Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Is Planter Fasciitis Contagious?

If so, I blame Jamie.

I don't think it is, so he's off the hook. But, I do have some mild planter fasciitis in my left foot. I'd say we're on PF watch yellow...or chartreuse...or whatever level means we're aware of the threat and monitoring the situation, but not ready to blow up any civilians. We're at that level. In all seriousness, I don't think it will be a big deal. There's no pain (only a touch first thing in the morning), just tightness. It felt fine on my run today. What was strange was that it just kind of appeared. I hadn't felt it at all until Monday morning before our long run. The PF is a sneaky bastard.

Speaking of today's run, I ran 3.5 in the pouring rain. Not entirely enjoyed. However, I felt great. Really good. Very encouraging after running 21 on Monday. Of course, some credit goes to Shannon, the official massage provider of Snowman Says. I was able to get a massage yesterday, which was hugely helpful. I'm hoping I can squeeze at least one more in before the marathon.

Speaking of the marathon, I was starting to think about splits and times last night. My head exploded. I do have a goal...to be revealed later, but I think I'm just going to go by feel. I'm going to figure out the splits for a few key spots, e.g. halfway, but I'm not going to worry about each mile. I'm not going to worry about hitting certain times. I'm just going to run. The 21-mile run gave me plenty of confidence that I can complete the distance. The fueling strategy I used worked well, so I'm confident in that. It will be all about surviving the pavement, and I think with a nice, easy taper, I'll be in good shape there. It's getting close, and starting to feel real.

Not related to anything, I'm in love with the new Genius feature in iTunes 8. It's very cool. You pick a song, and the Genius picks an entire playlist, up to 100 songs, based on that one song. It's really found some gems for me. It's found some songs I forgot I had. Good stuff.

5 comments:

Jamie Anderson said...

Yikes! A bit of unsolicited advice, but wage war and nip it in the bud. What's been working for me is the Orange Superfeet insoles. I swear by them in fact. Costs $38, a bit pricey, but I am REALLY glad I got them.

Massaging my feet with a golf ball and a baseball has also helped. Be sure to press down really hard and dig in there. It hurts while doing it, but feels great afterwards.

Unknown said...

I could "dig in there" a little harder next time, too, if you want! -Shannon Gilmore, proud sponsor of Snowman Says!

sn0m8n said...

Jamie - I've tried Superfeet before, but they muck with the fit of my shoes and cause blisters. I am rocking the foot massage ball.

Shannon - "dig in there" means inflict a great deal of pain, which I know is your favorite thing.

R. Ian Parlin said...

dude, get a pace tat!
http://www.pacetat.com/

sn0m8n said...

Instead of the pace tat, I'm going to go with one of those NFL QB play calling wrist bands. I figure I can confuse people around me by yelling things like: "Blue 42 X Lighting Hut Hut!!!"