Am I not meant to be a runner?

Jbarbo01

I love to run, it makes me feel alive but I have been plagued by injuries from running for a long time. I've tried everything. I bought top of the line motion control shoes, highly rated inserts, went to PT, tried minimal shoes, have lost weight, and stretching and nothing seems to prevent injury.

I just came back from 3 months of rest and PT for three types of tendonitis in my foot, which included my achilles, plantars fasciitis, and peronnial tendonitis. Now Im back and followed a jeff galloway Couch25K plan and now not only is some of tendonitis coming back but I can feel shin splints forming again too. I'm only running about 2 x 3 times a week for 1.5-2 miles max. I don't understand what I am doing wrong.

Are some people not meant to be runners or has anyone else done something that helped them triumph over a similar situation?

MinnieInMaine

Just curious - have you talked to your PT about your injuries, what might have caused them, how to prevent, etcc?

Have you ever had your gait analyzed? Do you heel strike or make sure you're landing mid foot to ball? Were you properly fitted with all those different types of shoes to make sure they were right for you or did you just go with what you thought you needed?

BigT555

you're human, you are meant to be a runner. some people are just susceptible to injuries

do you warm up at all? maybe the volume of running is too high, try taking it back a notch and working your way up to longer distances

Jbarbo01

I have super flat feet caused by fallen arches, I didn't always have them. Which caused much of my tendonitis except for my achilles which is some kind of weird genetic defect that I have shortened achilles tendons so I have to stretch them a lot. I was discharged because my pain had gone away but I will call her and see if she has some tips for me. My PT said my gait looked good and my running form was fine and I was not heel striking. :-(

I got Brooks shoes based on Amazon reviews for flat feet but it might not be a bad idea to go to a running store and see if I can't find something more supportive that completely prevents any overpronation.

I can definitely try cutting down to just a mile, but I am not sure how I progress. I did just a mile for about 3 weeks and started progressing and then noticed shin pain.

Thank you all for the tips!

lulukittie

Definitely go to a running store and get fitted. There is so much variation in people's feet, shoe models, cushioning etc. that I would never recommend ordering shoes online unless you already had the same exact model and liked it. I can't say that will solve all of your problems, but it's a relatively easy fix. Good luck!