Week 1: Getting Out Of Orthotics & Motion Control Shoes

(If you're new here you can read here the article describing my project.)

Summary: Heel pain almost non-existent: 0-.5. (using a 10 point scale - "10" being excrutiating pain)

Activity Level: None. (No walking or running outside.)

Commentary: The week has consisted of doing my indoor routine. The only outdoor activity I was half-way considering (barefoot walking/running in grass) at the beginning of the week was dashed when 15+" of snow were dumped on us.

My daily indoor routine has consisted of the following:

• Core Work: Various exercises on the exercise ball. I've been doing some of these, but not all. I've been doing The Pedestal which you can find here on YouTube.
  
• Glute Strengthening: I've been doing some one-legged squats. I can't go all the way to the floor in a real pistol squat, but I can get down to slightly above knee height. I've actually been doing them for a while - before this project began.
  
• Stretching & Fascia Release: Many thanks to Ozzie Gontang for some advice on this one. I've been focusing on two areas. First, the stirrup muscles - Posterior Tibialis and the Peroneus muscles. Both of these sets of muscles come down around the ankle and connect under the foot - impacting significantly foot dynamics. For Posterior Tibialis I've been using a massage technique that Ozzie has described here (look at the bottom of the page). For the Peroneus muscles I've been using a foam roller. It has also helped to use the edge of something hard - like a wooden step or edge of a table. Second, I've been using a tennis ball on the Plantar Fascia. You can stand/lean on the ball, focusing on three different areas of a the foot: right behind the balll of the foot, the middle of the arch, and right in front of the heel. Another activity has been using the nose of a wooden step to massage the Plantar Fascia. While wearing socks, placing the edge of the step right behind the ball of the foot, while pushing down fairly hard, slowly slide the foot so the step moves toward the heel. It's fairly painful - but I'm hopeful it will be less so as things loosen up.
  
• Foot Movement. I've been going without my orthotics or my motion control running shoes for limited amounts of time - about 1-2 hours each day. During this time I've either worn only socks or a pair of those cheapo (~$6) water shoes. The latter provides a little bit of padding for the large amount of wood flooring I have in my house.
  

The purchased items described in the article launching this project (my low profile Saucony Bullet shoes and the balance disc) have not yet arrived. I've also ordered Pose Method of Running by Dr. Nicholas Romanov. All items should be here this week, if the FedEx and USPS websites are telling me the truth.

Goal for the coming week: Use the new shoes for my "allow foot movement" time. Incorporate the balance disc as well as Pose drills (using the low profile shoes) into the daily routine. I hope to add some outdoor walking into the mix as well.

Jim

Running is a privilege.