Today I jogged 2.0 km of last year’s 10.6 km Mäntyharju Pyhävesi-juoksu route. +21°C, clear, Asics Gel Nimbus 13, 91.5 kg. I continued my breathing experiment.

I’ve taken a forced break from running for a month, due to recurring pains in my right foot, around the ankle and across the top of my foot. But the most persistent pain has been at a very specific spot under the foot, at the centre of the longitudinal arch.

I saw a physician this week and had x-rays taken – which appear to exclude stress fracture. I was referred to a physiotherapist who will hopefully help diagnose the injury, advise me on the impact and suggest treatment. That’s due next week.

Today I felt like carefully testing how my foot would sustain a short run in beautiful spring weather. But I kept it to 2 km only and I’m not planning to increase the distance until after consulting the physiotherapist. It’s supposed to be a good one, having worked with one of the Finnish national league ice hockey teams.

I was very aware of my right foot’s position while running, and thanks to the limited distance I managed to keep the pain/irritation level fairly equal to before I started. For which I’m quite happy.

In the meantime I’ve reduced my target for this year to building up to 2 x 6 = 12 km per week. Maybe 13 km/week throughout 2013?

I’m collecting my jogging stats on this page.

(Image: Creative Commons Attribution: esbjorn2)