Plantar Fasciitis... Yup... what da???

I have a pain at the bottom of my right foot that comes and go... 

It first occur at the beginning of this year. I was out doing a 10km run and I stepped on some mud... I stupidly  stomp my foot on the ground to get rid if it... Sigh, instead of getting rid of the mud, I got this pain at the bottom of my foot that has stuck on until now...

So did my research on the ever trusty injuredrunner.com and see what it was... According to the website and my self diagnosis, I am pretty sure that I am suffering from plantar fasciitis... Ok, I admit, I was like what plant? What face? I don't even know how to pronounce these 2 words when I first saw them...

Here's the definition from injuredrunner.com

"Plantar Fasciitis literally means inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a thick band of rigid tissue that extends from your heel to your toes. The function of this fascia is to help your foot transition from the shock absorption phase (heel contact to foot being flat) to becoming a rigid lever for push off as the heel rises and toes bend."

As the pain is not constant and kind of go away after I warmed up, I did not take it seriously as I can still run... It did not even affect me at my last VTRC race in February. So I did (or try) all the treatment methods on the site to see if I can get rid of the plantar fasciitis by myself...

Well, we are now at the end of April and I have not been successful in getting rid of my  plantar fasciitis... When self help does not work, bring on the pros!!! Ok, I should have known better, on hindsight, I should have bloody go see a physio months ago and not leave it until now... It Is good that I do not have any race lined up in May... Hopefully I can recover in a month and be ready for race 2 of the VTRC at Macedon Ranges...

A trip to the physio on Friday confirmed my self diagnosis... Plantar bloody fasciitis... Got a massage on the foot to relieve the "knot"... I was also told that my calf is too tight and it does not help the recovery... Need to relieve the tightness and also strengthen my calf... Good news is that it is not too serious and I can continue with my runs... phew...

Here is the prescribed exercise that I am required to do twice a day...

Facing a wall with feet close to the wall...

Do 10 x double feet raise, followed by 3 sets of 10 x single foot raise for each foot... If possible, body must not touch the wall or fall back... try it... 

Will be back to the physio on Monday to tape the foot and see how the run feel... then it is back to the physio on Wednesday to follow up... Hopefully all good from then on...

Well, I need to, because I have a race every month from June to September!!! Fingers (and toes) crossed...

My lifelong marathon update, Apr-12

As the saying goes, videos speak louder than words... so here they are, some Angelena actions over the last few months...

Angelena at 3 months, practicing her kung fu kicks...

Angelena at 4 months, having her first bite of solid...

Never give up until you complete the flip!!!

Now, I do realise that she may not want to talk to me later in her life when she found out that I had "leaked" a video of her flipping naked on the internet... But I can't help it... To me, this clip is really inspiring... She try and did not give up until she completed her flip... What a trooper!!! I wonder where she learn to have such strength and determination... Hmmm...

Coming to 5 months, Angelena has now found her feet and she loves touching them... 

After putting in hours to perfect her flipping technique, she can now do it with ease...

Learning is a 2 way street... Angelena wants to learn from us, and in the process, we also get to learn from her... She is now about 6.5kg and growing... With 5 months of intensive "upper body training", I think my biceps and core muscles have grown stronger from all the lifting and settling "exercises"... 

So what's coming next? Commando crawl? Obstacle course? Can't wait!!!