rebbylynn said:Hey all,
I've been running for around 4 months, and am up to about a 9 minute mile
for up to 8 miles. I'm 5'7" and 135 if that makes any difference.
I run almost totally on a treadmill, which works fine for me - I'm not
looking for a competitive edge, just overall cardio health. However, I just
ran outside twice this week for 4 miles each (not unusual mileage for me).
Now I have a slight pain in the arch of my left foot - it almost feels like
a little pebble right under the skin on the inside of my arch - right on the
side of my foot. I feel it a bit when I walk around barefoot or in sneaks,
but remarkably not in heels. The pain has dissipated over the last 3 days,
but isn't totally gone, so I haven't run since Tuesday. I don't want to
push whatever this is, if some R&R will heal it.
Any thoughts on what it may be?
I'm assuming you checked for broken skin, and so it's not
a bug bite or a splinter.
My guess would be a spasm of one of the small muscles.
But that's just a guess. If I'm right, it will relax in
a few days. Massage helps.
Running on a treadmill is extremely repetitive. Because
there is no variation of terrain or surface, you use the same
muscles for every step. When you go outside, there is usually
some variation of terrain and surface. The ground can be sloped
in any direction. There are often little humps and holes.
With each step, your foot has to adjust to accommodate the
shape of the ground. That uses the small muscles, which are
not used much on a flat surface. After a few thousand steps,
they may have had more of a workout than you ever give them
on the treadmill.
The small muscles and their associated tendons need gradual
conditioning, and will grow as they are used, just like the
big ones. You might want to use a wobble board, or other
foot/ankle PT equipment, to do this.
Steve
