Goodbye shin splints....hello plantar fasciitis?

furious_angels80

furious_angels80

Barefooters
Dec 19, 2010
16
0
1
#1
Evening!

After suffering with shin splints and on and off running every 6 weeks waiting for them to heel and hopefully be gone I decided to try running in vibrams after hearing about how many people have got rid of then shin, knee, hip pains from going barefoot running/wearing vibrams, so i got myself a pair.

First mistake of doing the too much too soon....

I decided to go for a run in the snow, what was ment to be a quick run down the road and back turned into a 5km run, i was loving it!!!! in the last 100m running home i felt a slight cramping, in my right arch....thought nothing of it. come the next morning it was quiet swollen and i had pain on the underside of my foot right in the middle like a tack...

now its been 3 weeks since this happened, i can still feel it there, but not as bad as it was. Ive been stretching my calfs and hamstrings as ive heard this can help, ive tried not to stretch the plantar as it usually inflames it and starts not hurting but irritating.

I have no morning pains walking on it, i can walk short distances no probs, driving causes it to flare up abit though so tried to avoid driving, but dont want to walk incase this will make it worse :-(

Ive asked on a few forums what to do as i signed up for a marathon in 6 months time and need to train for it, I know its too late to get the millage up in the vibrams, but i would like to get the race finished, so do i....



1)Rest more, let nature take it course and start running in 2-3 weeks time where i have no twinges, stick to my over-pronating trainers (Was advised to use these for my shin splints but it didnt fix it) and then sloooooowly work back into my vibrams and do it the correct way :)



or



2)Carry on wearing my vibrams to build up strength in my feet (Im quite flat footed), but doing small walks and using them as much as possible or will this just aggrivate the problem and just set me back?





Sorry its such a long winded first post :)
 
#3
 A word of warning about

A word of warning about doing too much minimal or barefoot while also running in shoes. Eventually if you do to much your shoes will probably start to hurt you. And I don't mean in a "its hurting my transition" I mean as in they actually cause pain. I ran in a combination of neutral traditional running shoes (TRS), nike frees, zems and barefoot for the first month. Then couldn't stand the TRS anymore and dropped those. I ran in the frees for another two months but toward the end of my third month every time I'd get up to about 12 miles in them I'd get horrible ankle pains and have to take them off and run the rest barefoot. I think this hit about the point in time I was doing 50-70mpw with around 50-60% of it bf or minimal. I'm not really training for anything so having to drop miles now doesn't really bother me too much (well plus I'm having other issues which has caused a complete stop to running but thats a different story). Doing the transition this way really did let me keep up my mileage and not loose any running fitness and served me well up until it didn't. If I was actually training for a marathon I don't know what I would do now. I think I'd have to drop the marathon or maybe do it in my super old new balances with about 2000 miles and no heal drop (since its been pounded away over the last 5 years).

In hindsight if I was actually training for a marathon and planning on doing it shod I think I'd of kept all my barefoot runs to 6 very slow miles or under. Basically recovery runs only. Then do all my real training in as minimal of normal shoes as I could get. I'd love to give you some suggestions but I'm not good with shoe names. I liked my Frees though and my old shoes now that they are nearly dead. I didn't start noticing an absolute dread of putting on shoes and the pain that came with it until I got up to around 13 bf miles a couple times a week. As I said I wasn't training for anything though so I didn't see much reason to keep running in shoes if they were no longer helping me, but I think if I had done this it would've made it so I could keep running in shoes longer

I would question your choice of shoes though. Running in motion controlled trainers seems a bit like torture after having a taste of minimal running don't you think?
 
#4
Are you sure you have PF?  If

Are you sure you have PF? If so, that's the oddest case of PF I have ever heard of, not to say that you don't have it. Besides the constant stretching of your calves, be sure to wear a night splint, and take some anti-inflammatories, and ice.

The reason you have developed PF is because of weak arches. Once you build up your arch muscles, your plantar fascia won't have to bear the load, the stress, and the force from your steps and weight. It takes time to build up those arch muscles, but not too long, and well worth the effort.

It's best to train for the marathon in the manner in which you wish to run the marathon. If your intention is barefoot, then you should train for it barefoot.

Good luck, and keep us posted on how you progress with PF and your training.
 
#5
i say forget the marathon and

i say forget the marathon and just focus on bf or vff. have fun. forget about a race. training will make running a job. that tends to make one miserable.



if your still going to do it then i can tell you i had some pains switching to vff but quickly built up and passed what i was doing in shoes. i continually get stronger and faster each or every other month.



mike
 
#6
 Hello there. I am brand

Hello there. I am brand spankin new to BFR, like a week into it, but I can totally relate to your issues. I also developed shin splints while wearing fancy running shoes, but also some knee pain, and in my search for a way to run pain free, I found out about the VFFs. I also found out that shin splints are likely caused by TMTS, even shod (maybe especially shod), or heel striking like most do while running in shoes. What I started doing was wearing the VFFs as much as I could for everyday activities. Then, after about a week or two, I did two 1 mile runs in place of my easy 3 or 4. I was still doing two longer runs in shoes per week (6 miles and 8 or 9 miles) paying VERY close attention to my form. And this was working very well. I was adding about 10 - 15% per week with no problems. I got to the point where I could run about 3 miles in the VFFs without issue, and that was only after about a month or maybe 6 weeks. Maybe something like that could work, or...

Now I am starting from scratch completely BF. I made the decision to transition for many reasons, but one of the big reasons was that I ran a 10k in my VFFs at 8:15/mile pace - my fastest time by 20 sec/mile - and felt fine...until the next day. My ankles where very, very sore - like an injury, and my calves felt like they were on fire, and I realized, I did it again...TMTS. After a few weeks of slowly transition into VFFS, I totally blew it. Why? I think it was because my feet had a barrier between them and the ground. I can tell you that after three runs completely BF, I think it will be hard to do too much too soon, your feet will tell you. There is no way that I could run a 10k BF right now, and I KNOW that, without a doubt.

I would say take a month or two and really focus on building strength and working on your form, and then try adding significant mileage. If you get up to where you can run it, great! If not, keep running and building for the next marathon. One thing for sure, if you do not take the time initially to build up your muscles and work on form, you will hurt yourself again. And again. And again. Some of that is from personal experience, but most of it is from the good people on this forum and reading all their info and advice.

Just another perspective from a fellow new BFR.

Good luck!
 
#7
My question is, can you put

My question is, can you put up with the shin splints and do the marathon and almost all the training in shoes?

If not, the you really only have one option, and that is to go minimal/barefoot (not the same thing, and you will learn 100000000000 time faster barefoot, but they're both a step in the same direction). Whats that you say? You have two options, to do the marathon minimal, or just to work on your form and forget the marathon? Well, someone else may have a different story, but I've never heard of anyone making the full transition AND getting in enough training for a marathon in 6 months. I've been totally barefoot for 5 months, and only now am I actually able to significantly increase my mileage.

So, either suck it up and run through the shin splints, or forget the marathon, forget the shoes, forget the mileage, and forget everything you think you know about running, and by doing so become a barefoot runner. (Or a minimal runner, if you really want to go that way, but you're still gonna want to go barefoot to learn properly.)

You probably aren't quite ready for this decision, it takes several runs to really convince someone that barefooting/minimal running is even possible, much less the definite way to go.

My advice, just walk around barefoot as much as you can while you're making your decision either way. At the very least you'll have stronger arches.
 
#8
 The basic idea behind

The basic idea behind running barefoot is listening to your body. Being barefoot gives you the maximum feedback, and as such provides the best training tool you will ever have. Put the marathon on hold. Let your body recover, then run barefoot to build the muscular and bone structure of your feet and legs.

It is one of the hardest acts ... saying no to your ego and yes to your feet.
 
#9
I think most folks here are

I think most folks here are really polite and won't just come out and say "you're cruisin' to hurt yourself with this back and forth nonsense." 6 months is way too soon for a marathon either barefoot or minimalist - you're hurt now, or just barely recovered, and you'd be doing well to run a 10 miler or half marathon that soon.

Migangelo is on the right track. Maybe lay off the aggressive, goal oriented stuff and go for learning to run again in a way that doesn't hurt and that brings you joy. Take it easy. Your feet are begging you!
 
#10
Wow! Thanks for all the

Wow! Thanks for all the replies guys, very much appriciated :)

I have decided to cancel the marathon and focus on getting fit again to enjoy running, i looked up the refund policy and they dont give one, so its £50 down the pan :-( abit gutted, as i signed up 3 months ago, hoping i had enough time to build up millage in normal trainers, but with all the constant injuries im getting 26miles is going to be alot of pain! I want to one day say ive done a marathon and even build up to doing a full ironman, thats my ultimate goal :)...ooo and get some arches in my feet (thats if its possible for these flat feet)

So where do i go from here? i think i want to defo use the vibrams all the time now, as the feeling of running in them was amazing! can anyone point me in the right direction on correct form i should be using or some drill to practice? I would say im currently a mid foot/toe stiker since using the vibrams as heel striking is literally suicide for your feet ect :).

Also how shall i work up the millage, im thinking of walking to work in them but its a 5km jouney there and back which i think would be too much? even just walking and not running can be TMTS?
 
#11
 I'm sure Jason's book is

I'm sure Jason's book is very good and would be a great resource. Another one that I found especially helpful is Master the Art of Running by Balk and Shields. They're even a couple of Brits, so they'll speak your language :) Although it isn't a barefooting book, it has excellent biomechanical advice as well as drills to improve your form.
 
#12
If the event fills up you

If the event fills up you might be able to work out some deal with someone else to use your packet, no? It seems like someone would be able to help you through one of the running clubs or online communities. Good luck!

...and stay warm - I hear that it's blowing like an ice age over there. My wife's from Wilts. and her family are not the hardiest of souls. They're suffering mightily every time they have to step out their doors.
 
#13
lol txtenderfoot , thanks for

lol txtenderfoot , thanks for the book advice, ill look it up :)

Ill give that a try JosephTree, im sure someone on the running forum wants to take my place for a few quid and the transfer fee, so i might get some money back.

Yeah its about -14 or -7 sometimes in the morning, i did contemplate running barefoot one morning but even going to the car on the driveway to get my gloves out i was hopping crazy thinking "geeeezzzz thats friggin' cold!!" dunno how anyone can run on surfaces so cold!, i think i would suffer even in my vibrams with the cold.
 
#14
It sounds like you have to

It sounds like you have to treat the inflammation properly. You can for anti-inflammatories from your doctor, or you can try a natural anti-inflammatory. There is more info about shin splints treatment here, hope it helps!
 
#15
Precious baby, Meital.

Precious baby, Meital. Welcome!
 
#16
i think we all suffer from

i think we all suffer from TMTS, it's our rite of passage. I had great luck conditioning my feet with a golf ball and a piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe. Not unlike the foam roller for stretching your facia, roll slowlyusing one or the other on each foot several times a day. It will hurt quite a bit at first but slowly you'll find that you can put more and more weight down while rolling. You'll get a great stretch. The PVC won't do much for the ball of your foot but is great for arch/heel. The golf ball is great on the ball and heel, less so on the arch.

I abandoned my June 2011 Marathon plans. Now I just run and enjoy it.

Hang in there Furious Angels!
 
#17
Sara, I'm so sorry.  Why will

Sara, I'm so sorry. Why will you not be able to run the marathon? Are you injured? I might have missed your post. You still have time either way. What's going on?
 
#18
Well a quick update, sorry

Well a quick update, sorry been enjoying my sons first Xmas and had no end of new toys to play with :)

Ive had to go into work as it was my time to cover the xmas holidays, it was so dead and boring...so on my lunch break i had a good stretch and decided to go a gentle 2mile jog in my running shoes, felt good, did a quick stretch before returning to work.

Next morning, no pain at all in my underside of my foot and compleatly forgot about it, but just that kinda tight you-know-its-there feeling (sorry hard to explain it lol) got a few DOMS in my legs its been a while since i last run, so i might try and build my millage back up again slowly....

Would it be ok to build up in my vibrams doing 1mile and going up in 0.5 a week? say 1 mile this week, 3x and then next week 1.5miles 3x a week and so on?...
 
#19
The 10% rule is safest, but I

The 10% rule is safest, but I would go with your plan. Seems sensible to me.

Let me tell you what I've noticed about having PF. Background first: I developed PF while healing from cryosurgery in both feet for Morton's Neuroma (a condition directly caused by the types of shoes I used to wear). The reason I got PF was because after the surgery, I was walking around on my heels for 3 plus months trying to avoid putting any pressure or weight on the balls of my feet where the cryoprobes were inserted; it was that painful. Now that I am running barefoot about every other day, my PF is getting better and better and better each time I do. The reason is because I am restrenghtening my arch muscles.

I watched a video where Dr. Irene Davis was explaining what happens with PF and why it is so painful. She said that when our arch muscles are weak or injured, the plantar fascia has to do all the work in bearing the load. This is not the plantar fascia's job; that job is supposed to be the muscles job, but if they are inadequate for whatever reason, the plantar fascia ends up doing all the work, and since this is not its job, it becomes injured. The only way to recover from this is to strengthen the muscles in the arch and feet. Once the muscles are strong enough to bear the weight, then the plantar fascia can start to heal.

So it would make sense that running barefoot (or in something so minimal that it does not atrophy the muscles of the feet) would strengthen the muscles of the feet and prevent you from developing PF in the future, as long as the feet stay strong and healthy. And it would make sense that so many people who run shod do get PF because the shoes are weakening/atrophying their arch muscles.

So keep building up those arch muscles, and your PF will go away, like mine is.
 
#20
Thanks for that long reply

Thanks for that long reply Barefoot TJ :)

Im hoping the barefooting will cure this case of PF i have and the shin splints ive been plauged with since i took running up again, i would love to have some arches to stop me overpronating too, seeing the wet foot mark in the bath towel when i get out the shower is depressing, big flat pancake feet :-(

I am contemplating a full barefoot run tommorow morning...just started another post to see what people think.
 
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