I now take the time to thoroughly warm up before beginning a run.
I developed plantar fasciitis in my feet from running in poor quality sneakers. I got married when I was only nineteen years old. My husband and I had very little money. We were struggling to pay our mortgage and cover the cost of car insurance and groceries. There was no extra room in the budget to cover a gym membership or purchase exercise equipment. I needed to figure out a way to keep in shape that was free. I used an old pair of sneakers from Walmart and started running. Initially, I could only run about half of a mile before I was forced to a walking pace to catch my breath. It didn’t take long to build stamina. I eventually got to where I was running anywhere from six to ten miles every day. I pushed myself to further distance and a faster pace. Running was the ideal exercise to clear my head, tone my muscles and burn calories. Completing a run put me in a great mood and ensured a more productive day. However, the lack of support from my sneakers caused problems. It felt as if the bottoms of my feet were tearing open with every step. The pain got so bad that I could hardly walk. I needed to rest my feet, ice them and take pain medication. It was several years before I was able to take up running again. Once I could afford it, I invested into sneakers designed for running. I also spent some money on a pair of inserts for extra arch support. I now take the time to thoroughly warm up before beginning a run. I make sure to properly cool down at the end of a run. I never run two days in a row. On the days in-between, I try to stick with exercises that aren’t hard on my feet, such as swimming, biking or weight lifting.