Cannot shake plantar fasciitis

Here are the numbers for October:

• 319.97 miles run
• 46,500 feet of climbing, 45,000 feet of descent
• 3,300 miles for the year

On paper, it looks like a pretty solid month, and it started pretty well. Last week I wrote all about how I'd achieved a beautiful rhythm in my maintenance training as the winter sets in and the goal becomes adhering to a solid base until the mileage build-up begins early next year. But, alas, last week my left foot, which has been hit hard by plantar fasciitis since June, took a turn for the worse.  I'm back to experiencing heel pain (but thankfully no arch pain), and I can't break my reliance on KT Tape--my foot needs the support. On top of it all, I battled a nasty virus all week, enduring GI issues along with congestion and fatigue. During Sunday's run, I found myself taking a few short walk breaks. I don't take walk breaks. If I do, it's because I'm sick. Really sick. But I still got north of 70 miles for the week.

I think the time to see a doctor has finally come. It probably came a few months ago. I've decided to scale my mileage back for a few weeks and I'm going to force myself to see a doctor. Runners do not like seeing a doctor.

Update: I have made an appointment with my doctor for next Monday morning.

I've also decided to switch back to stability shoes. I've been wearing neutral-cushion shoes for the past 15 months and in that time I've had two foot problems, including this one. My feet seem to need the support of stability shoes, albeit the lightest-possible stability shoes. You won't see me in any Kayanos that weigh 15 ounces. My rule is no more 12 ounces and preferably under 11 ounces.

The goal now is simply to heal my heel. If I sound discouraged, it's because I am. I think ultimately I'll be OK, but it's the here and now that are so frustrating. I've never had a nagging injury like this.

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I've been meaning to comment on the Boston Marathon. To the horror of many runners, Boston filled up in 8 hours a few weeks ago. People were astonished and old-schoolers yet again outraged and saddened. There were many who tried to register but couldn't because of slow Internet service on Boston's end. The days of mail-in registration are over; today, it's online or forget about it. What a shame. Last year, Boston filled up in two months and people were outraged.

Boston needs to get a grip on what's happening to America's greatest marathon. For starters, the standards need to be tightened. The fastest men's qualifying time is 3:10:59 and for women it's 3:40:59. The men's time should drop to 3:00:00 and the women's to 3:20:00 and then go from there for older age divisions. Also, the extra 59-second cushion should be kaboshed. Finally, a reported 5,000 of the 25,000 spots were apparently reserved for charity runners and corporate sponsors. No more. Leave those spots for qualified runners and encourage all entrants to run for charity. The latter recommendation is very feasible.

Bottom line: Every single Boston Marathon entrant should have earned their way in.

Those measures alone would make Boston more accessible to those who've earned it and restore the prestige of this great race. One day, I'll return to Boston for my third Beantown Classic.

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I'm loving our new diet without high fructose corn syrup and other super-sweet chemicals. For Halloween, we took Noah trick or treating and so far I've been able to resist all the chocolate candy bars and such that were handed out. As the days pass, refined sugars look less and less appealing. Plus, I'm just feeling better. I think high fructose corn syrup isn't well-handled by the body and so you feel pretty awful after a binge. No more for me; I'm liberated and loving it.

Look in your cupboard and fridge and you'll find that HFCS is in everything from your preserves and mayo to cereal and ketchup. It's everywhere...even teriyaki sauce, the jelly packets you get in restaurants, restaurant ketchup, etc. Of course, soda pop is the worst HFCS offender--the stuff is just flat out poison. Eliminate HFCS from your diet and you will feel better.

Check out the video below. Additional segments are available on the right side of your screen in You Tube.