Advice Part II: Advice worth running for.

All this Olympic paraphernalia I am looking at is confirming that I have absolutely no right to be sitting here in this running room shrine. Upon further reflection on my last post it occurred to me that the best advice is from someone unbiased, with no agenda and expertise. And unless you are extremely fortunate, it is usually the sort you have to pay for. In a very convoluted way my severe case of sinusitis back in November led me to secure an appointment with the Australian Running Olympic Team podiatrist.

We started off by talking about why I was there. I explained when I started “running” back in August I noticed a pins and needles sensation in the middle of the ball of my right foot. I thought since I was running in a pair of shoes that were more than ten years old, that maybe it was easy fixed. Luckily I had a very knowledgeable shoes salesman that pointed out what I was describing sounded like Morton's Neuroma and that I should defiantly get it checked out. I tell him all this but do not reveal my ulterior motive is to find out how a podiatrist becomes an advocate for barefoot running and to ask his opinion of whether this is a route I should start running.

He did some basic tests. Placed my foot as far back from the wall with my knee bent still able to touch the wall and measured the distance. Checked my balance by getting me to stand on one foot, eyes open and shut. I laid down and he tried to find the location of the problem. He drew a line in the middle of the back of my heel then he put me on the treadmill first walking and then running. We studied the video. I think the results surprised us both. I have about as close to perfect natural form as you can get which puts me in good position to start barefoot running twice a week.

The official diagnosis is a bursitis which has the potential to develop into a neuroma. The podiatrist said that a good runner comes down to three things: strength, speed and experience. Of which I have none. My treatment involves working on my balance. This helps strengthen the hundreds of small muscles in the foot. Using ice on the foot. Massaging the ball of the foot. Doing three sets of ten reps of calf raises. Re-lacing my shoes so that the first two holes are empty. Which sounds like a fairly simple solution that I should be suspicious. But my only other brief encounter with a podiatrist was after I had my third baby and was diagnosed with crippling plantar fascitis. Which was simply solved by pointing and flexing my feet before I getting out of bed.

As he was strapping my foot I spied, his 2007 New York Marathon Shirt framed on his wall and shared my hope of one day running a marathon. “You will.” He said this matter of factly. I felt absolved of any feelings of self doubt and reborn as a runner. Pretty good value for AUD $100.