Triathlon - I think I fractured a bone

Well today I'll find out for sure if I've broken something or not. Back in February I was out doing the run/walk thing and I over did it :(. From that point on I've had some pain in my left foot, but what's odd is I couldn't pintpoint one exact location that was causing the pain. At first I thought I might have just over done it and that things would return to normal soon. I've been walking regularly and would mix in a little running after getting good and warmed up and each time I would have a little pain the next day.

Last night after a good warm up I started doing the following repeats. Walk around the track until I got to the 100 yard starting line and then run 100 yards. Walk back around to the starting point and repeat. I made it through two just fine and about 3/4 of the way through the 3rd one I felt something give in my left foot. I'm pretty certain I've fractured one of the metatarsal bones in my 3rd toe (Pinky toe = 1). I'll find out at 10:35 this morning when I get to see the doctor.

Anyone ever suffer this injury before? If so how long did it set you back?

Zack, if it is a fracture, hopefully its only a stress fracture (well, hopefully it is not a fracture at all) which from what I have observed tends to heal rather quickly. Let us know what the vist to the Dr. reveals. You might need an evaluation for orthotics. I couldn't have competed at running for years without both training and racing orthotics, which by the way, took quite a few adjustments to get just right.

I have fractured/broken most of my toes (usually at karate). I have been lucky with quick recoveries.

Wishing for the best. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the replies. The doc doesn't think it's a fracture, but he ordered an X-ray all the same. He thinks it's a case of plantar fascitious. I've had PF in the same foot in the past but it was located just in front of he heel so when I had the pain in the front part of my foot I thought it was something different.

Doc will have X-ray results early next week and April 8th I go see the PT folks. In the meantime I'll keep walking and doing icing/stretching stuff to see if I can get it to heal up. This puts a big damper on my planned April 30th triathlon. I can either change my registration to another event in the series or do it on the 30th and just walk the 5K run segment.

ugh...Im sorry about your foot...

My 2 cents...
muscle balance, both through strength and flexibility are REALLY important for you...pain is a good thing--its letting you know that somethings wrong (ok, I know it hurts and all). It makes you 'address' the issue instead of ignoring it (and racing next weekend...hehe)

My suggestion would be to make sure the entire issue is addressed-which in my experience (as a PT) sometimes MDs (and even therapists) look just at 'the foot' for plantar fascitis, and ignore the rest of the body. Likely, the foot problem is a symptom of other things being 'out of balance', 'tight' or 'weak' or a combo of both, often times found in the hips...without you even being aware. Hopefully the PT will perform a full body postural assessment, will be used to working w/ athletes, and will be interested in your current and previous training routine...to try to figure out and solve the problem (something that could have crept up on you over years..not days).

There are a few books that are FANTASTIC out by Pete Egoscue-he also has a website (I've been to his clinic in San Diego...worth the trip), where he walks you through postural balance self assessment (based on what you see and what hurts), and prescribes Egoscue-cizes - simple but effective exercises which help bring the body's soft tissue back into balance, and therefore, ideally, helping to solve the problem, instead of putting a bandaid on it and having it be a chronic problem.

(Also, for the future, the Pose Method by Nicholas Romanov is a great method of running....)

Best of luck to you!! And thanks for your info on the cervelo vs. bella question a few days ago--it helped! I've decided to wait and get fitted, and just buy the cervelo soloist from a lbs instead of guessing on size and getting a 'deal' from a friend. :)

Zack - Too funny....
I mean sorry to hear about the foot - but I'm going through the same thing right now. I test shoes for a running shoe mfg., and they gave me a shoe to test that need to have 200 miles on it within a little over 3-weeks. I didn't like the shoes too much as they were much stiffer than I am used to and not much forefoot cushion. I developed a pain in my left foot in the exact same spot as you, right at the third toe or just behind it in the ball of the foot actually. This was like the second day I ran in the shoes too.
Well I ran the miles and completed the test, filled out the necessary paper work and was glad to send them back. I know it was because of the shoes - it's the only thing that changed in my routine.

Well walking has been difficult over the last 3-weeks as well and I can tell there is some swelling and it almost feels like a bumo on the ball of my foot right behind the third toe. Anyway with Boston Marathon coming up on my race schedule I needed to find out for sure - so like you I went to my doctor. He suggested an MRI because he felt that an X-ray would not show the issue clear enough.

Well the result was no stress fracture which was my biggest fear. Although, I do have a bad case of tendonitis which is almost as bad as I can't even push off with it - and even walking is difficult without pain. I'm hoping (hoping for a miracle) that not running for a few days and running in a new pair of shoes will help. Getting a bit worried as I haven’t even had a long run yet although I have a good base as I just ran a marathon in January. I have been riding my lifecycle for about 1-hr/day (where my bad left foot can overhang the peddel), strength training about every other day and swimming here and there.

Hope you get well soon

ugh...Im sorry about your foot...

My 2 cents...
muscle balance, both through strength and flexibility are REALLY important for you...pain is a good thing--its letting you know that somethings wrong (ok, I know it hurts and all). It makes you 'address' the issue instead of ignoring it (and racing next weekend...hehe)

I'm certain I can improve my core strength. I recently picked up TriathlonCore DVD (http://www.triathloncore.com/) to help me improve my strength. I just need to run out and get an exercise ball so I can get started.

I've also signed up for a one day school taught by Jeff Galloway which appropriately enough is about learning to to run injury free :). Part of the school is a run analysis. I'm really looking forward to it. It's being held April 3rd and I'll post a summary here after I complete it.



My suggestion would be to make sure the entire issue is addressed-which in my experience (as a PT) sometimes MDs (and even therapists) look just at 'the foot' for plantar fascitis, and ignore the rest of the body.


So your a PT, eh, well I'm sure we'll be coming to you with all sorts of aches and pains now :).


Hopefully the PT will perform a full body postural assessment, will be used to working w/ athletes, and will be interested in your current and previous training routine...to try to figure out and solve the problem (something that could have crept up on you over years..not days).

This is very interesting. I will ask the PT about it.


There are a few books that are FANTASTIC out by Pete Egoscue-he also has a website (I've been to his clinic in San Diego...worth the trip), where he walks you through postural balance self assessment (based on what you see and what hurts), and prescribes Egoscue-cizes - simple but effective exercises which help bring the body's soft tissue back into balance, and therefore, ideally, helping to solve the problem, instead of putting a bandaid on it and having it be a chronic problem.


Cool, I will check this out on the web. My wife and I have been attending yoga sessions two nights a week for about 5 or 6 weeks now and I can already see a difference. I'm hoping that the combination of yoga, improving my core strength, losing weight and the running school will give me enough tools to be able to run injury free from now on.

Zack - Too funny....
I mean sorry to hear about the foot - but I'm going through the same thing right now.

Well you know what they say "Misery loves company" - anyone else want to join us? :)



I know it was because of the shoes - it's the only thing that changed in my routine.

I recently changed shoes as well. My other shoes were an old pair of New Balance that I've had for several years so I know they're pretty much useless, but I did some some of my early running in them this year and didn't have any problems. Perhaps I should return the shoes to the running store and get a 2nd opinion? I bought a pair of Asics Gel-Kayano's which is what the salesman said would be the best shoe for me.


He suggested an MRI because he felt that an X-ray would not show the issue clear enough.

If the X-ray is questionable I will ask for an MRI. The last time I had a problem they took several X-ray's and did a bone scan as well. In the end they gave me a cortazone shot to clear it up. I'm tempted to just tell them to give me another shot and let me get on with my recovery.


Well the result was no stress fracture which was my biggest fear.

That's good to hear! I know how big of a race Boston is. I hope you'll recover in time to be able to race it. I've about decided on the following course of action for me: Reschedule my April 30th race to the last race in the series which is in late August. Continue my walking and focus my training on swimming and biking. The half IM I'm doing in June has an 8 hour cutoff to complete it. My current projections are for a 45 minute swim (2:08 per hundred pace) and 3:30 (16 mph) bike split. That gives me 3:45 to finish the run. Assuming I can run/walk 15 minute mile splits I'll be able to finish in under the time limit. After June I'm going to concentrate on weight loss. All workouts will be Zone 1 and 2. It'll take a while but the pounds will melt off and then I'll be better equipped to handle the stresses of running.


Hope you get well soon

You too, MHR.

P.S. Did anyone see in the current Runner's World where you could write in on why you should be selected as one of 10 folks to receive training on using running to lose weight? No, you haven't? Good, that give me a better chance of being selected :).

You're doing all the right things...and its great to hear you're doing yoga, too...sometimes the hardest thing to do, once you've been fully checked out and figure out whats going on, is giving your body time to heal....its 'usually' better to patiently allow the problem to heal, and take all the steps you can to prevent it from happening again, than just getting a shot (bandaid) and hammering through it.

one other thought--was that you said as you were running, you felt something 'give' in your foot.....just from that description, and the increase in discomfort after that time--that doesnt fit 'plantar fascitis' in the typical sense that Im aware of. An xray can ID fractures, bone scan...to a better degree including some stress fractures...MRI - soft tissue issues. as you probably know, none are 100% reliable...but much better than nothing.

hang in there!!!

i feel for both of you guys

started running again after a couple of month break (during which work was real realy stressful) and was getting chronic back pain after a mile or so that was stopping me running. I was totally mystified as to the possible cause as i have never had real running problems before.

I went to RIC (rehab inst. of chicago sports therapy clinic). saw a doc. they took one look at my posture (after stretching me a number of ways) and diagnosed massive inflexibility in my hip flexors, a problem with my left ankle in terms of its range of motion and 'to be improved' core body strength.

things pretty much amplified each other, the ankle is how i'm made (nothing that strength exercises with a theraband won't help), but the other two were as a result of stress, sitting at desks and on planes too long....all coupled together and my back had really started complaining.

I'm not there yet, but i just finished my PT regime (8 weeks) and managed a five miler (admittedly only 9 minute miles) on tuesday

there is light at the end of the tunnel

good luck

I recently changed shoes as well. My other shoes were an old pair of New Balance that I've had for several years so I know they're pretty much useless, but I did some some of my early running in them this year and didn't have any problems. Perhaps I should return the shoes to the running store and get a 2nd opinion? I bought a pair of Asics Gel-Kayano's which is what the salesman said would be the best shoe for me.
Some high-tech info
I had my stride tested running (at 6:00 min/mile pace) across a pressure plate which showed a 100% nutural (all blue and green) "heal to toe print" which would at first blush indicate a cushion shoe. I also did this at the Boston Expo last year, not running but walking over a pressure plate and standing, which produced the same results as my previous test - Nutural. The guy at the expo noted that I was the first person all day that had "that nutural" of a result. The cool thing about the test at the expo as it showed (while standing) the weight distribution for each leg, 49% - 50% very close to nutural from that perspective.
But you have to look at the arch of your foot as well - AND as the surfaces you run on. If I was a shoe salesperson I would consider your body size/weight, how aggressive a runner you are and how efficient you run (Efficiency however, is about stride mechanics and something only filming you on a treadmill and watching the playback by someone with expertice can really determine, but some running stores do this or where you had your Vo2 max test done). I had Pat Porter (an Olympic class marathon runner) like over 10-years ago comment on a film of me running on a treadmill. Watching it in "slow motion" showed me some things I had no idea that I was actually doing...like one arm being alot closer to my chest than the other. But then again it was my natural gate and body alignment that drives all that stuff. Here in Colorado the hills and trails I tend to run on dictate a stability shoe. My arch is also very medium, which also indicates a stability shoe.
As an additional note; cushion and stability shoes have the same cushion (for the most part), the stability shoe just adds the stability plate for well....extra stability. This in general adds weight to the shoe - but not as much as Motion Control shoes (made for people with low arches and who tend to pronate). So if you are a stability shoe person,

The Ascis Kayano's are like the best selling stability shoe out there - I have it and use it for my 9-15 distances (mostly my daily 9), it works well for me for that purpose.
Other shoes you might want to think about (all are stability shoes and I run in all of these right now)
- Brooks Trance NXR (the shoe I trade off daily between the Ascis Kayano - good for that 9-15 range, (mostly my daily 9).
- Mizuno Wave Nirvana - a nice shoe with a good fit, firm footbed yet stable (I have been using this shoe for my middle distance stuff 12 or 15's)
- New Balance 1220/1221 - This my my lsd shoe for 18, 20 or 22 like a soft slipper to me
- Saucony 3D GRID Hurricane 6 ( I plan on getting these next week)

My Marathon shoe is the Mizuno Maverick (also a stability shoe but at 10.8 oz in my size)

Yes - I guess you could say I have a "Shoe Fetish"....but seriously these are the best of the best out there IMHO, if you are looking at "Flagship" stability shoes from most of the better shoe mfg's this is it. I have not run in the Adidas AddiSTAR control but it would be another to consider in this group of stability shoes. I run in as many shoes as I do - because as a shoe tester I know that every shoe has it's "sweet spot". Some are better than others at certain things and there is no one shoe that can do it all - and do it well in every catagory. You also need at least one other pair of shoes to rotate between, if for no other reason but to allow shoe#1 to dry out and spring back to it's shape. Another good reason to rotate shoes is that you may get an injury from a shoe that rubs or causes an irritation using it several days in a row. Alternating shoes (of differnt mfg's) allows for a slightly differnt fit, and giving relief to what my cause an issue.

Anyway, I didn't mean to write so much - I just wanted to pass on some info to others that may not have the years of shoe knowledge or shoe testing that I have. I mean my wife still chooses her shoes on the color alone - go figure, but then again she's not a runner, she just married one. Also, shoe testing is not as glamorous as it may seem - if you note above it is from testing a shoe that caused my injury. Then again, I wouldn't be a good shoe tester if I couldn't complete a test and provide real world data to the companies I do it for.

Get well and get back out there

I'm not there yet, but i just finished my PT regime (8 weeks) and managed a five miler (admittedly only 9 minute miles) on tuesday


lilscotboy: Only nine minute miles - sheesh, I'd be happy with that most any day! :). I'm glad to hear you are getting better and good luck with your continued successful recovery. I plan to hit the store tomorrow and get an exercise ball so I can start doing the core strengthening exercises.

one other thought--was that you said as you were running, you felt something 'give' in your foot.....just from that description, and the increase in discomfort after that time--that doesnt fit 'plantar fascitis' in the typical sense that Im aware of.

That's why I think the doc is wrong in his diagnosis. He's a young Air Force PA so he may not have seen too many injuries like this so far in his practice. I do know from my past visits with the PT folks that they either have a podiotrist in place or one that comes in regularly. If all else fails they can refer me to a doctor off base. Being married to a retired Air Force member has its benefits. All of my office visits and prescriptions that are filled on the base are free :)

As far as feeling something giving there was a distinct point in time that as I was running and landing on my left foot it felt like something gave way. I suppose it's possible that I stepped on something on the track that may have caused the odd sensation but I'm pretty sure it was something in me that gave way and not some foreign object making an odd impression on the bottom of the shoe.

Get well and get back out there

Mucho snippage. MHR, thanks once again for such an informative insight. Please feel free to write long posts all you want. I'm sure everyone here is learning a lot from you. I will check out the other shoes you've mentioned.

One difference I can think of that could be a factor is when I was running earlier this year in my old worn out running shoes I was running on grass around a fenced in soccer field. After getting my new shoes I took to the road with them. Perhaps I need to spend more time running on the softer grass than on the road.

I think tomorrow I'm going to try a short run in my old shoes, on grass, and see what happens.

good luck to you

i need to go get me one of those balls also

let me know how it works out

hey...just make sure you emphasize that point when you're talking w/ the doc or therapist...to me, its an important one. Dont double guess yourself...you felt what you felt..sometimes in the medical field, we want to fit what we know into what the patient tells us, and often, there's a pressure for the patient to form what they're telling us into that construct we create. You felt what you felt..it didn't feel like the track or anything else, or you would have said that earlier....Youre the best just of whats going on in your body--so be sure to explain that to each person you see who is trying to figure this out--it will ultimately help them get to the bottom of it. And...just b/c the guy gave you a dx of p. fascitis...know that it could be an accurate dx, might not.

best of luck!!

I think I may have figured out part of my problem with my foot. A couple of years ago I had a set of custom inserts made and I had put them in my new shoes. Tonight I went up to the park behind my house so I could run in a grassy area and ran about a mile with my new shoes and the inserts that came with them. So far there doesn't appear to be any significant soreness in my foot so perhaps I'll get lucky and it'll be a case of PF and not a fracture afterall. When I came back from running I did roll my foot over a frozen gatorade bottle for several minutes. With luck I'll be able to do the run/ice thing until the PF goes away completely.

MHR: How's your foot doing these days?

Glad you are figuring the issue out - you may not even need the inserts

As for me - PAIN:( , but since I sent my test shoes back and have been running in a new pair of NB1220's, I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My foot in the area behind the third toe still swells after each run - which makes walking difficult. I'll still put in 60 or so miles this week anyway, with a 20 planned on Saturday...........so we will see.

MHR: Sorry to hear about the pain. My foot is a little sore this morning. I'm riding at lunch today and then will do yoga tonight and see how things feel tomorrow. I've decided to reschedule my April 30th triathlon to August 20th. I don't want to take a chance on racing in April and screwing things up for June. The half IM is more important to me than the sprint.

I agree focus on June .......Crap one of my 2 scheduled 1/2 IM's is coming up as well, like about 1 month after my race on 4/18 (and this is really the easy part of the season).

Quick update: I received a nice form letter from the base doctor today. It reads "Plantar/Achiles heel spur - continue plan"

So the good news is I didn't break a bone afterall but I still have my doubts about it being PF. I went to the chiropractor today for my monthly bone crushing and was discussing the issue with him. He said it may be Morton's Neuroma. From the way he described it and the location of my pain I think he may be onto something. I found a good web site describing Morton's Neuroma (http://www.footphysicians.com/info2.php?id=20)

Quick update: I just returned from PT and the guy I talked too was very cool and seemed genuinely interested in my problem. He did a number of different tests and ruled out a stress fracture and Morton's Neuroma. At one point he had me lay on my stomach while he checked my heels. He said my right foot has normal motion in the heel but my left doesn't. It doesn't have the same range of motion as my right and because of it I'm not pronating as much on it and instead of toeing off on my big toe I'm toeing off on the middle of my foot. He showed me an exercise to do to help increase my range of motion.

He said my problem is definitely soft tissue related and recommended 2 sessions per week for 3 weeks of ultrasound therapy. Due to travel commitments for work I won't start my 2x treatments until late April though :(