My Left Foot

Had a bit of a saga with this extremity, which hopefully is just about behind me. I bought some funky new running shoes a while back, mainly because they were on offer. Some flash new Asics - I tried them on and they seemed brilliant. However, even when I ran home with them the first time (about 5-6 miles), I thought I felt a twinge in the back of my foot. Naturally, I assumed they would "bed in", and did a 10k the following weekend in them. Did a good time, but definitely had a twinge afterwards. This was a while back now, and I've eased off on the running since, even having nearly a whole week off. I bought some athletic tape last time I was in 'sinki and strapped it up too. Then I did other things to it. 1 - I went cycling round the city, and it was completely uneventful (I am a bad cyclist) right up to the very end, when somehow I managed to come off while going quite quick - didn't hit anything, it just went weird. I got up unscathed....apart from having smacked my sandal-clad left foot against a sharp bit of the bike. Nothing too bad, but more pain. I ran a little the next day, and all seemed basically sound.

So, the Monday I went to the Harriers meet as per usual - the mood wasn't quite as much fun as normal (lots of folk on holiday), and I was darting around like a terrier as is my wont. During a foray into the woods, "On On" was shouted from elsewhere and I managed to catch my foot....yes, the left one, in a divot or something - quite a painful wrench and my achilles tendon was still throbbing a bit from the existing situation.

I duly strapped up the foot with the tape I had bought, and all was well for a day or so. I showered, and realised the soggy tape had to come off. This is agony over the hairy bits (i.e. most of my feet), but it came off readily enough over the top. And then I realised that it wasn't just the tape that had come off. Incredibly, a 4 inch long section had bonded with the skin more keenly than that skin had with the rest of me. Although it didn't hurt as I did it, I looked incredulously at this big patch of now exposed and livid flesh. Ow. What does that say about the fibre of one's being when it cheerfully ups sticks and goes off with any Tom, Dick or Harry that just happens to be adhered to it? I was disgusted. It was particularly annoying as the tear was too big to use a plaster on, so I just had to muddle along and take my socks off very carefully. Ugh.

So I'd got a bit of achilles tendonitis, a bit of muscle sprain on the top of my foot as well as a dirty great strip of skin missing, just days after entering the Milan marathon in November. Worried about the tendonitis, I looked up how to get it fixed. The remedy is:
- don't knacker it any more
- rest, ice, compression, elevation (usual)
- ultrasound

The first two not really being compatible with the marathon training programme, I focused on the third. I managed to buy an ultrasound massager from JPM Products, and it arrived when it said it would. I've been giving it a go, and I have to say I think it's working a treat. It's definitely better, the only snag is will my training make it worse faster than Dr Ultrsound can make it better? Only time can tell.