Evaluate And Act On It

I have been experiencing some niggles recently. Niggles are pains or nagging points of physical concerns. My sole was sore upon walking and I thought it was an impending case of plantar fasciitis – not good if it was the case for it cripples you for some time. Several of my friends including Coach had heel or sole issues. In severe cases, you may require medication, painful cortisone injections and even surgery. Tight Achilles Tendons can trigger off a spate of heel and sole-related injuries, so stretching and deep tissue massage are necessary preventive treatments.

As such, I sought my massage therapist, Danny (of Core Concepts) and he administered a strong dose of deep tissue massage on Monday: I had not visited him since Ironman Lanzarote and so my calves and ITBs hurt to some extent. Yesterday evening, I ran 21K comfortably in my Newton Gravity, although I may have lost some muscle tone due to the previous day's massage. This evening, I discovered that my sore sole could have been caused by a stiff part of my flip-flops; it nudged a soft part of my sole and manifested as sore heels.

Evaluating yourself for injury is an important part of your conditioning. Neglect certain parts of your training can lead to potential pains and injuries. Act immediately when the clues and cues are present. Procrastination may rob you of your hard-earned fitness when your mild injuries escalate into chronic injuries. Better safe than sorry. Evaluate your condition and respond appropriately.

Here is an article about a core part of our physical training that cannot be ignored.

Here is a very good interview by Teo Hui Koon with vertical runner extant and marathoner, Andrew Ngo. Be inspired!