Running

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i do a lot of running. i just completed my first offical half marathon event this morning. i have been training for a couple of months to get ready for it. i have also entered a 10 mile event in october and a full marathon in november. however, as i increase my daily runs and weekly mileage, my body is beginning to complain. as a result of some randomly recurring foot pain, i just found out i have a significant "fibrous mass" rather than bone in part of my first metatarsal bone on one foot. the big toe on my other foot has a subungual hematoma (bleeding under the toe nail) and i am going to loose that toe nail most likely and my entire toe is swollen about 30% larger than normal. my middle toe on that same foot got a stress fracture today. not to mention the half-dollar sized blisters on the back of both heels.

part of the problem is when the fibrous mass in lieu of bone was discovered and identified as the cause of the randomly recurring pain in that foot, the doc said i should start wearing orthotics. putting the orthotics in my shoes lead to the blisters on my heels, the hematoma, and the stress fracture.

i have to get different running shoes which can accomodate the orthotics without causing additional trauma to my feet. i just bought my shoes about 4 weeks ago too and they cost around $100 a pair (asics gels is what i got). so another $100 for a new pair.

since i am running about 50 miles a week, the shoes are only good for about 6 weeks anyhow so they only have two week of useful life left. not too bad.

any other serious runners out there - half, full, or ultra marathoners ?

Yes, I've been a runner for about 35 years now, concentrating on trail running for the last 15 or so. I have done road marathons, but my hardest has been a trail half at altitude. I don't race much anymore, just preferring to trot on my local trails for my own amusement.

Have your othotics fixed your problem? I have extremely high-arched feet and tend to get PF. The orthotics fixed the PF, but gave me a cyst in one arch and a plantar fibroma in the other. Cutting a little scoop out of the orthotics at the center of the arch fixed that. On the whole, the orthotics have been very helpful. I am always afraid of stress fractures, but I think running the softer trails helps this. At the most my mileage is just over 30, followed by a couple of 25-mile weeks. Consecutive 30-mile weeks lead me to injury. I probably just don't recover as well these days.

When I find a pair of shoes that fit my orthotics and feel good after a long run, I invest in as many pairs as I can buy, knowing that each model year they can be "improved" by the maker so that they they no longer work for me. I have gotten great free running shoes as a magazine product tester (plus one pair of real dogs). The last ones I got were RocLites, my new favorites!

I run 12 miles on regular basis. I raced half the marathon once, when I was 15. My problems are scoliosis and foot bonion. I don't think I can give you advice you are asking.

I don't do much distance running anymore, since I damaged my foot skateboarding. I ran a full marathon once, and have some experience coping with foot problems.

The custom orthotics are usually thicker than the standard insoles, so they cause a lot of fit problems. I've lost a few toenails too <grin>. I've found various stock orthotics that work better for me. Some of them are special purpose, so I can leave them in the appropriate shoes. Like my Spenco backpacking insoles in my mountaineering boots.

My newest favorites are New Balance insoles with a metatarsal arch that is different than any other one. I was skeptical, but it really works. I also adjust insoles with little additional pads at times.

50 miles a week is up there, and your body might not like it. There are ways to train that give great effects with fewer miles. For my marathon I only ran 20 miles a week, with the longest training run being 8 miles.

Hills, interval training, stadiums, 'fartleks' all provide more benefits with fewer miles.

Also, do really good stretching (yoga is great) after runs, and on an off days. Only stretch lightly and dynamically before and during a run. It's a constant struggle against hamstring shortening.

Give your body time to heal, and gradually work your way back to full effort. Stress fractures usually mean 6 weeks off.

Good luck. I've gotta go run now: 3 miles, including stadiums, some track sprints, and acceleration drills (accelerate for 3 steps, coast for 4, repeat for 1/2 mile).

I run regularly but nowhere close to 50 miles per week :p I've been having some pain in my right foot though so I'm taking a break now but it's annoying and making my adhd worse :/

I'd love to try Vibram Five Fingers, running barefoot must be awesome. anyone tried those yet?

I used to tape my feet (to provide arch support and protection) and run barefoot. It taught me to run with a more natural gait, rather than striking with the heel.

I have a pair of the five-fingers and I love them. I have a metatarsal lift that sticks to my foot - works well. There isn't any padding, so they aren't suitable for hard surfaces, so that leaves grass and the beach. The problem with the beach is that sand gets in a abrades. They're fine for walking on hard surface, even rocks. I've tried a little bouldering with them, and they worked well..