Foot Pain

 Injury was inevitable. I've been running regularly for over the past year. I consistently train 6 days per week and run about 20 miles per week. In the grand scheme of running, that isn't a lot, but point being it is consistent.  In the beginning, I kind of ran erratically in terms of not following a specific plan. I followed trainers on the treadmill who I enjoyed listening to and selected specific workouts based on time duration. I was getting a bit bored by this, and after reading the 80:20 book, I began following that philosophy in an attempt to give my workouts more purpose and structure. Most of my runs are short duration and light intensity, with one workout per week being at higher intensity and 1-2 runs being of longer duration. This past Saturday I did a 60-minute jog at light intensity. On Sunday, I had a 45-minute light intensity jog going, and about halfway through is when the bottom of my left foot and lateral left ankle began hurting. I fought through the pain and limped a bit for the rest of the day. This morning the pain had improved compared to yesterday, but has slightly worsened as the day has progressed. I may have a small stress fracture in my foot, or possibly some tendonitis around the ankle. I don't think it's fasciitis and there isn't much else that would cause pain in the bottom of the foot with foot strikes. Either way, I am on the disabled list for the time being. I'd say I'm week to week in terms of duration. Interestingly, one of the benefits of 80:20 running is reduction of injuries. 

Sarah says this may be an opportunity to look at getting some new shoes, and she's probably right. They say you are supposed to get new shoes every 500 miles or so. For me that would be every 6 months, and I believe I am beyond that point. I have been using Brooks Levitate 2. They are up to Levitate 4 currently, and the reviews say that the 4 is not as good as the 2. I think I am going to use this opportunity to actually go to a shoe store to get fitted properly, so I look forward to doing that.