Thursday, November 29, 2007

Plantar Fasciitus

I have one more day until the marathon and I think I have everything packed and ready to go. There is a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I'm forgetting something...probably just pre-race anxiety and don't I know all about that! :)

Temps are predicted to be a high of 68 and a low of 54 with cloudy skies, an improvement from the rain that was in the forecast last week. Perfect running weather I think, planning to wear shorts. Now, do I pin my number on my tank top or on my shorts....the age old question.

Yes, I have plantar fasciitus in my right heel. It entered my life on November 16 when I had excruciating pain getting out of bed and then had to limp when I first started running. Since then, I've taken extra rest days, shortened my last two long runs to short ones and even biked one day. I've been stretching and got in for some physical therapy on Tuesday.

There is a fabulous physical therapist in Little Rock who helped me with IT band problems over the summer. He did some therapy on my foot and then taped me up. Surprisingly that has helped more than I expected. Pain was far less on my last run before the marathon, Wednesday, and it actually went away by mile 2. Tomorrow I go back to the PT for a final taping before race day.

I'm as ready as I can be, kind of worried about pace and finish time, not sure what to aim for exactly. Also slightly worried about my foot of course. Will it hurt? Will it be fine and then become excruciating at some point during the 26 miles? A lot can happen in the animal known as marathon, it's such a long distance that everything just hangs in an unknown balance. Will it be smooth sailing that ends up in a storm? Will it be a rocky start with a successful summit? Will it be IDEAL where everything feels effortless? Will it be a gut-wrenching soul-searching painful experience culminating in tears of relief to cross the finish line? I think I have experienced all of those in past marathons!

Bottom line is I love to run and I love the marathon. Saturday will be another day in my memory and another day to be thankful that I'm able to run at all. A good friend reminded me of a great verse for the marathon in Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." Another favorite marathon verse for me is Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheth me." He is the source of the ability, and the strength, and the joy in running.

1 comment:

Arland said...

Good luck Saturday! The only good thing about PF is that most of the time the pain goes away after you warm up. Been there done that! You never know what the marathon will throw at you and I think that is part of what makes it so challenging. When you are determined to finish nothing will stop you. Just be prepared to adjust your goal times during the race. The finish is what its all about, good times are just a bonus. Good luck and I know you will have a great marathon!