Getting Rich Through Plantar Fasciitis

Okay, I know there are a lot of get rich schemes out there and I am sure most of them fail. But I think, after working at Spark Running for two months now, I have discovered a sure fire way to make all my financial dreams come true. All I have to do is come up with the instant fix forplantar fasciitis. It’s simple, right? There’s a sock or a shoe or a salve that will take all the pain away and allow hundreds of thousands of runners worldwide to return to the roads pain free. Right?

Unfortunately, no. Unfortunately, curing plantar fasciitis is not that simple. Instead it takes work that very few people are willing to give. First it takes rest and for runners, rest is work. We do not like to sit still. We do not like to hang up our running shoes. We would rather keep pushing through and trying every new fad to stop the pain. But truthfully, even after the rest, it takes honest to goodness work. We have to stretch and strengthen, not just once a week or even once a day but several times a day, every single day until it gets better. It takes icing and massaging. In short it takes effort that few of us are willing to give.

The truth is that I do see this every day at work. Runners come in begging for a solution to their PF woes and the only answer I have is work. Work it from every angle. But, the further truth is I am just as guilty. I have been dealing with a heel spur for months. I take a few days off, do some stretches periodically and then when I notice any positive changes I head back out the door for a run, only to come home aching and ready to cry all over again.

This week I finally cried uncle. I called Coach Jeff and asked what do I do now. You will never guess what he said.

Rest it. Ice it. Massage it. Stretch it. Strengthen it. But right now, rest it. Rest it. Rest it.

And yes, he had to repeat it because I am hardheaded and I want to run. But I know he is right. So I hung up my running shoes. Pulled out my biking shoes and prepared to rest it for the long term. To give myself a chance to heal and to have it ready for that moment when the real work begins. Stretching, strengthening, icing, massaging.

So maybe I am not going to get rich quick. Maybe I don’t have the answers. But we’ll see about that. I am sure there is a shortcut somewhere.