Wk 7 R2...... Numb Foot!?

[Sara_Wales]

It was an early start today (5.20am), to tackle Wk7 R2. All was going ok, until about the 18 minute mark, when my left foot started going numb on the outside/lateral edge. I then got a niggle in my ankle and a bit of pain intermingled with the numbness in my foot - it was quite uncomfortable for the rest of the run and warm down walk. I did my usual stretching when I got home, but have now developed some calf pain on that side. I'm hoping it will resolve before my next run, with some more stretching and a day of rest. I have experienced a deep ache in that area of the foot on two previous runs, but nothing like what I felt today.

I didn't know what to do on the run when I started getting the numbness.... I didn't know if it was better to stop and rest or to push on through. Any advice would be great, in case this happens again. Thank you.

[chunkypie Graduate]

I have had a similar thing on my right ankle and started wearing a strap on it. It was only the start of W5 that I noticed for some reason I was running on the outside of my right foot and not on the flat of my foot. So I've corrected that and it seems to of cured it for now.

[Sara_Wales Graduate in reply to chunkypie]

I shall have a look when I next run... thanks! 👍🏻

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Numbness can be symptomatic of restricted blood supply, often caused by swelling feet as you run for longer durations, which is why most people wear running shoes at least half a size bigger than their normal size.

It could be shoes too small or laced too tight.

[Sara_Wales Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I do have a tendency to tighten my laces up (perhaps a little too) well! I loosen them off for the next run to see if that helps.

I have pretty wide feet and a high instep, so I tend to have to go up in size anyway. Perhaps I should go up a little more. I'll see how it goes with the laces first. Hopefully that will do the trick, as I've only just bought this pair to replace my old ones.

Thank you 👍🏻🙂

[Gannet1 Graduate]

Hey Sara-Wales, how’s the foot now? Are you on the IC resting it? I read on a running forum that elastic laces can be good for avoiding tying laces too tight. I was thinking about giving them a go myself. Hope you’re OK and if you are having to have a break just now, please post, so we can all cheer you up! I know how gutting it can be! 😊🏃‍♀️🐢

[Sara_Wales Graduate]

Hello there Gannet1. Thank you so much for your thoughtful message. My foot still isn't quite right, but has improved loads I'm pleased to say. I ended up taking 6 days off running due to my foot (continued intermittent numbness and pain), in addition to the need to rest up after an unrelated minor procedure. It was difficult after taking that time off to know what to do for the best. I was worried that I may do damage to my foot again and also about how much fitness I had lost. I decided to give it a go, and carry on as if I hadn't had any break in between runs and just see how it went. I wore some older trainers whuch are a size bigger and are wider... and that seems to have helped. 🤞🏻 I found the run tough but I did it, and have run another two since. I have Wk8 R3 planned for tomorrow.

Elastic laces sound interesting... I'll have to take a look! Thanks a million for the tip 👍🏻🙂 .. let me know what you think if you get them?

I hope all is well. Happy Running! X

[Gannet1 Graduate in reply to Sara_Wales]

Well there is the old mantra that for the first two weeks of a break you don’t actually lose any fitness. Then after that it’s a gradual loss. Glad you didn’t chuck out your old trainers and they have helped! Be very mindful though! I I came back too optimistically (rashly!) into a 28 min run from my previous 30mins. Managed two runs, which I loved but have since realised my foot problem is still there, unfortunately. More philosophical this time though! 😊 Am going to try and get a physio appointment through my GP and take it from there. In the meantime, no more running and I’ll just continue with some yoga. Hope all goes well for you, you’re so close to graduating! 😊🏃‍♀️🐢

[Sara_Wales Graduate]

Sorry to hear you're still having problems. Good luck at the physio - 🤞🏻 it's something that will easily resolve with a bit of rest.

Thanks for sharing your experience and for your advice. I'll be sure not to push it if my body is telling me otherwise. Its tempting to ignore pains and aches so close to graduating isnt it...... I so desperately want to acheive what I set out to acheive.... but I appreciate that would not benefit me in the longer run.... so thanks for the reminder 😊

My foot was ok today.... but I really found the run tough.... I practically wanted to stop from the moment I set off. I didn't get much sleep last night, so I dont think that helped matters. Today proved to me how much running is a mental thing..... I had one pesky internal voice telling me I couldnt do it, that it was too hard...... a d another telling me not to quit, that I had come too far now to start quitting....

I didn't quit.... and actually run for longer than I was supposed to due to tech gremlins which sabotaged my app!... it was working up until half way... but I didn't hear Laura again after that. I ended up running 32 mins before I took my phone out of my belt to check what on earth was going on.... I was ready to collapse! 🤭

Let me know how you get on at the physio?

Do you take online yoga classes? I used to go to BodyBalance before lockdown - which is a mixture of tai chi, yoga and pilates... I loved it!