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Changing My Gait Seems to Hurt My Feet

jmoss70jmoss70
in General Training Discussions

Super long story here shortened...returned to running from broken foot in Sept 2011, battled PF for about 6 months (it got somewhat better), pulled right hamstring April 2012...PT analyzed my gait and gave me some pointers on improving.  Been implementing higher knees, better posture, etc.  Helps the hamstring, but the feet seem to be "adjusting".  The feet are sore, esp. the arches. 

Anyone else experienced arch/foot pain while changing up your gait?

Comments

  • new2703new2703
    Foot soreness, calf soreness and hamstring soreness. I've had it all. But at least no knee pain. Doesn't seem like a fair trade off.
  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    A good basic rule: if it hurts, don't do it. If it is uncomfortable in that 'adjusting to something new' sort of way, ease yourself into it, and don't hurt yourself by doing too much, too soon. Be smart.
  • tuckermtuckerm
    Gait changes should be made in the OS, not during IM prep. But if you must I'd follow Mikes advice.
  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    Jim-- I have recently changed my gait as well and have been focussing on a much higher cadence. I have also had some soreness in the arches of my feet and my calves. I wouldn't call this "pain" per se, but certainly tightness/soreness. I have been doing stretching as well as calf/foot strengthening exercises. As well as "rolling" my feet under my desk at work on a hard rolling pin type thing I have on the floor. Seems like a reasonable trade-off to me given the better form I currently have. It's damn hard to keep good form and high cadence, but it sure feels like it will be worth it in the long term.
  • jmoss70jmoss70

    Yeah, this is going to be a challenge.  I'm in Week 13 of IM training and due to a pulled hamstring I need to "fix" my gait so I can alleviate issues with the hamstring.  The new gait is putting more force on my feet and taxing them a bit more than they are used to.  

  • CarlCarl
    I also worked on a higher cadence all winter and spring. Big thing for me is new blister or hot spots. The big toes!! Therefore duct tape will hopefully be my savior this coming weekend!!

    Regarding my cadence I'm almost always around 90-93 and it just happens now!!!
  • Coach RichCoach Rich

    What Tucker and Mike said. Sounds like your PT doesn't realize that these suggested changes are not happening in a vacuum but rather in the last few weeks before an Ironman, when your bike and run training volume are at their highest. If it were me, I'd would work with him to fix the hamstring without changing my gait, and consider addressing that stuff well after CDA, after I had a chance to recover.

  • jmoss70jmoss70

    Most practitioners (even when told, "Look me in the eye, I'm training for an Ironman.") don't hear/understand what we are doing to our bodies.  The quackopractor ART dude I saw last week tried to up-sell me on K-Laser treatment.  He said "yeah, you'll have to not train for 3 weeks"...dealbreaker I said.  

    I think Rich is right that my PT likely doesn't realize that he's telling me to make some big changes at the critical point in the schedule. 

    I'm going to try to keep the gait the same as it was.  However, with just a few runs using the new gait I can feel how much less stressful it is on my injured hamstring. 

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    also look at your volume, if you are trying to implement changes into 4 hour run week...that's a lot. image Maybe break the runs into shorter increments or try to focus on new technique for shorter windows?
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