I would love to hear some feedback on this as well. I got it in the spring while training for a half marathon and it flared up quite bad during the race itself. I battled it all season and want to make sure it is completely gone before training again now in the off season. Mine doesn't hurt to run either and just feel it walking around.

I'll preface this with "I'm not a doctor or a physical therapist" just a guy that runs a lot.

NO! I have a training partner that had that same mind set, got so bad they she was out for 9 months trying to get it back just so she could jog pain free. If it were me I would go super proactive about it.
- get the sleep boot/sock
- ice it constantly
- roll your foot on a frozen can of juice or something along those lines.
-stretch the calves before you get up in the morning
- look up exercises for the foot on youtube (like picking up a sock with the bottom of your foot)

It may get better if you do these things and continue to run on it but i would honestly replace my running with some swimming and biking in a small chain ring with little resistance. This might take 2 weeks or so, but its better than dealing with Plantar Fasc for the next couple of months.

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(insert inspirational/witty/comical signature here)

That is the insidious danger of PF. You can dig a really deep hole this way before it gets bad.

I am a competitive cyclist but I used to run in the off season. In about 2003 I decided to run a marathon and got PF leading up towards it and ignored it because, well, I could. I haven't run since. It feels fine, but occasionally I can feel it lurking even just from cycling.

The problem with PF is that you can still run on it even when it is getting pretty severe. When you do something like hurt your knee running it just hurts too damn much to run so you don't. You can do 20 mile runs with PF and it's fine running. I know, I did. It's afterwards that you feel it.

Be careful. Talk to a podiatrist, Tape your foot, etc.

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava

I think this is one of the telltale signs of PF. From my experience and others in my circles I'd say no, don't keep running. I'm not sure you can ever "run through it" so to speak. This seems to usually prolong the healing process. I had to totally stop running for several months while doing PT, strength training, and stretching before being able to run without pain afterwards.

I agree wholeheartedly with the others....NO!!!! Tried that myself and could not run from december until may. Good advice above, especially the boot. I tried everything, from graston to ice, boot, deep tissue, e-stim, and time was the best healer. Careful with it...

Good luck!

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Gary Geiger
http://www.geigerphoto.com Professional photographer

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As far as I can tell this is all of the right advice. You don't want to miss a longer chunk of time. You just finished your IM you deserve a break anyway so take one. A week or two off is certainly better than the 9 months cited by teacherman in his example.

Man, you guys are making me rethink things here.

I was about to post a new thread on my experience with this same subject. I was diagnosed with PF in July; could barely walk for 3 weeks and did no running for the entire month. I did all the treatment options short of injections and it really died down by early August. Since then I've been running regularly, and am now back to ~35mpw, ramping up to marathon training. I feel no pain while running, but for a long time when I woke up in the mornings it would take me a few minutes before I could really walk. I've kept up with the treatment and running and now I'm almost to the point where the pain is almost completely gone. It's a nagging pain in the morning, but then goes away for the rest of the day.

I was convinced I had just run through it and it's going to be gone completely soon!

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-Andrew

I ran through it for the first 7 months of this year, with some spring races on the schedule, then IMFL. I did all the home remedies and even had a cortisone injection, which only made the pain go away for 5-6 weeks. Things were going ok until a serious flare up in early August had me off my feet. I did ART and EPAT, and after about 2 weeks of no running, I started running again very gradually. It still hurts a bit after long runs (though not during the run), and hurts in the morning until I get it stretched, but I was able to get up to 40-42mpw for IM training. I give it a good ice bath after each run, and that seems to mute the pain I feel the rest of the day. I do not take anti-inflammatory meds, as I'm told that prevents the body from healing it on its own.

After IMFL, I plan on taking some time off running, in the hopes that I can kick it for good. I had it bad in my other foot in 2011, but took 4+ months off running and it has never come back.

No. A friend of mine decided to run through it, including a marathon.

12 months later he could run again.

I ran through mine and haven't had an issue since. The most important thing for me was taping. Once I started taping it went away in a few weeks. Here is what I did.

Get a sports massage regularly, ie once a month.
Get the stick and use it everyday on your calves.
Do foot strengthening exercises everyday.
Ice the foot everyday.
You can also tape the foot to help the healing while you continue to run.

Do these things until the pain has gone away and then you can drop the ice and taping but keep up the rest.

Get some Cover Roll and LeukoTape. Cut off about a 3 inch strip of Cover Roll on the place horizontally on the top of your foot. This should be placed where the arch is and will protect the sensitive skin on the top of your foot from the tape. Now take the roll of LeukoTape and start it in line with the Cover Roll on the top of the outside of your foot and tape under the foot towards the arch. When you get to the arch you need to give the tape a good tug to make it nice and tight and then anchor the tape to the top of the foot where the Cover Roll it. Make sure to keep it tight until you anchor the tape. I normally complete the circle just to make sure it is secure. This will feel very uncomfortable at first but it will loosen up a bit over the first day. I normally left this on for a week at a time. It will feel very strange to walk and run at first but you will get used to it and it won't take long to not need it anymore. Basically you are just creating a loop around the foot to support the arch.

I see these threads all the time. "I ramped up my training". Usually what gets most folks.

Since we are heading into the off season, many will decide to take a real break, from everything. This from what I have seen is what gets most folks.

I think it was Dave Scott who wrote you can stop swimming in the off season, and biking, but NEVER EVER stop running!!

So I run 3 days a week, every week, all year long. Even forced myself to run some at Disneyland. No way I want a full attack of PF. At my age, you might
never get back to where you were.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

X2 I did treatments but kept on running. Funny thing is it disappeared right after my race both times I had it.

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I *heart* weak, dumb ass people...

Like everyone said.

1. Get the inflammation down with ice.
2. Stretch calves 3x a day. Pf is stiff in the morning, so stretch when you get out of bed.
3. Strengthen feet. Walk barefoot, eccentric calf raises, toe curls with towel, toe accordians(left to right)

Get to a therapist to figure out what is causing the PF. PF is almost always the symptom of a bigger issue - muscle imbalance, weak glutes, etc... Unless you address what is causing the PF it will continue to cause problems and probably cause you to miss a big chunk of time running.

I run through most pain as long as it doesn't make me limp or throw off my form.

Limp = quit and get it dealt with.

You should most definitely take some time off. I had two friends (both competitive runners) experience plantar and they tried running through it and it was a painful experience.

Get a hard croquet ball. Stand on it with your foot every night and roll the ball around. Also dip your foot in a tub of warm water to help blood flow to the inflamed area. And absolutely no running. Massage massage massage!

In addition, stretches for your Achilles and calf will help as well.

hope this helps!

Yu
yuxsjaoracing.weebly.com

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Yu Hsiao,
your local professional triathlete from San Francisco Bay Area.
http://www.facebook.com/yuxsjaoracing
http://www.yuxsjao.com

I didn't really stop running. I only took 3 days off after my IM and started with some easy runs. But when I said I ramped up my running I mean got back to pre-IM run miles within 2 weeks. I also included some interval training because I was planning on 10k in November.

Most folks when I ask what they did that might have caused PF, new shoes, hard surfaces, ramp up mileage too fast, new speed work. I have had a touch a few times and I had at least one of these factors involved.
I have not run long for 3 weeks and plan to do it tomorrow. We shall see.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

ill play devils advocate as well, and say i ran through mine. I only had it for 2 weeks thankfully, and i reduced my volume a little bit. But i taped it for running and although there was discomfort, i still ran and the PF did go away. Aggressive stretching, rolling etc in the mean time

+1

Also, with any injury: try to find the root cause, and remove it from there on. Your training log is golden for this. Examples:

- Change in shoes (could be your runners, or casual footwear).
- change in time on feet (job?) Or returning from training after a break could do it, this must be done very slowly!
- Terrain. More trail running? More road?

Try to track whatever it might be. If you go slow with incorporating a change, you should avoid injury.

My last bout with this:
1. About 5 days off
2. Icing and stretching multiple times daily
3. Special sock or boot for sleeping
4. Orthotic inserts for running shoes
Careful with mileage and increases when starting back up.