Obviously, one of the initial keys to running is strong feet and ankles. Without these sets of bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles being healthy and in good alignment, running performance will suffer.
A few months ago (early August), I was doing a routine cleanup of my yard and garden when I suddenly slipped on a muddy spot while dumping clippings over a hillside. I slid about ten feet down on my right side until catching myself with my left foot. Getting up, I initially felt the pains from the abrasions along the side if my body. But as I began to resume work, my left foot felt funny. There was a mild pop every time I took a stride. No significant pain, but it felt funny. I didn't think it would interfere with running, but sure enough, it did. After anything over a few miles, the outer forefoot would become swollen and stiff for a few days. Weight bearing wasn't that painful, but my foot just lacked strength.
In summary, it took two months to get full strength back, no matter what I did. This is simply because it needed to heal. Seeing as how I'd just started my intense running program, my feet were still weak and non-muscular for the most part. And due to the injury, my right foot quickly passed the left, growing more muscle and veins. My left simply would not do the same until it had healed more. As of the Marshall Marathon, my left foot is now 100% healthy. I'm happy with my feet and ready to move forward with my training.
Here are a list of my key ingredients to running with good feet and ankles:
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