Of course, there's no way to know without seeing a doc; however, PF does tend to loosen up on runs...at least from my experience of having several bouts of it. The worst pain was in the morning when I woke up so I would keep an eye on that if I were you. If it starts to get worse, I would see a sports doc soon to find out what you can do to alleviate the problem fast. The good news is that I have heard that you can run through PF as long as its not too severe. The issue is getting the inflammation down so cutting back mileage a bit, icing, and using NSAIDS can take care of it, but it might just take some time. Don't worry - if you've done that much running, you have a good base - if you have to take some time off, the fitness will come back after some time. Hope it gets better.

In addition to all the advice you will get about how to get rid of plantar fasciitis you should remember to buy new shoes of a different brand. This step is often overlooked.

As your running goes better you need to spend more time doing maintenance because it is quite hard on the body. It will become an injury if it goes on long enough.


1. Hold the volume or even drop it slightly for the moment. This will allow your body to consolidate alittle.

2. Massage the foot by rolling it on a massage ball. This will also work the fascia well. Also use supported thumbs to massage the soleus looking for trigger points between the heads of the gastrocs. You will likely have a decent trigger point in there. It will be very uncomfortable for the first day or so until it releases. Until it releases you won't get effective stretching.

3. Stretch calves, feet often throughout the day. The bent knee calf stretches soleus best which is most likely to release pressure under the foot. Straight leg calf stretches tend to affect the upper calf more.

4. Consider regular professional massage.

This book will help you identify specific issues. I have used it for years to great success:

http://www.triggerpointbook.com/

Sorry to hear about the foot issues- they can be rough to work through. Some general thoughts:
- Yes, in the beginning stages it can get better as the lower leg loosens up, but often gets worse as the duration after the run allows it to tighten back up.
- ref: leg difference...not doubting you may have one, but many "go there" as the root of all problems, when it's not really that big of a deal. Not trying to make light of it specific to you, but many get too wrapped around the axle with this. My suggestion would be to ignore the thought of it.
- Stretch work can inflame it the condition as much as assist. For achilles/PF issues, if that S&C doesn't include eccentric calf drops, would look at including those.
- Increased biking volume can stress the bottom of the foot if you have a tendency for ankling forcefully when you ride. For swimming, forceful flip turns can do it as well. When you spend "x" meters isometrically plantar flexed and then abruptly make that foot dorsiflex with power...that can add cumulative stress.
- At this point in the game, "tinker" with some options and don't get dogmatic with the problem solving: look at some OTC rigid inserts, use a shoe with higher heel-toe drop (or put in a heel wedge), KT tape technique for PF, and if not already doing, use a shoe that is more "traditional" rather than trendy, and as another poster stated rotate some shoes brands (not just another pair of the same one).

Good luck- hope you can keep working through this and not get sidelined.

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