[1691 Days to go] Why My Feet Are Going to the Gym

Starting From the Ground Up

Where do I even start? My body is more than capable, but it’s a little broken. Nothing major, just a few things out of line that the monotony of running quickly exposed. I’ve developed patella-femoral pain, which, from what I gather, is my kneecap not tracking correctly thanks to some super tight muscles across the top of my quads. Something like that, anyway. On top of that, my feet are flatter than a pancake, and about ten years ago, when I decided to dive back into football after a break, I got hit with some nasty plantar fasciitis. Naturally, I was prescribed custom orthotics, and they were great—got me back on the field and made the pain disappear.

Then came my two-year love affair with running, which was less about running and more about competing for the highest stack height and the squishiest, springiest foam money could buy. I still blame my Nike AlphaFlys for those meniscus tears, but I digress. Oh, did I mention I have the world’s tightest hamstrings? Yeah, as I’m writing this, I’m starting to see exactly why my body decided to wave the white flag.

But here’s the silver lining: I recently listened to a perfectly timed episode of Backpacker Radio featuring Dr. Courtney Conley, a foot and gait expert who seems to know her stuff. Everything she described as “bad” is exactly what I’ve been doing for the last ten years. Narrow toebox? Check. 40mm stack height? Check. Orthotics? You bet. Dr. Conley explained that our feet are like any other major muscle—like biceps—and if you want to lift heavy things, you need to train and strengthen them. Turns out, most foot and leg issues come from weak feet. So, when we visit the podiatrist, they prescribe orthotics and cushioned shoes to make our feet feel better, but in reality, they’re just crutches that make our feet even weaker.

So before I dive into building my glutes, quads, and shoulders, step one is to send my feet to the gym. I’m starting at the very bottom, literally, and building a solid foundation from there. Time to get serious about calf raises, toe scrunches, foot rolling, and those weird toe spacers. For the next few weeks, I’m focusing all my energy on foot health and strength. If I can stick with this for four weeks, I might just reward myself with some Altra shoes and start transitioning from my full-stack runners to something more trail-worthy and anatomically supportive.

Wish me luck!