Aging Comes With Sore Feet!

I Awoke With Sore Feet, Yesterday Morning!

Sore feet of ‘so-called plantar fasciitis’ on sitting, combined with the instant cure of a hamstring stretch, resulted in my nociceptive epiphany. But that’s another story. Click image for link to that story.

I thought, “Why do I have sore feet, for heaven’s sake?”

OK! Let’s Do What I Do:

Help People Make Better Decisions, Through Research!

I’m people too!

My favorite book, of all books, because it has helped me with my life so much.

“What is rooted is easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to scatter.

Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles
starts from beneath your feet.”

Lao-tzu, translation by Steven Mitchell.

Horses, I kind of understand.

Whether it’s sore feet, or what people are all about, research is largely a matter of observing, looking for patterns in the data.

Years ago, a girlfriend said to me, “Kevin, your problem is that you just don’t understand people. Why don’t you go to the mall, and watch them, like you watch your experiments. You’d learn a lot!” I’d pissed her off, again! Had no idea why!

So, what did I do? I replied, “I’m not a primatologist!” and I ignored her excellent advice.

Until recently.

Now that I’m studying marketing, to sell my ideas. In order to help people deal with real challenges, while making a living, I’ve been forced to study people.

Cats I admire; they just have it down pat. Wear the same clothes everyday, and bite the hand that feeds you.

In the mall, or other human gathering places, such as cocktail parties (a rare event for me), even at Ironman races (where I’m headed, right now), I observe and take mental notes. That girlfriend was right. Humans are strange and interesting.

What did I learn?

I noticed that humans like to:

1. Interact a lot, verbally and with subtle ‘body language.’
2. In some cases, linger on the edges of the group (that’s me, headed for the door – phenotypic variance).
3. Form subgroups, often with respect to how they dress or interact, by age, and other variables that they care about.
4. Make a lot more noise with alcohol, and wobble a bit.
5. They are just like the muscles in your body, interacting a lot, breaking into interactive subgroups, some being a little odd, like the psoas muscles, and alcohol…
6. Which brings me to my sore feet.

Just using FitOldDog’s plantar fasciitis pain distribution map, for clarity.

I researched it, by observing, and noticed:

• At first the discomfort was all over my feet, one big party.
• My sore feet discomfort faded, following a clear pattern, as I moved around, preparing my morning tea and breakfast (vegan, of course).
• The aching faded first from the center of the soles of my feet (areas 5, 7 and 8 in the adjacent foot map), remaining more towards the outside edges, finally leaving discomfort only under my toes and along the outside edge of my feet (areas 4 and 6). Then, it finally faded to only the outside edge (area 4).
• This caused me think, “I’ve got tight hips again.” I checked it out! Boy, my outside gluts and hip rotators were really tight – ouch!
• What did I do that was different, this morning or yesterday?
• Was it what I ate?
• It wasn’t alcohol, as I’m training, and not drinking. Ethanol is a muscle toxin, and would ruin my upcoming race. Yep! Muscles make lot of noise, if you consume too much alcohol, just like people!
• Is my stent coming loose, and I’m about to die? All aortic patient’s waste their time on that one – SCRATCH IT!
• NO! I forgot to stretch, after my 40-mile bike ride, yesterday.

I always stretch after workouts. But I decided to have a post-ride coffee and chat, with my riding partner, and then I worked on the computer, when I arrived home. I didn’t stretch!!! I forgot!

Through inattention, I’d tightened up my hips, and thus my hamstrings, and thus my calves, and thus I had sore feet.

Simple deduction, “My dear Watson!”

This is the art of a research attitude to your health, while dealing with aging challenges. Doctors can be important in the process, but your brain is more important.

I headed for the gym, for a one-hour stretch/roll session, after a gentle warmup. Feet happy again!

OH! Yes! I recommend stretching most muscles, but roll the calves. It’s more effective, for me, anyway!

“Mark my words,” as we old people like say!

Wishing you happy feet and happy trails,

FitOldDog