back to 3

it has been nearly a month since I ran, and the 2 or 3 weeks before that I only ran a small amount because of some hamstring pain. At the time I suspected my shoes as being the source of the problem. I stopped completely when suddenly I noticed that my normal foot pains had increased tremendously, with new sources of pain as well, and had become unbearable. I could not run. At some point I realized that the hamstring pain was almost definitely from my various foot pains, as I had subconsciously been adjusting my gait to minimize pain and it was messing up my running. That is why all those runs had been struggles and I needed a lot of rest stops as well.

In the meantime I went to the Orthopedist, Podiatrist, had anti-inflammatories, dealt with some PT and orthotics issues and tried to get my foot better. I was diagnosed with Post Tibial Tendon Dysfunction. My feet (mainly right foot, but somewhat on the left a swell) needed to rest, some medication and some TLC via exercises focusing on that part of the body - strengthening the calf and feet.

I feel better now, I think. The pain is pretty much gone, even much of the "normal" pain I had prior to the recent flare up.

I went out today for my first run back. I went planning a short distance of maximum 3km, and no hopes for any specific pace. I just felt it was time to start getting back out there and also to start bringing down the weight I picked up over the past few weeks. My body felt good but the run felt completely off. No rhythm, nothing in sync. It was somewhat difficult but that is to be expected after a significant break. I'll go for a few more short runs and then start building up again, assuming everything continues to feel fine.