So, it's not plantar fasciitis

And I think that's good news. I've been frustrated that even thought I've taken 3 weeks off after my race, my heel pain in my left heel has gotten worse, not better. I showed the general symptoms of plantar fasciitis (mainly heel/arch pain especially first thing in the morning) but I hadn't had it looked at too deeply. On Monday I got a massage and the therapist told me that I did not have plantar fasciitis, but that my calf muscles were so tight that they were cutting off circulation in my heel, causing the pain. My left calf appeared to be particularly tight because it had torn at some point and had some scar tissue. He massaged the heck out of it and I'm to take at least a week off from all running and biking and to ice bath it for at least 3 days.

If it wasn't for the heel pain, I would never had guessed I had an injury. Sure, my calves get tight, but during Ironman training it's pretty hard to differentiate between normal and abnormal soreness/tightness. And of course now that I really am supposed to not run or bike, it's all I want to do. Swimming and yoga aren't cutting it, though the Pilates class last week was... interesting.

Last week I also invested in a Strassburg sock to sleep in. The idea is that the heel is tighter in the morning because at night we tend to point our toes and the calf muscle shortens. This device keeps the foot flexed and the calf muscle longer. I'm getting used to sleeping in it, but as I've said, my heel still hurts in the morning.