Runner’s Foot

I’ve been running competitively and non-competitively for the last twelve years of my life. I started going for short runs with my dad at ten years old and honestly, never looked back. For ten years, we ran together five nights a week after school and then uni, and only recently cut back to once per week as I moved out of home and he’s getting older.

When I started running competitively seven years ago, my dad took me to a foot specialist to make sure that I was running in a way that caused minimum damage to my feet. Everyone knows that running, especially on concrete, can be really hard on the bones and joints, and so dad wanted me to be able to protect my body as best as possible. 

I was glad that dad took me to the foot specialist when he did, because I didn’t truly understand at the time the damage that running could do. I always just thought it was exercise and that exercise was good. I thought that pain was necessary and that the more pain I was in after a run, the better. That day, I learned that this is not the case. The foot specialist was very serious when he explained all the common foot conditions Cheltenham runners can experience. He made it clear that some of these foot conditions would put me on the sidelines for months, which I absolutely did not want. 

As you can imagine, I’ve taken my foot care seriously ever since.

I’m so thankful that my dad introduced me to running all those years ago, and I’m also so thankful that he taught me how to look after myself properly. Thanks to him, I’ve come first in eighteen races and raced all across Australia. The most important thing about my love for running is that every run has meant spending more quality time with my dad. I couldn’t be luckier.