Perhaps this is the universe trying to tell me that only a dude in Greece with a “Niki!” message was meant to run this distance.

After 4 months of solid training, feeling pretty good, increasing the kilometers at a steady pace, getting mentally set for game day, I am faced with the most painful foot condition with the most horrendous name. Wiki says:

Plantar Fasciitis: a painful inflammatory condition caused by excessive wear to the plantar fascia of the foot. The pain usually is felt on the underside of the heel, and is often most intense with the first steps of the day…. It is commonly associated with long periods of weight bearing… shoes with little or no arch support…
(I think these few were the culprits. Ugg Boots are Bad!)

Plantar Fasciitis – just the name itself is enough to make one wince.

As I sit here typing, I am rolling and massaging my feet over 2 frozen cans of OJ – a neat trick of cool compression therapy advice from my sister. And with this impossible condition, one is supposed to just “stay off your feet” – huh? How is this possible? So I’ve hired some unemployeed lackeys as my support team to bring me beverages, food and hockey games on the tele. Not a bad time of the year to be off my feet, really.

Last year I ran the Vancouver Marathon 4 weeks after a rather disturbing concussion. I made out okay, just under 4 hours. This year I was hoping to have a go at 42 km with nothing in my way of making a great time. I even had hopes of Boston in my sight. Ack! It’s disappointing not to reach those big goals.

I don’t think I’ll be drinking the orange juice in these cans under my swollen, sore feet. I hate feet.