Inflammation of the tibialis anterior tendon sheath

"Phil M." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Four weeks to go until Boston and I've come up with this injury. I'm 99%
sure that this what I have, since I exhibit all these symptoms:

* Pain when you bend your foot and toes up.
* Swelling and redness over the front of the ankle where the tendon is.
* If you push your fingers into the tendon you can sometimes feel a
creaking when you move the foot up and down.

This injury is most likely from accumulated high mileage on asphalt over
the past 2 months. From what I understand, it is similar to shin splints,
but the pain is on the front of the ankle, rather than higher up on the
shins. I found a site that sells an ebook called "The Pain-Free Runner."
at http://tinyurl.com/49bno. In it they describe a self deep tissue
massage technique (see below). Has anyone tried this and had any luck
with it? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

The following is from
http://www.julstro.com/last_months_hint6.html

<description snipped>

I used to do this when my shins hurt and still do if I feel the occasional
twinge.
The other thing I used to do that was helpful was contrast heat and cold,
using ice and and a towel soaked in hot water.
I don't know about your particular version of this ailment versus standard
shin pain but strengthening exercises helped me as shin splints are thought
to be a result of a muscular imbalance.

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0161.htm

Quoted message said:

Phil M.

--
"What counts in battle is what you do once the pain sets in." -John
Short, South African coach.

[[ This message was both posted and mailed: see
the "To," "Cc," and "Newsgroups" headers for details. ]]

In article <[email hidden]>, Phil M.

Quoted message said:

Four weeks to go until Boston and I've come up with this injury. I'm 99%
sure that this what I have, since I exhibit all these symptoms:

* Pain when you bend your foot and toes up.
* Swelling and redness over the front of the ankle where the tendon is.
* If you push your fingers into the tendon you can sometimes feel a
creaking when you move the foot up and down.

This injury is most likely from accumulated high mileage on asphalt over
the past 2 months. From what I understand, it is similar to shin splints,
but the pain is on the front of the ankle, rather than higher up on the
shins. I found a site that sells an ebook called "The Pain-Free Runner."
at http://tinyurl.com/49bno. In it they describe a self deep tissue
massage technique (see below). Has anyone tried this and had any luck
with it? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

.......snip-----

Phil,

This is what I would try:

(Assumption for description sake is right shin)

Sitting on edge of a chair. Right calf is crossed and resting on left
knee so I can grab the shin with my left hand first. Base of left palm
rests on shin bone so left fingertips are resting on belly of anterior
tib. Base of right palm is on top of left fingertips and right fingers
are holding onto left knuckles for creating leverage a la nut cracker.

An exercise I have people do is grab the right shin with the left hand
so that the finger tips are in the middle of the shin muscle. With the
right hand grab from the other side so the right hand rest on top of
the left hand.

Point the toe up. The shin mucles can be felt tightening. As the foot
is relaxed and started to point down, I push in with the fingers into
the shin like a nut cracker. Do it a number of times with the idea
that it's getting the shin muscle to relax.

Once fingers push in as foot relaxes pointing down, you'll feel the
shin muscle not letting go. Once I push in with the fingers of my nut
cracker grip, when I point the toe back up slowly, I don't left the
grip of the fingers go completely so that I can feel the anterior tib
contract into the fingers. I hold it for a count of 4 or 5 and then
again let the right foot relax and as the anterior tib relaxes I
following in with my left fingers.

I would imagine that you're feeling it in the tendon area as the
anterior tib stays semi contracted and the stress is passed onto it
tendon.

Also during the day, check that when standing you're relaxing your
toes. Stand so you can wiggle your toes to take unnecessary tension of
of the shin/calf muscles.

Remember also that if you get tired and you start looking down even
more, the weight of the head throws your center off more and your toes
are digging into the ground. Stand up and lean forward from the ankle
and you'll see what I mean about the toes clawing to keep you from
falling forward.

Last piece of information is that the problem is your other leg and
that you're not bringing it up fast enough so you're slightly
overstriding and the pained leg. So it's bringing the other leg up a
little quicker to counterbalance the landing on the troubled shin.

Also do the rolling of the calf as in http://www.mindfulness.of1.asp
because if the calf's soleus or gastro are too tight, the anterior tib
is having to pull up against a semi contracted calf muscle and you're
getting what you have from that.

Let us know if any of this helps.

In health and on the run,

Ozzie Gontang
[email hidden]
Maintainer - rec.running FAQ
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/rec/rec.running.html
Director, San Diego Marathon Clinic, est. 1975

Mindful Running http://www.mindfulness.com/mr.asp

You joggers will find any excuse to do "self deep tissue massages".
Personally, I don't feel the need to create situations that call for
self exploration, in the name of pain therapy.

Phil M. wrote:
<snip>

http://www.sportsmed.buffalo.edu/info.html

This site should have what you are looking for. It should detail rehab
exercises and information to guide your recovery.

Andy

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from [email hidden] of
23 Mar 2005:

Quoted message said:

Phil M. wrote:
<snip>

http://www.sportsmed.buffalo.edu/info.html

This site should have what you are looking for. It should detail rehab
exercises and information to guide your recovery.

Andy

Thanks Andy. I didn't see anything on that site specifically about my
issue, but there was some good information there.

Phil M.

Phil M. said:

Four weeks to go until Boston and I've come up with this injury. I'm

99%

Quoted message said:

sure that this what I have, since I exhibit all these symptoms:

* Pain when you bend your foot and toes up.
* Swelling and redness over the front of the ankle where the tendon

is.

Quoted message said:

* If you push your fingers into the tendon you can sometimes feel a
creaking when you move the foot up and down.

This injury is most likely from accumulated high mileage on asphalt

over

Quoted message said:

the past 2 months. From what I understand, it is similar to shin

splints,

Quoted message said:

but the pain is on the front of the ankle, rather than higher up on

the

Quoted message said:

shins. I found a site that sells an ebook called "The Pain-Free

Runner."

Quoted message said:

at http://tinyurl.com/49bno. In it they describe a self deep tissue
massage technique (see below). Has anyone tried this and had any luck

Quoted message said:

with it? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Thanks Anthony, Parker, Ozzie, and Andy for all your help.

I did no running on Monday or Tuesday. Monday I was in pain just
walking around at work. Tuesday was a little better, but I still had to
walk slowly with short strides so as not to cause the ankle to bend as
much. It was difficult not to limp. Wednesday was much better. I could
walk full stride without wincing. So I went on a very easy 5 mile run.
The leg hurt a little but never got any worse during the run. My other
leg was also sore from carrying more than its share of weight due to
the limping around. Nonetheless, I felt good just getting out and
running. Unforunateley, Wednesday's run has set me back to Tuesday's
condition (limping with some pain).

So now I'm considering no running for a full week. I guess it's better
to have the leg 100% than worry about my conditioning for the marathon
on April 18th.

Phil M.

Phil,

This is what I would do if I were dealing with this situation.

I'd do the grabbing of the shin bone with the opposite hand so my
fingers were pressing into the belly of the anterior tib.

I'd bring the foot up to shorten the anterior tib and as I slowly let
the foot return to neutral, I be using an accupressure tightening by
pushing in with the fingers to play on the edge of the pain. That is
to keep the pressure constant. The next time I'd raise the foot (oh,
all of this is done sitting with leg crossed) and not let the fingers
loosen from where they were the previous go round.

In health and on the run,
Ozzie Gontang
Director, San Diego Marathon Clinic, est. 1975
Maintainer - rec.running FAQ
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/running-faq/
Mindful Running:
http://www.mindfulness.com/mr.asp

\

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from gontang215
@sbcglobal.net of 24 Mar 2005:

Quoted message said:

Phil,

This is what I would do if I were dealing with this situation.

I'd do the grabbing of the shin bone with the opposite hand so my
fingers were pressing into the belly of the anterior tib.

I'd bring the foot up to shorten the anterior tib and as I slowly let
the foot return to neutral, I be using an accupressure tightening by
pushing in with the fingers to play on the edge of the pain. That is
to keep the pressure constant. The next time I'd raise the foot (oh,
all of this is done sitting with leg crossed) and not let the fingers
loosen from where they were the previous go round.

Thanks Ozzie. I've been doing that a few times a day. The ankle is still
slightly swollen after yesterday's run. I'm icing for 20 minutes every 2
hours, when I can. Also taking ibuprofen.

Phil M.

--
Don't quit when the hill is steepest,
For your goal is almost nigh;
Don't quit, for you're not a failure
UNTIL YOU FAIL TO TRY."

--Jill Wolf

[[ This message was both posted and mailed: see
the "To," "Cc," and "Newsgroups" headers for details. ]]

Phil,

Where is the swelling located?

My daughter is preparing for her second marathon, RnR here in San Diego.

She did a 14 miler last Saturday and then started feeling what she and
others thought was a plantar fascia problem. We talked and she
mentioned twisting her ankle at the beginning of the run but it didn't
bother her.

I massaged the peroneus, and the pain on the bottom of her foot went
away. She said today it was a bit sore where I massaged but the bottom
of the foot was fine.

I'm wondering what the swelling is about. Is the posterior tibialis
tight? Is the calf holding on? Does the swelling have anything to do
with the flexus digitorum along the lower portion of the shin?

Going back to your original posting:
--------------------------
Four weeks to go until Boston and I've come up with this injury. I'm
99% sure that this what I have, since I exhibit all these symptoms:

* Pain when you bend your foot and toes up.
* Swelling and redness over the front of the ankle where the tendon is.
* If you push your fingers into the tendon you can sometimes feel a
creaking when you move the foot up and down.
---------------------------

I'd push in lightly and wiggle the toes up and down to get a sense of
the muscles that are wiggling the toes up. Then do the foot to see the
difference.

I have a hunch that if you go into the soleus real deep and point the
foot down to tighten the soleus and as you bring your foot back to
neutral push in a little harder, that might be what's working against
the anterior tib.

I'm also thinking that in your running that if you're not bringing up
the foot/leg opposite the injured leg, then you make be coming down
harder on that foot and the pain is a result of the other side of your
body not working effeciently or effectively.

To me when I hear creaking, I look at what muscle group is holding on
so that the tendon is having to be stretched. Loosen the agonist
muscle group or possibly the antagonist muscle group to reduce the
unnecessary stretch of the tendon of the anterior tib.

I'm also wondering if you are running with your head looking down 5 to
10 feet in front of you. The weight of the head forward can throw you
off, especially when the head is supposed to be balanced upon the atlas
over the neck. That can cause the toes to slightly dig in and
therefore put more pressure on the shins.

Anyway some thoughts. Will be interested in hearing how you solved
your issue.

In health and on the run,
Ozzie Gontang
Director, San Diego Marathon Clinic, est. 1975
Maintainer - rec.running FAQ
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/running-faq/
Mindful Running:
http://www.mindfulness.com/mr.asp

Quoted message said:

Thanks Ozzie. I've been doing that a few times a day. The ankle is still
slightly swollen after yesterday's run. I'm icing for 20 minutes every 2
hours, when I can. Also taking ibuprofen.

Phil M.

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from
[email hidden] of 26 Mar 2005:

Quoted message said:

Where is the swelling located?

On this image
http://tinyurl.com/4sns4
Right where it says "Trans. Crural ligument"

The swelling has gone down. On Monday (day after it hurt during my long
run) the skin was red over that area.

Quoted message said:

I'm wondering what the swelling is about. Is the posterior tibialis
tight?

No, it doesn't seem to be tight. But maybe I'm used to a certain level of
tightness.

Quoted message said:

Is the calf holding on? Does the swelling have anything to do with
the flexus digitorum along the lower portion of the shin?

I don't think so. At least I don't feel any pain there.

This very closely describes my symptoms:
http://tinyurl.com/6oy8w

Quoted message said:

Going back to your original posting:
--------------------------
Four weeks to go until Boston and I've come up with this injury. I'm
99% sure that this what I have, since I exhibit all these symptoms:

* Pain when you bend your foot and toes up.
* Swelling and redness over the front of the ankle where the tendon
is. * If you push your fingers into the tendon you can sometimes feel
a creaking when you move the foot up and down.
---------------------------

I'd push in lightly and wiggle the toes up and down to get a sense of
the muscles that are wiggling the toes up. Then do the foot to see
the difference.

I have a hunch that if you go into the soleus real deep and point the
foot down to tighten the soleus and as you bring your foot back to
neutral push in a little harder, that might be what's working against
the anterior tib.

I'm also thinking that in your running that if you're not bringing up
the foot/leg opposite the injured leg, then you make be coming down
harder on that foot and the pain is a result of the other side of your
body not working effeciently or effectively.

To me when I hear creaking, I look at what muscle group is holding on
so that the tendon is having to be stretched. Loosen the agonist
muscle group or possibly the antagonist muscle group to reduce the
unnecessary stretch of the tendon of the anterior tib.

I don't hear a creaking. There is no sound. But I can sometimes feel a
creaking movement. If I press firmly on the area I described above, I can
feel the rough movement, almost as if it were a door hinge that needed
some oil. Right now I can't feel the creaking.

Quoted message said:

I'm also wondering if you are running with your head looking down 5 to
10 feet in front of you.

This could be true. In looking at race photos, it looks like I may be
looking down too much.

Quoted message said:

The weight of the head forward can throw you off, especially when the
head is supposed to be balanced upon the atlas over the neck. That
can cause the toes to slightly dig in and therefore put more pressure
on the shins.

Anyway some thoughts. Will be interested in hearing how you solved
your issue.

As always, thanks for your help.

Phil M.

--
Don't quit when the hill is steepest,
For your goal is almost nigh;
Don't quit, for you're not a failure
UNTIL YOU FAIL TO TRY."

--Jill Wolf

I haven't seen any mention of your applying ice to the tender area. If
not, consider using it at least 3-4 times a day particularly after a
run. A couple of those blue gel packs you keep in the freezer will mold
nicely to the ankle, many come with a elastic band and pouch to hold it
in place.

Phil M. said:

Phil M. said:

Four weeks to go until Boston and I've come up with this injury. I'm

99%

Quoted message said:

sure that this what I have, since I exhibit all these symptoms:

* Pain when you bend your foot and toes up.
* Swelling and redness over the front of the ankle where the tendon

is.

Quoted message said:

* If you push your fingers into the tendon you can sometimes feel a
creaking when you move the foot up and down.

This injury is most likely from accumulated high mileage on asphalt

over

Quoted message said:

the past 2 months. From what I understand, it is similar to shin

splints,

Quoted message said:

but the pain is on the front of the ankle, rather than higher up on

the

Quoted message said:

shins. I found a site that sells an ebook called "The Pain-Free

Runner."

Quoted message said:

at http://tinyurl.com/49bno. In it they describe a self deep tissue
massage technique (see below). Has anyone tried this and had any luck

Quoted message said:

with it? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Thanks Anthony, Parker, Ozzie, and Andy for all your help.

I did no running on Monday or Tuesday. Monday I was in pain just
walking around at work. Tuesday was a little better, but I still had to
walk slowly with short strides so as not to cause the ankle to bend as
much. It was difficult not to limp. Wednesday was much better. I could
walk full stride without wincing. So I went on a very easy 5 mile run.
The leg hurt a little but never got any worse during the run. My other
leg was also sore from carrying more than its share of weight due to
the limping around. Nonetheless, I felt good just getting out and
running. Unforunateley, Wednesday's run has set me back to Tuesday's
condition (limping with some pain).

So now I'm considering no running for a full week. I guess it's better
to have the leg 100% than worry about my conditioning for the marathon
on April 18th.

Phil M.

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from [email hidden]
of 26 Mar 2005:

Quoted message said:

I haven't seen any mention of your applying ice to the tender area. If
not, consider using it at least 3-4 times a day particularly after a
run. A couple of those blue gel packs you keep in the freezer will mold
nicely to the ankle, many come with a elastic band and pouch to hold it
in place.

Yes. It's in my Thursday post to Ozzie...

Quoted message said:

Thanks Ozzie. I've been doing that a few times a day. The ankle is
still slightly swollen after yesterday's run. I'm icing for 20 minutes
every 2 hours, when I can. Also taking ibuprofen.

However, today the swelling has gone down, so I'm not icing anymore. Only
took one ibuprofen before going to the mall. No running since Wednesday.

Phil M.

--
Don't quit when the hill is steepest,
For your goal is almost nigh;
Don't quit, for you're not a failure
UNTIL YOU FAIL TO TRY."

--Jill Wolf

"Phil M." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

However, today the swelling has gone down, so I'm not icing anymore.
Only
took one ibuprofen before going to the mall. No running since
Wednesday.

I would still ice for a few more days. I'll bet there is still swelling
but less of it. Remember, you can never do harm with ice short of
chilling to long at any one time. Ice is like meds they give you for a
virus. People stop taking it when they start to fell better and then
relapse. A few more days especially after any walking/running, even
sustained standing.

-DougF

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from [email hidden] of 27
Mar 2005:

Quoted message said:

I would still ice for a few more days. I'll bet there is still swelling
but less of it. Remember, you can never do harm with ice short of
chilling to long at any one time. Ice is like meds they give you for a
virus. People stop taking it when they start to fell better and then
relapse. A few more days especially after any walking/running, even
sustained standing.

Thanks Doug. Will do.

Phil M.

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from [email hidden] of
21 Mar 2005:

Quoted message said:

Four weeks to go until Boston and I've come up with this injury. I'm
99% sure that this what I have, since I exhibit all these symptoms:

* Pain when you bend your foot and toes up.
* Swelling and redness over the front of the ankle
where the anterior tibial tendon is.
* If you push your fingers into the tendon you can sometimes feel
a creaking when you move the foot up and down.

Quick recap:
Training for Boston with consistant high mileage (60mpw) and 20 mile long
runs.
3/20 - 10 miles into a 20-miler, pain on front of ankle (tibialis anterior
tendon)
3/21 - swelling and pain, nsaids & ice, daily deep tissue massage
3/23 - easy 5-miler, good at start, painful at finish
3/24 - back to 3/21 condition, no running for 5 days
3/29 - easy 7-miler, some pain at start, very painful at finish
3/30 - back to 3/21 condition, no running since
4/1 - visit doc, prescribes prednison & ibuprofen, referral to ortho

On Tuesday of this week I ran an easy 6. My first run since last
Wednesday. I've run a total of 12 miles in the last 2 weeks! Even if I
was 100%, I don't think I'd want to run a marathon on the 18th with so
little running 3 and 4 weeks out from the race. I know I have lots of
mileage in the bank, but how long can that last?

Before Tuesday walking around at work is pain-free, just a little stiffness
in the front of my ankle. I knew right away at the start of the 6 mile run
that something was still not right. It hurt a little but not bad. I was
hoping that somehow if I kept running it would work itself out. Other than
the pain, it felt soooo good to be out of the house and running. The joy
was greater than the pain. But silly me. That's the same attitude that got
me in this mess. But it got progressively more painful all the way to the
finish. The next day, the pain was the same as it was the day after my last
long run on March 20th. Back to, limping, nsaids and icing.

Friday I went to my family doctor hoping he would say, "No problem. Just
take these magic pills and start running again tomorrow." Well, that didn't
exactly happen, but surprsingly close. I told him I believed that I had
anterior tibial tendonitis and that I was running about 60 mpw with 20 mile
long runs when the pain started. He was more impressed with my knowlege of
anatomy than with my running. At his practice is another doctor that runs
marathons, so maybe he's up on the running obsessive types. He moved my
foot around, said it wasn't fractured (duh! I guess I'd be screaming if it
was), noted the slight swelling. He asked if I had any upcomming races. I
told him about Boston on the 18th. His repsonse was , "Well, maybe next
year." I'm already mentally prepared for that, so no problem. However, he
seemed to think I could get back to running within a few weeks. He
prescribed 800 mg ibuprofen tablets to take 2 times per day, along with 12
prednisone tablets, starting with 3 pills once a day. He gave me a referral
to an orthopedic specialist in case the pain returns after resuming running
in a few weeks.

Today the pain is barely detectable while walking. Virtually no pain when
flexing the tibialis anterior (dorsiflexion). However, I have some pain
when pointing the toes and flexing the calves (plantar flexion). No
creaking feeling when I flex my ankle.

For future googlers here are some helpful links to this injury:
http://tinyurl.com/6oy8w
http://tinyurl.com/5thws
http://tinyurl.com/5d4cd
http://tinyurl.com/4sns4
http://tinyurl.com/45ry2
http://tinyurl.com/4b9zt

Today it's a beautiful day to run in Atlanta. Damnit! I want to run! ;-(

BTW, thanks to all those who tried to help - Tony, Anthony, lanceandrew,
Doug, Ozzie, Parker, Andy, Bumper, and Miss Ann Thrope (enjoyed the
chuckle).

Phil M.

--
Don't quit when the hill is steepest,
For your goal is almost nigh;
Don't quit, for you're not a failure
UNTIL YOU FAIL TO TRY."

--Jill Wolf

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from ignoramus21027
@NOSPAM.21027.invalid of 02 Apr 2005:

Quoted message said:

Phil, good luck with yur treatment. Prednisone is an extremely nasty
drug, and many people report that it pushed them into diabetes or
substantially worsened their diabetes. You can probably google J David
Anderson's posts on alt.support.diet on his own diabetes caused by it.

I would give this prednisone a good second thought.

Been doing nothing but googling for info on prednisone all day. Plenty of
free time I guess. Anyway, the doc only gave me 12 pills of 10mg each. Take
30 mg the first 2 days, take 20 mg, the next 2 days, take 10 mg the next 2
days. I don't think that's enough to cause any real harm.

Phil M.

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from ignoramus21027
@NOSPAM.21027.invalid of 02 Apr 2005:

Quoted message said:

Phil, good luck with yur treatment. Prednisone is an extremely nasty
drug, and many people report that it pushed them into diabetes or
substantially worsened their diabetes. You can probably google J David
Anderson's posts on alt.support.diet on his own diabetes caused by it.

I would give this prednisone a good second thought.

His problems were from long term prednisone use. Here's his post
http://tinyurl.com/53nc4

Phil M.

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from
[email hidden] of 02 Apr 2005:

Quoted message said:

Phil M. said:

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from ignoramus21027
@NOSPAM.21027.invalid of 02 Apr 2005:

Quoted message said:

Phil, good luck with yur treatment. Prednisone is an extremely nasty
drug, and many people report that it pushed them into diabetes or
substantially worsened their diabetes. You can probably google J
David Anderson's posts on alt.support.diet on his own diabetes
caused by it.

I would give this prednisone a good second thought.

Been doing nothing but googling for info on prednisone all day.
Plenty of free time I guess. Anyway, the doc only gave me 12 pills of
10mg each. Take 30 mg the first 2 days, take 20 mg, the next 2 days,
take 10 mg the next 2 days. I don't think that's enough to cause any
real harm.

Is the reason for taking it that you want to start running sooner?

That's part of it. Most of what I've read is that it can help this type
of tendon issue. Also, the dose I'm taking is less than what most are
taking. I'm sure the doc is erring on the side of too little. And if it
doesn't work, he's not going to prescribe more. Instead, I'm to go to a
specialist for further diagnosis/treatment. Hopefully that won't be
necessary.

Quoted message said:

What is the precise tradeoff here, if you, say, do not take it, would
it make your recovery only take longer time? Or would you remain
permanently crippled?

I think the doc wants me to take this just to get me up and running more
quickly. I'm taking such a slight amount (120 mg spread out over 6 days),
that it is not likely I will be turned into a diabetic. I suppose you
could say that I'm taking such a slight amount that it's not likely to
help me either. Even today I wouldn't say I'm crippled. I'm walking
without pain. I could probably even run a couple of miles without pain,
but I'm not going to run at all for a while longer.

If you could site some references where I'm at a huge risk, I'd be happy
to read them.

Phil M.

"Phil M." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Leafing through rec.running, I read a message from [email hidden] of
21 Mar 2005:

<story snipped>

Quoted message said:

Today it's a beautiful day to run in Atlanta. Damnit! I want to run! ;-(

That's too bad, I would have been dissapointed if I had done all that
training and then was injured that close to the race.
Are you able to do something else to maintain your aerobic conditioning? Can
you ride a bike?

Quoted message said:

BTW, thanks to all those who tried to help - Tony, Anthony, lanceandrew,
Doug, Ozzie, Parker, Andy, Bumper, and Miss Ann Thrope (enjoyed the
chuckle).

Unfortunately the most helpful treatment (to stop running) is the one we
usually are forced into as a last result.
My feet are still on the edge, I have to make a decision about a new pair of
orthotics that my health insurance won't pay for.
I may just take an extended break from running and see what happens. I'm
looking forward to it being warm enough for biking to be an alternative.

Quoted message said:

Phil M.

--
Don't quit when the hill is steepest,
For your goal is almost nigh;
Don't quit, for you're not a failure
UNTIL YOU FAIL TO TRY."

--Jill Wolf

Good Luck,
Parker