Ok, I have been super busy the last two days. My poor left heel has been loudly protesting every single step I've taken over the last month. I have tried advil, ice, heat, rest (... .well... two days), and finally decided to just ignore it. And guess what? None of those things worked. No surprise there.
So I finally decided to be an adult and go see an podiatrist yesterday. I went in there expecting to hear I needed new running shoes and of course that's what he told me. While my shoes don't have many miles on them they are apparently the wrong ones for my feet.
Not a big deal, I have no particular loyalty to Nike, but I was still a little frustrated. The thing is I went into a running store TWICE and had TWO different "shoe fitting specialists" tell me I had normal feet. Normal arches, normal stride, even wear pattern, all of that. I actually left the store a little disappointed that day that I was so darn "normal". I wanted cool, fancy smancy running shoes and turns out I only needed run of the mill ones.
Fast forward to yesterday and I have a doctor telling me my arches are "falling", which is a rather archaic term for low arches. They are apparently not entirely flat, but low. Solution: New shoes. No big deal.
However, that was the cause of my arch pain (that along with a flare up of my long lost friend Mr. Plantar Fasciitis), but it didn't explain the left outer heel pain. That was just good old fashioned inflammation of the bursa caused by not enough cushioning of in the shoes. Solution: New shoes (again) and a lovely course of steroids.
So far I'm nodding my head and in agreeance with the doctor. It all makes perfect sense and I'm happy with the solution, but what comes out of his mouth next stops me in my tracks.
"You see, you are LARGER than average for a woman and are MOST DEFINITELY larger than the average female runner and while I'm sure you'd like to be able to wear pretty dainty womens running shoes they are simply not made for someone your size."
What?!?!?! Ok, I'm 5'8" and 159 pounds. I have a medium frame. I am aware I'm not petite, but I certainly didn't think I was some sort of gigantic freak. And by the way, those "dainty" womens shoes he was referring to were a size 9.5.
He went on to say, "I'm not calling you fat, you're just large. But the fact is you're the size of the average MALE runner so I think you need to look into buying MENS running shoes, they would be able to support your size body."
I'd love to hear your feedback on this. I completely agree that I may need come extra cushioning and I certainly need to find shoes that work with my arches better, but the whole mens running shoe just doesn't seem right.
I looked it up on the internet and everything I read says women should NOT wear mens shoes if they're running longer distances because women tend to have a larger and heavier pelvis (think childbearing hips) and therefore their running gait is different than mens. In fact the article I read went on to state that wearing mens shoes for prolonged periods of time could cause lower back pain in women.
Any thought?
I am very happily heading to my local Fleet Feet, which is NOT the store I had previously been fitted at. We shall see what they have to say about it. I'm also looking for a new podiatrist. :)
And to thank you all for listening to me whine, I offer you the chance to win free food. :)
I was recently given samples of MINUTE Ready to Serve Brown Rice to try and review.
We all know that brown rice is nutritionally superior to white rice, but lets face it: 45 minutes is a long time to wait for rice. The other problem I face in my household is that while Charles is very supportive and is usually on board with eating healthy, he just doesn't like brown rice. So I'm left making two different kinds of rice.
This product is the solution to those problems. It is brown rice that has been fully cooked and is packaged in single serving cups. Simply heat in the microwave for 60 seconds and you have delicious, moist brown rice. I had the pleasure of enjoying a cup with my lunch. Very tasty, I actually didn't feel the need to add any butter or flavorings to it. It was perfect just the way it was.
I asked my contact at Minute Rice if making it "ready to serve" had altered its nutritional values at all. She did let me know that a small amount of sunflower oil had been added in order to keep it moist. That increased the calorie count slightly. The one cup serving is 170 calories. However, like I pointed out I didn't need to add anything to it so I saved those butter calories.
CLICK HERE to find out more about their products.
Here is your chance to try it:
5 of my lucky readers will each win: one sleeve of the Ready to Serve Brown Rice, a box of the regular Minute Brown rice and a coupon for free product.
Simply leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to eat brown rice. Enter between now and midnight Sunday. Winners will be announced Monday
Don't forget to enter my iFitness Giveaway.
And what's your reaction to what my doctor said?