I've noticed a marked improvement in my heel since I arrived in the Philippines- the massage therapist I saw today for a session of Hot Stone Refloxology suggested perhaps the warm weather here has something to do with it.
After I read this in Galloway's Book on Running "Every night, roll your foot over a golf ball, baseball, or softball. For the first 1-2 minutes, roll gently. As the area gets desensitized, roll a bit harder into the area of the spur. Doctors have told me that this has worn down some bone spurs enough so that they are no longer a problem", I've gone back to using the golf ball.
Any running I've done in the last 6 months has been nothing but slow and easy, until today. My normal jog into Moalboal since arriving in the Philippines has been 18-19 minutes, but this morning I did it in 17 min out and under 16 on the return trip. Not blazing, but quicker than the jogging I've been doing. I actually broke a sweat for the first time in several months!
I felt some slight heel discomfort after, but for the most part I only feel pain when I palpate deep. It's definitely feeling better than even a week ago.
For now my plan is to continue these short runs and work on getting some tempo back. After this foot massage today, I realized there may be value to continuing some kind of regular foot self-treatment.
These Foot Wakers are a bit pricey but have received several positive reviews on Amazon. For now, since I can pinpoint a spot, I'll stick with the golf ball.
Side note: Today, even at 6 am it was warm, so I carried a 50 peso bill (approx. one dollar) to buy water in Moalboal. At the corner store, I asked for water, and the young Filipino girl produced a plastic bag tied off and filled with about 12 ounces of delicious, ice cold water. I had to ask the dumb question how to get it open- of course you bit a hole in the bottom and suck. How much for that bag of water? ONE PESO! I told her to keep the change on my 50.
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