Orthotics and other stuff

Yesterday I drove to Birmingham to pick up my orthotics. Here's a pic:



They feel and look better than I expected. I can't run with them for at least a week. My feet have to grow accustomed to being supported in their normal state. So, I've worn them in my work shoes and will do so until early next week. But I think these will work out well. Of course, the proof will be when I run with them. If you will notice, there seems to be a round bump in the mid-foot area, just past the arch. He put that there to support that part of my foot. While I can feel it when I start walking, it feels good after a few steps. Kind of weird.

As some of you know, at least those of you who are Trilogy Running fans (www.trilogyrunning.blogspot.com), I travelled to Birmingham this past weekend to see the Mercedes Half- and Full- Marathon. Jason of Trilogy was running his first half, and his brother Shawn, who has a strange-but-true butt injury, came over. We had a running podcast summit and enjoyed meeting each other for the first time. They live in Atlanta, and I am in Jacksonville, AL, which puts us only an hour or so apart. They are two very nice, and very funny, guys. I took some pics of marathon surroundings during the race. I've never really paid attention to the finish line areas of such races unless I was crossing them, and became fascinated at the level of organization and preparation for the finish line, the part of the race that most people never forget, exspecially when it is their first.


The finish line, not quite ready.



Lots of those thin Mylar blankets. It was a cool day, they would need them.



More orange quarters than I've ever seen.




The prize. Half-Marathon medals.



Here's Jason. He was cramping pretty badly, so much so that several massage therapists came over to assist and see his calves, which seemed to be some sort of medical oddity.



Trak Shak (www.trakshak.com) is a local Birmingham running specialty store. The people there are sharp and know their shoes. I've bought several pair form them over the past year. Scott strand is a local running celebrity in Birmingham and co-owns and manages a couple of branches. He's pretty fast--once ran a mile in 4:00:01. But they've always been nice to me and allow me to loiter in their store and ask pesky questions for longer than I probably should.

My feet

Got fitted for orthotics last week. I'll pick them up next week, but thought you might be interested in what my feet look like in the special molds that they use to craft the orthotics (yeah, sure we are, you bore). I also bought some new shoes.



Contrary to conventional wisdom, the pedorthic guy (that's what they call the person who builds them) says you should buy your new shoes before you get the orthotics fitted for the shoes. So I bought some Saucony ProGrid Stabils.


These are a sweet ride. They are lighter than the Mizuno Renegades and the Brooks Beasts. Both of which I can still run in but in low miles. I've run in them twice and they feel better each time.

I'm in my last week of 3- and 4-mile recovery runs before training for the Nashville Half marathon. It has been hard to get motivated without a plan. I suspected as much--without some goal to work for, I feel lost and aimless. But it does feel good to run again.

Back in the saddle

Sorry for the long delay. Haven't had much to say, really. I was sick as a dog for 2 weeks after the marathon. I heard that one's immunity is at its lowest after a marathon, so I figure I picked something up soon after the race. So, after a week of coughing and a running nose, then another week of coughing and a z-pack from my doctor, I improved enough to go for my first run. Two weeks without running was weird enough, but the way I felt when I returned to the road was even stranger. Nothing felt natural. It was as if I had just started running. Here we are a week later and into week 2 of my marathon running recovery and I feel better.

I did go to the orthopedic doctor last week for an examination of a nagging foot issue I've had since late October. It turns out I have a mild case of posterior tibial tendonitis. That is to say that I have a slight swelling in the big tendon that wraps down your lower leg and around the back of that ankle bony-knob on the inside of your foot and connects to the tarsals below. Dang. Just look at the picture below. The first arrow, the one on the upper right is pointing to the exact spot where I have developed a small knot in that tendon.



This tendon helps support the arch, so when you have an issue with the tendon you can suffer fallen arches and/or feel soreness in the arches. That's exactly what I felt beginning in late October. Weird thing though, it got better over time. Even as my mileage picked up in November and December, the soreness subsided and only appeared late in long runs or 8 or so miles or more. This is a common overuse injury and can be corrected or treated by stretching techniques and even the use of an orthotic. So I'm getting fitted for an orthotic on Wednesday. I'll have it in a week and will see how it goes.

I've also experienced intermittent numbness in my left pinkie toe. The ortho doctor was not concerned and said this is a common occurrence in some long-distance runners when the feet pound for so long on the pavement and nerves therein get smacked around. It is getting better, so I no longer think I'll lose a foot.

Here are a few things I haven't missed since running Disney: clif shots and powerade. I had enough of both of those during the marathon to last for a long while!

What's next? My friend Lisa is working on a half-marathon training plan or me with the goal of running in Nashville in the Country Music Marathon/Half-Marathon on April 25.

Recording a new episode of the podcast tomorrow on a cold morning run. Supposed to be 23 degrees when I head out. What is this, New England?