Turning the corner

It's obviously been some time since I've last posted here - there is no good reason for not keeping up with the blog so my apologies. However, there has been quite a bit going on so let me catch you up.

Training (if that's what we want to call it) has been more of a maintenance these last couple months. About 2 months ago, I committed myself to a wellness plan at a new rehab/chiropractic place here in Gilbert. I really liked what they offered and they are genuine in helping me fix what ails me. Here's a list of the things that were ailing me:

1. Plantar faciitis - Pray you never get this. If you feel pressure or pain in your arches when you first step out of bed in the morning stop running immediately and see a podiatrist. You have plantar faciitis...running will only make it worse.
2. Misaligned hips - The right side of my hip is about an inch lower than the left. This impacts the alignment of the spine but also contributes to #3.
3. Imbalanced foot pressure - Putting a bathroom scale under each foot, we discovered that my right leg exerts 12 lbs of pressure MORE than my left leg. 12 POUNDS...that's a bowling ball more stress being applied to the hips and feet when I run.

So add all those things up and you have a recipe for disaster. Bio-mechanically, it's easy to see how all of these things are causing undue stress and pressure in areas that don't deal with that very well.

I've been going to rehab (sounds like I'm an alcoholic or something) 3 times a week and doing massage every 2 weeks just to loosen things up and to aid with the chiropractic adjustments (at least, that's how I justify it in my mind!). The early weeks were focused on re-aligning my body, strengthening different muscle groups around some of the trouble areas - neck, shoulders, hips and calves. It's fascinating how so many of the things in the body are connected - often, the location of your pain is not often the source of the actual problem.

Well, to wind this up things are going great. The doctors and I had a re-assessment last week to see what kind of progress I was making. I was very honest with them and said, "I feel great. The spine, neck and shoulders were feeling great but my feet were not getting the attention or relief that I want" They listened and changed my treatment plan to focus on the feet.

After a couple of focused massages and adjustments of the feet, I can honestly say that they are starting to improve. It's relative - they still throb and I feel some pressure but there is a pain that has dissipated - and that gives me hope that we're on the right path and that recovery is near.

I just need to be patient. Let them heal and then wait just a little bit more.

226 days until Ironman Arizona.