Just wanted to share with everyone a small but nonetheless painful challenge I have been dealing with. For some reason, the massive callous that has always been on the bottom of my foot for years has morphed into something that has several large cracks the penetrate deep into my foot. Can everyone say "yay"?
This just brings up what most runners, especially those who have had foot injuries, already know: how brilliant the design of the foot is, and how strong, yet sometimes vulnerable, it can be. For big guys like myself (210 lbs.), this fact is all the more real, as we are the tractor-trailers of long distance running. For more normal "lightweights", it's a lot better. But overall, it is not hard, if you think about it, to seriously appreciate how perfect the structure of the foot is, and how it can transfer the incredible power of steps, either jumping, walking, or running, into such a small area. Between the calcaneous, navicular, cuboid, and metatarsals, the human foot is built like the arch of a stone bridge, perfectly fitted to sustain structure and form under tremendous pressure. After long runs, the soreness that comes with finally resting feet is a testament to the beating they take.
But, returning to my major issue, I have been trying with moisturizers and lotion to heal these cracks. I've also been soaking my feet in hot water and salt baths to try to get them to heal. My feet are generally compared to that of a hobbit's: tough and durable. Therefore, this issue baffles me a bit. It is not painful to the point of stopping, but I don't need to repeat that I have never hit the 100-mile mark before, so I am not sure if it will affect me too much or not. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
If these cracks were any bigger... they would still hurt and annoy me when I ran.
This just brings up what most runners, especially those who have had foot injuries, already know: how brilliant the design of the foot is, and how strong, yet sometimes vulnerable, it can be. For big guys like myself (210 lbs.), this fact is all the more real, as we are the tractor-trailers of long distance running. For more normal "lightweights", it's a lot better. But overall, it is not hard, if you think about it, to seriously appreciate how perfect the structure of the foot is, and how it can transfer the incredible power of steps, either jumping, walking, or running, into such a small area. Between the calcaneous, navicular, cuboid, and metatarsals, the human foot is built like the arch of a stone bridge, perfectly fitted to sustain structure and form under tremendous pressure. After long runs, the soreness that comes with finally resting feet is a testament to the beating they take.
But, returning to my major issue, I have been trying with moisturizers and lotion to heal these cracks. I've also been soaking my feet in hot water and salt baths to try to get them to heal. My feet are generally compared to that of a hobbit's: tough and durable. Therefore, this issue baffles me a bit. It is not painful to the point of stopping, but I don't need to repeat that I have never hit the 100-mile mark before, so I am not sure if it will affect me too much or not. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
Your foot is terrifying! Hopefully it heals quickly!
ReplyDelete