Runner Question!

HollyBee013

So, I work out usually 4 days a week, but it consists of personal training with kettle bells and weights, a little bit of lighter cardio, etc.  Im in pretty good shape, I would say, and I love to do 5ks.  I did my first for 2013 this past Saturday, and on Monday, my foot really started to hurt.  The outer left side of my left foot almost feels like I twisted it or something.  I dont know if its from running or not, but has anyone else experienced this?  Can you sprain the outside of your foot?  lol Im a novice runner, did  a few 5ks last year, and would like to do more running. 

argonne

How often do you train at the 5K distance?  If you run often enough, I wouldn't think the pain would be tendonitis or a stress fracture.  I wouldn't rule those out, but it just seems unlikely if you're really used to running that distance.

I'm going to guess it might have been a hotspot from your shoes.  I've had similar pain before and it was from a new pair of shoes.

mrs.mastro

My guess would be some kind of tendonitis too.  I just recovered from peroneal tendonitis myself, it and it took a couple weeks of RICE.  I was able to walk on the treadmill pretty fast before being able to run again, but I kept up icing it after prolonged use. 

Don't push it.  I have finally realized after many years of running that it is just not worth it to try to run through injuries.  Good luck! 

NariaDreaming:

were you wearing a new/newer pair of shoes that hadn't been broken in? 

Otherwise, my guess would be peroneal tendonitis, or possibly a stress fracture. RICE it, and if you don't have any significant improvement in the next 2 weeks, call your doc. 

 

eta: not a doctor, this isn't medical advice 

HollyBee013

I run several 5ks a year around where I live. The shoes arent that old, but my first thought was that maybe I wore them out already. I have new shoes en-route, so I will RICE and then break these shoes in! Thanks everyone! Im just anxious to get to it after this snow melts...got a jogging stroller from the in-laws for Christmas!

huntjul

argonne:

How often do you train at the 5K distance?  If you run often enough, I wouldn't think the pain would be tendonitis or a stress fracture.  I wouldn't rule those out, but it just seems unlikely if you're really used to running that distance.

I'm going to guess it might have been a hotspot from your shoes.  I've had similar pain before and it was from a new pair of shoes.

You can stress fracture regardless of how much you're training.  I had similar pain which unfortunately didn't resolve after a week of RICE and ended up at the podiatrist who diagnosed a stress fracture   Thankfully it healed well after 4-6 weeks of rest.

I'm not trying to say yours is a stress fracture, just not to rule it out as a possibility based on training regimen.

CPomo262

You might have already done this, but it is so absolutely worth it to go to a running shop and let them watch you run.  Before baby, I ran marathons and half marathons, but even for shorter distance, you want to have the right shoes for your foot/stride/body.  The shoes usually cost slightly more than if you order them online, but it's worth it, IMO, to know for sure the shoe will work with your body, and to support local running shops.

creativeaim

Something like this happened to me in the last part of training for Boston... not cool. I was able to run on it still, so I ruled out the stress fracture, but it was definitely uncomfortable. The fix for my issue was running on softer surfaces for a while. Since Boston was a road race, it was against the whole concept of race-specific training, but it healed my foot! I ran on gravel roads and on grass/trails when possible. If trail running is a possibility for you, that's something to try - it's done wonders for me when training for road OR trail marathons.