UKC

Hello, this year I've been having a crack at some longer runs. Building it up slowly. 

Two weeks ago I ran a very slow 11km. All was fine after, had some slightly achy muscles in my back after but otherwise felt fine.

Last weekend I ran (or very slowly jogged) 13km.

But for the last few days the tendons in my right foot particularly have been a sodding pain. They almost feel recovered today (4 days later). I'd say 20% of the pain I felt the day after my run. They just feel a bit numb and delicate right now.

So what would you do next?

Assuming they feel good tomorrow I'm thinking about dialling it back to say a 5km jog this weekend, and if that feels ok, get back up to the 10km mark and hold it there for a while. Maybe after a few weeks if still ok, start doing two 10km per week for a bit.

Does the above sounds reasonable or risky?

Any exercises I should be doing to help strengthen my feet? The tendons that hurt are along the arch, heel and within the ankle joint itself. Rotating the foot around results in pain when fully left or right (up and down don't seem to hurt).

Thanks all.

In reply to montyjohn:

Tendonitis is a bugger.

Rest followed by gentle reintroduction works for me.

I tend to allow the pain to reach 3 or 4 out of 10 while running but stop if it gets any worse. Reason being, I understand you need to work the tendons slightly to recover.

In reply to montyjohn:

I’m slowly building up mileage for a few ultra length routes I want to do this year, one thing I have found works for me with my niggles (usually calf and knee) so not tendonitis, so don’t know if it will help, but on my rest days I try and do more active recovery such as walking slowly if you are sore and gradually build up the walking pace to just below a jog. This works very well for me an hour or twos walk I find is great for recovery. 

In reply to montyjohn:

If its top of the foot consider changing your lacing to be lighter here.

In reply to montyjohn:

Might be worth a trip to the physio to get some specific strength and conditioning for the areas that are in pain.

Also in terms of build the recommended increase in training load is about 10%-20% per week so you might find a jump from one 10km a week to two might overload the struggling areas.

I've tended to be quite injury prone and moving more to trail running has really helped me out as the ankle is put through a greater range of movements.

Would also recommend stretching out your calves, hamstrings and glutes potentially as well as tension there can add additional strain to the foot. 

Dave

In reply to raussmf:

I find that it doesn't hurt when running, but I pay for it later so it's really hard to know if I'm damaging anything whilst running. It's a complete guessing game.

In reply to Kryank:

I do need to do something similar to improve flexibility (I'm not a very flexible person) and strength. I've been ignoring this up until now.

In reply to SouthernSteve:

It's more the bottom of my foot

In reply to hooch87:

Yep, good should. Maybe two 6km and go from there.

Doh!, I'm doing trail now and likely to move to road a some point.

Yep, sounds about right. Thanks

In reply to montyjohn:

Where about exactly is it on your foot and does it hurt more at certain times? 

In reply to montyjohn: And what shoes?

For a start I assume you're not wearing shoes in the house? Stretches and strengthens a little bit

In reply to montyjohn:

I’d be inclined to be much more incremental in my rehab, so 6 then 7 then 8 or even back down if need be. Plus use the pain monitoring out of 10 mentioned elsewhere in the thread to guide my next steps. It does have to feel sore at the time but gauge it the next day and if it’s worse then dial the distance back, if better add a km.

Wobble cushion or board will strengthen it quickly. YouTube for exercises

All the best.

In reply to Alex8584:

Based on this image: https://astepbeyondmassagetherapy.com/_Media/pastedgraphic-4_med_293.png

I would say it's the:

• Posterior Tibial Tendon (still hurting today, but we're talking 1 out of 10 today though, was a 6 day after the run), and
• Plantar Fascia (but near the heel) - This pain has pretty much gone now

What I've found in the past though, is the pain may all go away. I can go for a run, it all feels fine, but the next day my tendons are angry with me again.

In reply to montyjohn:

I'd skip running for 2 weeks, do nothing for the next 2-3 days, RICE etc... then switch to warm therapies, massage, some cycling in the warm etc... build up stretching as you recover. I'd want a week with zero twinges before a test 3-5km jog / walk and build up from there. Identifying the cause will help too, shoes, prosthetics, flexibility, over training, no warm up...

Running 10+k on an injury, cold outside, cold muscles etc.. isn't likely to resolve it long term, you'll build up scar tissue, risk repeated prolonged injury in the future. Bite the bullet now and treat it properly. 

Note. I'm no physio but have learnt that injuries ignored don't generally resolve themselves. If you enjoy your sport, money spent on a private sports physio is rarely wasted. 

In reply to montyjohn: I had to start putting proper structured foot beds into my shoes for similar reasons, though mostly for Plantar Fasciitis. I use both the Boots ones and Superfeet, I’m less convinced by the Enertor ones. I wear them at all times or it flares up. I also use the wobble board/cushion and a balance beam(not as religiously as I should) to strengthen my feet and particularly my arches. I generally don’t run on paved surfaces as the PF comes back with that.

I would agree re spending money on a good sports physio at an early stage to get a proper assessment and advice. My one is actually an osteopath but his advice and treatment has been crucial over the years. It helps that he was a very good runner and also climbs.

Good luck with it.

In reply to SouthernSteve:

This. I speak from experience!

In reply to montyjohn:

If you think it is the PTT go and see a physio (you may need to get some insoles to support the foot), but before this do roll your calves very well and look up the exceptionally painful trigger point 3/4 of the way up the calf at the back. If you are into a bit of masochism that can make life very much more comfortable. Interestingly a tighter - a non-sloppy shoe is recommended for PTT strain/dysfunction - following my previous comments. 

In reply to montyjohn:

I had recurring plantar fascitis and what worked for me has wearing minimalist shoes as my day to day shoe. It's vastly increased my foot strength, I do appreciate that this isn't for everyone though.

In reply to montyjohn:

I had plantar fasciitis after I tripped and stopped myself from falling by slamming down on one foot. This was a mistake. Took a good 2-3 months of no running to go away (sorry I can't remember the rest period more exactly). So if that's what it is I would say no running, although in your situation I would get in to see the physio for some proper advice. Good luck.

edit to add: I looked it up in my log. 1 month complete rest, 3 weeks work up to Great South Run, 5 days of painkillers, still minor problems a couple of months later, then I switched to swimming and cycling for the summer, no ongoing problems. HTH