Back in the saddle

Thirteen days. Thirteen looong days of no running. But finally, after nearly a fortnight of rest following pangs of plantar fasciitis in my left foot, I’m back in the saddle. Though shadows of soreness swelled now and again during the last few rest days, the pain that lingered didn’t cause any limping. And since it didn’t register above a three on the pain scale, I thought, “Alright, let’s try a few miles on this beautiful Saturday.” 

It may sound silly, but I was a tad nervous stepping out the door this morning. It’s amazing how our bodies adapt to our environmental circumstances. Sure, I’d run miles and miles before, but injury begat trepidation. Gnawing questions filled my mind. 

Would my left foot sustain a joggings-worth of pressure on it? 

Would I do more harm than good by attempting to run?

Also, would my couch miss me without my butt in its face?

These were serious questions. Okay, the first two were serious; the last one, that’s just my laziness trying to lure me into staying home. Not today, laziness! You maniacal fiend! 

So I drove over to Sutter’s Landing, stretched a shit-ton and got to the deed at hand. 

The first few exploratory steps were nerve-racking. I lightly tested my left foot, compensating my gait just enough so I could explore the variety of feel. No concerning blips manifested on my radar, so I continued along the gravel trail, my gait slowly returning to normalcy as I distributed my weight more evenly. 

And guess what? 

It didn't feel terrible! Soon, I was jogging along with normal strides. 

My god, it felt fantastic to be on the trail again. Every day I was off, I just itched to run, and while I enjoy bouldering immensely, it doesn’t quite satisfy the internal need that running does for me.

I recently took up painting. This bouldering-inspired piece is called "The Brilliant Wall."

I kept the run on the shorter side, logging a 5K. I plan to build my weekly mileage slowly over the next few weeks, but I’m making it a point to approach running more strategically than I did before this injury. I’m not taking the fun out of it. Far from it. I’m just going to be more intentional when it comes to rest, cross-training, stretching and recovery. 

It’s definitely good to be back, and the time I spent off made me even more grateful that I'm able to enjoy running. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.  

Happy running! 

And say hello to my new best friends below. I'll be using them every day.