Dear Body, Please, Please Heal My Heel

I’ve said it many times, I’m one lucky girl because in 34 years of running I have had only three running injuries, BUT right now I have a heel that is so thoroughly inflamed with plantar fasciitis that I feel like I’d just like to have it removed.

I’ve tried icing, rolling a ball under my arch, changing my gait, anti-inflammatories, stretching, strengthening the appropriate muscles, a night splint, a Strassberg sock, many different types of shoes, just as many different types of inserts, custom modified inserts, chiropractic, deep tissue massage, Rolfing, rolling a frozen water bottle under my arch, taping, shock wave therapy, and most recently, taking ten days off from  running.  That last was the hardest.  It’s been years since I’ve done that, and I don’t like it one bit. Even worse? It didn’t help one bit.

Not running makes me feel like a slug. I don’t like this feeling.  Not being able to press the gas pedal in the car without stabbing pains in my heel? Well, that just makes me crazy.

My body is my temple, and it has served me amazingly well. It’s tolerated falling down a flight of stairs, bouncing down the last few on my left hip, whip lash from falling skiing, frozen shoulder syndrome after falling while dashing across a street, a torn rotator cuff from falling on a trail run, falling off one of those chairs made from a bosu ball as it slid out from under me causing me to crash to the floor on my right hip, being hit by a car while running, numerous falls on my mountain bike and a few on my road bike while learning to ride with clipless pedals, falling while running with my dog when he caught sight of another dog and decided to dash through my legs to get to the other dog and more. (Yeah, I know; that was one world class run-on sentence, but as my husband often reminds me, I’m not an English teacher anymore. Once in a while I can play it loose and crazy with sentence construction when it suits my purpose.)

All of that left me with no broken bones, no stitches, and no surgeries; so, I can’t complain – or I shouldn’t. I guess I’ve been spoiled by a spectacularly durable body that has given much and asked for little in return.

It’s time for a new plan of action: I’m going to begin intense triathlon training. I needed to ramp this up, anyway, before my two triathlons in July. So, for the next few weeks I’ll do minimal running but lots of biking and swimming, plus strength training and elliptical. At least I think I can do elliptical without trouble. So,  I’ll focus on triathlon training.

It is still possible that the shock wave therapy may provide the healing I need. The theory is that it further inflames the tissues to cause them to repair themselves. It’s not supposed to bring about a quick fix. They reserve it for patients with chronic plantar fasciitis, and it is expected that it will take many weeks to completely work; therefore, that still may provide the desired result. I continue to be hopeful , and I implore my body to cooperate.

Dear Body. Dear, dear Body, if you’ll just get well one more time, I promise to treat you better than ever. I’ll give you more rest, stretch more, and eat better. Just ask. Your wish is my command. Just please, please heal my heel.