Weird Pain in One Arch During a Run? (Read 923 times)

Hello!

I recently started running two weeks ago, on Monday, and it was going fine. On Tuesday, of those 2 weeks ago, I bought brand new ASICS GEL-PHOENIX  3 running shoes. I started out doing a lot of miles(6-8) which was bad, so I reduced the mileage to 2-3 miles daily. When I bought the running shoes, it has been going great, until last Monday. Every time a run, I get this weird feeling of tiredness is JUST my left arch, not my right. Everything is going good with my right foot, there is no pain, or anything. I do not know what the deal is.

My left foot's arch gets this tired-pain feeling, and It forceably makes me stop running, which is a pain in the neck, because I can't even get a good run in, because I have to keep taking breaks with this stupid arch pain in my left foot. I do not have flat feet, I made sure I went and checked for that, but I do have low arches.(Well to me, they look low, not sure if they are just normal height for an arch of a foot.) This pain only hurts when I run. I even stopped today, took off my shoe of the left foot, and the pain went away. I tried everything. I have tried loosening the shoe lace, tightening the shoe, spraying deodorant on teh foot, putting foot powder, and everything.

I do not know what else to do. I also do not think it is the shoe, because I just bought them two Tuesdays ago, so they are not old. Does it have to do anything with this Grey stripe? Because I heard from some it does:

Thanks for your help!

For real?  From 0 miles/week to 6-8/run?   I find this really hard to believe, even for a 16 year old.

 

If this is true and you're not simply trolling, then I think your issue has nothing to do with the choice of footwear.

No, it is true. I used to do Cross-Country, Football and Track, so I guess I am kinda use too conditioning. BUT for the past week I have only been doing 2-3 miles every other day, and every time I run, I get that pain in just the left arch. It is very annoying.

If the pain developed after you started wearing these shoes, then the shoes are the most like culprit.  Just because they're new don't mean they're right for you.  Even if you went to a running store and did the gait analysis and they were recommended by the store, it's still possible that they won't fit you properly.  Wear a different pair of shoes for a week and see if the pain goes away.

Okay, thank God I bought two pairs of running shoes, but the other one is NIKE, which is not so good. I am going to have to give them a try though.

I just realized though, the arch started hurting a week ago, and the week before with the same shoe, it did not hurt at all?

You have to ease yourself back into running. At this point, you want to develop your aerobic system first. Beginners often make the mistake of doing too much, too soon and end up injured, then quit as they have proved the false belief that running is bad for you. It's ill-informed training that is bad for you.

The best way to keep yourself from doing too much too soon is to use a heart rate monitor and construct a running schedule that is built on duration, not distance. Keep yourself at an easy aerobic heart rate, which means you might have to walk some to do so. There is plenty of information out there, and different viewpoints on what an aerobic intensity or heart rate actually is, so research it and inform yourself. Here are some things to look up:

--heart rate training (lots of different views and plans out there)

--aerobic system, anaerobic system, aerobic training, anaerobic training

--Dr. Phil Maffetone

--Heart Rate Training For The Compleat Idiot by John Parker (it's spelled "compleat" in the title)

--Hadd Training

If heart-rate training doesn't float your rubber ducky then I suggest doing a walk/run ala Jeff Galloway until your injury heals. Walking helps the aerobic system. Also, the way to keep it easy is to be able to recite the U.S. Constitution without having to catch your breath (though your favorite amendment might overwhelm you). One of the ways they keep it easy in the military is to sing or do those cadence songs. Whatever. You should be able to orate easily. If you have to walk to do so, then walk until you can run.

The key is to understand that training=work+RECOVERY

You're young and should recover quickly, but you still need to give your body time to do so. Recovery is equally as important as running.

Build a schedule that starts really easy that is based on time.

Below is a sample 6 month schedule for beginners to show you one way of structuring a week that distributes your time starting with 2 hours per week that builds slowly by 5%. This is just a sample or something to consider. Use at own risk. There might be better ones for you to try, or people with much more knowledge than me that could help you. This is just to show how to think about a schedule and how to take it slowly. The important thing is increase a little every week,  go hard day/easy day.

Notice the slow build and distribution between runs, and the cutback weeks.

With any schedule that you create, always let your body dictate extra rest and cutting back to reduce stress. Any schedule should be a guide. This is a time-based schedule in minutes. The amount of time each day includes your warm-up. Just do a very slow walk (15 minutes or so) for cool-down.

Nothing wrong with repeating a week 2 or three times before advancing to the next week, but don't jump ahead.

You can either run or walk briskly ( a HR that is aerobic). Walking briskly counts as workout time.

If you are too tired one day to run, don't try to make up the day. NEVER CRAM IN TRAINING, OR DO MAKE-UP WORKOUTS. Just move to the next day in the schedule. Give your body the respect of listening to it.

 (in minutes)
 
DAYS:
1........2........3.....4.......5 .... ..6 ......7......total


18.....26.....00.....22.....18.....36.....00.....120

19.....27.....00.....23.....19.....38.....00.....126

20.....28.....00.....24.....20.....40.....00.....132

20.....28.....00.....24.....00.....33.....00.....105

21.....30.....00.....25.....21.....42.....00.....139

22.....32.....00.....26.....22.....44.....00.....146

23.....33.....00.....28.....23.....46.....00.....153

23.....33.....00.....28.....00.....37.....00.....121

24.....35.....00.....29.....24.....48.....00.....160

25.....37.....00.....30.....25.....51.....00.....168

27.....39.....00.....31.....27.....53.....00.....177

27.....39.....00.....31.....00.....46.....00.....143

28.....41.....00.....33.....28.....56.....00.....186

29.....43.....00.....35.....29.....59.....00.....195

31.....45.....00.....36.....31.....62.....00.....205

31.....45.....00.....36.....00.....50.....00.....162

32.....47.....00.....39.....32.....65.....00.....215

34.....49.....00.....41.....34.....68.....00.....226

36.....52.....00.....43.....36.....71.....00.....238

36.....52.....00.....43.....00.....60.....00.....191

37.....55.....00.....45.....37.....75.....00.....249

39.....58.....00.....47.....39.....79.....00.....262

41.....60.....00.....50.....41.....83.....00.....275

41.....60.....00.....50.....00.....70.....00.....191

43.....64.....00.....52.....43.....87.....00.....289

45.....66.....00.....55.....45.....91.....00.....302

45.....69.....06.....56.....45.....96.....00.....318

45.....60.....00.....50.....00.....75.....00.....240

45.....74.....10.....60.....45.....100...00.....334

45.....77.....16.....63.....45.....105...00.....351

45.....81.....20.....66.....45.....111...00.....368

45.....60.....00.....60.....00.....85.....00.....260

45.....85.....26.....70.....45.....116...00.....387

45.....90.....32.....73.....45.....120...00.....405

Hope this helps a bit. Become a student of running like you have with computers, and the knowledge will serve you well.

Jimmy

I have had pain like that when wearing shoes that are either inflexible or too tight. I believe the pain is essentially PF, but farther forward than is typical. 

I have had a similar experience. When I first started getting back into running years ago after a long layoff I was having a lot of pain under my left arch and near the ball of my foot. It took a while but eventually I figured out that the stability shoes I was running in (Asics GT-2000 series) were too stiff for me. I had a very rigid foot and I needed a very neutral trainer to let my foot relax.

I don't have any first hand experience with the Asics Gel Phoenix but by the look of it, it is slightly posted (has some stability elements). That gray stripe is actually a harder type of foam than the white parts and it has a visible arch bridge, so it is designed to support the inside of your foot and promote normal pronation (prevent your foot from rolling in and your arch collapsing) for someone who over pronates--however if you don't need it, it can cause problems because the shoe could be too rigid for you.

By the way I've done the 0 miles/week to 6-8 per day several times in my on again off again life of running. I don't find that part hard to believe.

Over-pronation means that your arch collapses in when you are running. Some shoes have extra support, which is there to prevent the collapsing-in.  "Neutral" refers to the footstrike that doesn't involve collapsing, and to the kind of shoes that are appropriate for people whose footstrike is neutral. 

MTA: I also developed PF/arch pain in one arch only. But, in my case it appears to have been caused by neutral shoes.  To beef's and Mikey's points, the important thing is how the particular shoe fits your foot. This can only be resolved by some trial and error. The safest route is to ease into running with a particular shoe. That way you can catch a bad fit early-on, before injury.    

The answer is always to keep running. Yes, it could be all of those things. And the solution might also not cure it in one run. 

Yes.

 

Criminey.

 

Sometimes shoes need to break in.  Now I've worn the same model for going on 8 years but before that, sometimes one foot or another hurt like hell for a few days when I broke in a new pair of shoes.  Then it went away and I forgot about it for 500-700 miles, until I had to break in another pair.

 

A little pain is not an injury.  A lot of pain, or a little pain over a long time, might be an injury.

I like this. Simple, to the point, and good to remember.