I’m pretty sure this was the term my friend Jess used to describe the not-fun-at-all foot injury that some runners may experience at one time or another in their running careers.  It’s real name is plantar fasciitis and unfortunately, we have a case of it here at the Krum house.

And it’s not me.  It’s my poor hubby.

 At the Lowell, MA Half-Marathon last October

It’s disappointing enough to discover this problem in your everyday running regimen, but it’s doubly disappointing to be in training for a half-marathon and have to stop cold because of the pain and risk of further injury.  A half-marathon that you were planning to run with your wife and several good friends in a fun city with lots of festivities and a tech t-shirt commemorating the occasion to boot!

If you are a runner at all you understand this disappointment, but he resigned himself to being a spectator this time around and surrendered the pavement and the long runs to the elliptical machine at the gym.

He suspected it might be his shoes, as they had visibly lost tread, and tried to hold out until his October birthday money arrived from faithful friends and family in order to purchase new ones.  The pain was not subsiding though, so we headed to a store in another town that specializes in helping runners get a proper fit for their particular gait and foot structure.

The store owner waited on us and was quite helpful, but not too sympathetic as he stated: “That injury was completely self-inflicted.”  He took one look at Robert’s shoes and said he should’ve bought new ones about 200 miles ago.  More discouragement.

We bought the new recommended shoes: Saucony (on birthday credit), and headed home with a bit of hope that he might still be able to run the half-marathon which was just over a month away.  As the days passed though, it seemed evident that the foot was not getting better and a last ditch effort at healing was made in the form of an appointment scheduled with our favorite physical therapist ~ Dr. Bob. (More birthday credit. Ugh.)

It seemed like forever, but the appointment finally arrived this week.  Dr. Bob is a believer, and we are pretty convinced that he has the gift of healing.  Every seeming “terminal” problem we have had from herniated discs to hip horrors, to sacrum stress, and bum knee blues has ultimately been healed under the care of Dr. Bob.  He has hands of healing and knows the body so well, that after a quick thirty-minute session, you walk away feeling restoration of both body and spirit.

Fourth of July 5K, Springfield, MA

Well, this week was no different.  He worked Robert’s foot over with those hands, taped it up with “human duct tape” as he calls it, gave him a few stretches to do, and told him to go ahead and register for that half-marathon! The pain subsided to a dull ache, and Robert was even able to run an easy three miles with me on Wednesday morning with no pain. Amazing.

He’s still unsure about running the half, as it’s only two weeks away now, but we’re holding out hope and praying for complete restoration of the foot and his long-distance stamina.  Pray with us, if you think of it.  Running is something that we’ve really been able to enjoy together for the last two years, and it’s no fun to have to give that up.  Working toward a race together makes it even more fun. He was so discouraged about having to drop out.

And that tech t-shirt is really calling his name! 🙂