There’s nothing like that first step in the morning. You awaken ready for the day, and before you can make it out 5 feet you are forced into an awkward limp. This is the clearest sign of plantar fasciitis, microtears of the fascia that go from your heel to the balls of your feet.

My experience with it has been difficult. The cause of my plantar fasciitis wasn’t just because of how much running I did, it turns out it was because of my ankle mobility (which I didn’t figure out until 6 years afterwards). So during the first 5 years I thought if I rested it enough I could kick it to the curb. The google recommendations told me to rest for 6-12 months, and there was no way that would happen. I had races to do for cross country, and running in college was one of the best ways for me to be social. The longest break I could take from running was 6 weeks and that didn’t help. Also my doctor suggested to lower the intensity, but I was already running so slow. Cortisol shots were a no-go as well.

What happened to me was that one day plantar fasciitis was GONE. Seriously, it’s been over a year since I felt that crippling first step out of bed. Before it disappeared, though, I stopped running 30-50 mile weeks and reduced it down to 10-20 miles a week. I also got into weight lifting and mobility work. A part of the mobility work was an ankle assessment. In a lunge position, with my back knee on the ground, I kept my front foot flat on the ground and brought my weight forward to see how far my front knee went over my toes. My right ankle was amazing, easily 4-5 inches past the end of my toes. My other ankle, however, was only an inch or 2 past the end of my toes. This means the movement had to come from another body part (my foot). The repetitive increased motion of running would cause issues for my plantar fascia. My mobility practice revolved around all variations of the calf stretch and the combat stretch. I contribute my ability to have better range of motion in my ankle to the combat stretch (mind pump mobility). Since incorporating it, plantar fasciitis has not returned.