Diagnosis: Plantar Fasciitis

It would appear that my running has resulted in the degeneration of the collagen fibres close to the attachment to the calcaneus (heel bone).  Apparently this is a common condition for runners, especially those of us who overpronate.

The problem is that if I continue to run on my painful foot I will aggravate the injury and increase the inflammation.

  I've had a sports massage to reduce the tension in the plantar fascia and also to stretch the calf muscles and I've been advised to apply ice to help reduce the pain and inflammation. I've also been given a range of Plantar Fasciitis exercises to do to help treat the problem.  The main issue is that I'm unlikely to be able to run on it for a while, as even  walking or standing on the foot can apparently stop the inflamed tissue from healing. However on a positive note I can still do some gentle cycling and swimming too.  Hopefully such cross training will keep me ticking over and my foot will recover in time for the Marathon. I guess only time will tell, in the meantime I'm going to put a can of soup in the freezer....

My Highest and Lowest Couple of Weeks

Pic by Sandy Ferguson

Cup Heroes – Highs and Lows

It’s been a strange and indeed unique couple of weeks with Killie beating Celtic at Hampden to win the League Cup and the ecstasy then turning to sadness as the news broke of Kilmarnock’s Liam Kelly’s father Jack having a fatal heart attack at the end of the game.

Having run 20 miles on the morning I was too tired to go to Hampden and I must admit that my last two League Cup Finals were not happy occasions as first Celtic and then Hibs demolished the ‘stars in stripes’.  

I managed the 20miles and stuck to my training schedule pace of 9min/miles though my left leg did most of the work, as first the pain on my right abductor muscle and then the sole of my foot took their toll.  With Monday an official rest day, it was Tuesday before I tested my legs again but with the pain in my foot I opted for the softer treadmill option to do my interval session. 

£100 Trainers

Although I had recently invested in my Asics 2360s, it appeared that my right foot, in particular, was not getting enough support.  A lunchtime trip to Run4It and after expert analysis of my running style, I left almost £100 lighter with a pair of shiny, new, Asics 2170s.  Well I would have if I hadn’t got my 10% discount, which reduced the price from £99 to a still hefty £89:10.

However I left my new trainers at work and on Wednesday I gave my Asics 2360s another chance as I ran my 9mile run.  The pain in my legs and foot was too sore to run on Thursday and, as Friday was a rest day, it was Saturday before I gave my new 2170s an outing.  Nothing too serious though, a 4mile easy run @9min/mile pace. 

100^th Strathclyde parkrun

Of course, I combined this with the 100^th Strathclyde parkrun and it was great to see some old friends there, including Tom and Marie McChord; Clare Purdie, loads  of Motherwell AC runners and young Amy Friel, who I provided some encouragement too in the latter part of her maiden parkrun.  She was delighted to finish in a time of 27:51.  Another delighted runner was Jammy Jo Smith who, wearing his Kilmarnock FC 125^th anniversary vest, recorded a course PB of 20:50.  John and the rest of the team at Strathclyde had further cause for celebrations when the barcodes revealed that the event had attracted a new record of some 183 runners crossing the finishing line.

Full results

 Perfect Day at Rugby Park

In the afternoon it was my turn to wear my Kilmarnock FC 125^th anniversary vest as I made my way to Rugby Park for the first time in years.  I wanted to show my gratitude to the team for their great performance at Hampden and the impeccable way that the club had conducted itself through a difficult week.  Motherwell FC were the opposition and their large travelling support showed tremendous dignity and were a credit to their Club and Scottish Football as a whole.  A decent game of football; gorgeous weather; a fine result and an emotional post game parade of the League Cup would have added up to a great day but add a Killie Pie and meeting some old friends and it adds up to an almost perfect day.

Worst Day in Pollok Park

A quiet night in on Saturday, albeit an hour shorter than normal, and I was ready for my long run in Sunday.  With the Dirty Duo kicking off at Ibrox at 1pm, I was keen to ensure that my training was completed as soon as possible.  Porridge and pre-run fuel taken and body and feet covered in Vaseline, I made my way to Pollok Park in what was probably the hottest morning of the year.  I was perspiring after my 1mile jog warm up!  A quick wipe down, I refuelled and set off for a mock Half Marathon with a target of 8min/miles.  Running around Bellahouston and Pollok Parks, I refuelled every 5k and was feeling strong but by the time I reached the 9mile mark my right leg and foot were hurting badly.  My pace dropped as the pain increased and by the time I reached 12miles the pain was excruciating.  Perhaps foolishly, I hobbled on until I completed my 13.1miles and then almost in tears I limped the 0.7miles back to my car. 

Woe

A cold bath, hot food and a sleep were to follow.  A search on the Internet now has me thinking that the pain in my foot isn’t due to the lack of support from my trainers but possibly a navicular sprain*. Whatever the problem is, the confidence gained by last week’s 20mile run had been replaced with a major question mark over the ability of my leg and foot to survive a marathon and there’s less than 4 weeks to go!

Century Ian

Thanks to William 'Bellahouston Harrier' 

Well Plan B didn't last long. On my first night of my new training schedule, I jogged the mile along to Maxwell Park and then as soon as I increased my pace to start my intervals I felt the strain on my abductor and hamstring muscles. I hobbled home and took an enforced break from running.  The good news was that I refreshed my training by doing some cycling and resorting to working on my upper body and abs during the next week.

This meant that I had to postpone my 100th parkrun and had to pull out of the Inverness Half.  I managed a 5.5mile run on Thursday though and, with no real adverse affects, decided to run my 100th parkrun on Saturday 10th March.

The wonders of the Internet, social networking and good old-fashioned word of mouth, meant that when I arrived at Pollok Park, I was greeted with one good wish after the other. The acknowledgements continued as I did my warm up and by the time we lined up at the start of my 100th parkrun I was on a real high.  However I was wary of my leg and I didn't want to damage it again.  I recalled the old running adage: "Don't start like an idiot and don't finish like a wimp."

At 9:30am I set off with another 365 runners, spooky with this being a leap year.  I ignored my fellow runners who darted off, whilst I tried to restrain my pace.  Despite the large turnout, including some who had came along especially to join me in my centennial canter, some regulars were missing with: holidays, the Inverness Half and the local Jack Crawford 10k all attracting Glasgow parkrunners.

Martin Myant gave me a friendly pack on the back as he overtook me and marshalls and supporters smiled, waved and provided words of support and recognition of my century of runs.

In the race itself, I was a bit surprised to catch Martin up as he is one of the most consistent runners at the event.  He did reappear on my shoulder a bit later but he didn't have quite enough to overtake me as I stuck to my task of having a respectable, if not spectacular race.   I increased the pace a little in the final third of the 5k event and continued to make my way through the field.  I passed in-form Graeme Pert on his way to another PB.  With a kilometre to go, I felt my hamstring straining and, for a second, I thought about pulling over and walking for a bit.  "Don't finish like a wimp" I reminded myself and stuck to my task.  I finished strongly but resisted the temptation to go hell for leather on the last 200m.  I didn't want to do anymore damage to my leg and I crossed the line in 66th place with a time of 21:56.  I was happy enough with that, my fastest time at Glasgow since November 2011 and almost half a minute faster than my last outing two weeks ago.  I shared congratulations with those around me and others in the queue as they waited to hand in their barcodes.

This was my 86th Glasgow parkrun and I've run it in sunshine and in snow, in hail and in rain.  I've run at least six different routes in Glasgow and I've finished as high as 14th and with a fastest time of 20:50.  I've run it at the end of long run training sessions and I've run it in support of others, encouraging them on their way round.  Competitively, I've had some good tussles over the time, not least of all racing against my cousin Kenny Rae on his sole outing.

I've also completed 10 Strathclyde parkruns, on two slightly different routes, in my century of parkruns, placing as high as 12th, with a best time of 20:29.  I had the pleasure of acting as a pacer at one of the Strathclyde races, helping fellow runners to complete the course in around 21 minutes.  I've had three outings at the Edinburgh parkrun, on three, slightly different Cramond courses. My best Edinburgh place being 30th but my best time there was a PB of 20:19.  My single sojorn to Falkirk, saw me placing 44th in the inaugural event, with a time of 23:15, as I commemorated my 100th 5k race by tackling Callendar Park's now infamous Heartbreak Hill.
 
I've made a lot of friends as I've run my 500km through Scotland's parks, some of them were kind enough to help me celebrate my century of canters by joining me in the Burrell Cafe for some cake, chocolates and coffee to mark the occasion after Saturday's events.  Thanks to all of you for making each one of the hundred 5k races so special. 


Reagan's First
One special runner at the Glasgow parkrun on Saturday was Reagan Maliska who was tackling his first 5k to raise funds for The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, who had cared for his Grandfather Jack during the last few weeks of his life, which sadly ended in December 2011.  The youngster has raised over £1200, so far, for the Hospice and deserves all of

our respect and admiration.  Well done Reagan!