraging. The doctor said that two months off “almost always” cures PF, but it’s still there, lurking. Drat. I don’t like to cuss in my blog, but if I did this would be a time.