Feet For Life

Parley vous sustainability avec adidas?

As well as being likened to Del Boy Trotter by some extended family members due to my wheeling and dealing, I’ve also accepted the monicker of Stephen “all the gear, no idea” Morrison. Over the years I’ve been someone who has all the kit and gadgets anyone would ever need (recently bought myself a DJI Mavic Mini 2 drone) without the expertise to use them (although I am quite proud of my drone videos so far).

Time for Change

As someone who varies in size as often as the seasons change, I also own enough clothing and footwear to stock a Peckham market stall. Some of it was unworn and even had tags attached.

I had chests of drawers, baskets, boxes and bin bags full of clothing that I would one day wear again. One day.

That day has been coming for about 3 years and over the October holiday, I made a decision to have a clear out.

I would give most of it away. The running kit in size small and some in size medium went to my two teenage step sons. Expensive jackets, unworn shorts and some running tops that I didn’t even know I owned.

The rest (with a few exceptions) went to our local charity shops and I made myself I vow.

I would limit my spending on clothing, shoes and kit and I would put an end to my yo-yoing weight (more on that soon). Owning full wardrobes of clothes in sizes medium, large, extra large and now extra extra large isn’t sustainable or good for my mental health.

That’s not to say that I wouldn’t buy myself new kit. Recently, I’ve been experiencing significant knee pain again and while I no longer run (never say never), I’ve looked out my orthotics for general everyday use having had Magic Mandy at Hampden Sports Clinic prescribe them.

I wear running shoes every day so I’ve had to go through my running shoes to see which ones best fit my orthotics and will need some new shoes and/or new orthotics.

When I buy new shoes, it’s not only the fit I am going to consider but also how they are manufactured.

As a consumer I am going to consider the ethical and sustainable working practices of the brands I purchase from. COP26 comes to Glasgow next week and climate change is something we cannot continue to ignore. We also cannot ignore how wasteful we have become and how our actions are threatening to make our planet inhospitable.

While it’s absolutely not hypocritical to support sustainability while still being a consumer we can make smarter choices (see my previous blog for some more ideas).

There are brands who I will no longer buy from (looking at you, Lululemon) until they improve their practices and there are brands that I will fully support.

Sustainable Brands

One such brand is adidas. Since 2015, they have partnered with Parley for the Oceans and have used plastic retrieved from the oceans in the manufacturing of their shoes and clothing. Over the years, I’ve owned a few pairs of adidas Ultraboost Parley shoes and each pair has been manufactured using around 11 plastic bottles.

However, I’ve also seen first hand the plastic washing up on our shores and collectively we need to do more and we need to shop smarter.

In addition to making Ultraboosts my shoes of choice (it’s a hard life) I’ve also been buying kit from the adidas sustainability range of clothing.

Primeblue is another range from adidas made using recycled plastic from the oceans and beaches of the world. By making a switch to recycled clothing we can reduce our environmental footprint. It has no impact on the look or feel of the product but it absolutely reduces our impact on the planet.

As well as being sustainable they also come in size XXL and as I lose fat I will replace each item with a smaller size and donate the old kit to charity.

At Christmas, I tend to direct my family to Lululemon to buy me gifts but this year, I’ve made it clear that I only want sports gear from adidas As a parent, I do not want to force my opinions on to my children, but Santa will be bringing them some sustainable adidas kit (so much that I am close to the exalted “Icon” status on the adidas app).

To help me get started, adidas kindly gifted me a new pair of Ultraboosts (pictured above) and some kit. Regular readers will know that I am generally uncomfortable with sponsored posts. I want this blog to be somewhere you find honest reviews and an open account of my experiences. If I work with a brand or organsiation, it is because I genuinely share similar values or approve of their business ethics.

Adidas is genuinely a brand that I respect and whose shoes I have been buying for years, but I decided to also use this opportunity to raise funds for an organisation and cause whose values and cause I absolutely support.

Fundraising

The Marine Conservation Society organises beach cleans across the UK and provides resources and education on how we can reduce the waste being washed up on our shorelines.

Now, I am not Mr Beast and cannot recruit the world’s biggest creators (he didn’t pick me) to help clean our oceans, but I did manage to recruit the early adopters of a new social media platform Hyprr.com which launches soon to help me via this post.

Tipping using the platform token Hype, I was able to cash out approximately £175 which I am donating to the Marine Conservation Society (I’ll top up to £200). Huge thanks to those that donated but I also have one final ask.

Community Challenge

If we work together, how many of you would be interested in a coordinated worldwide (hey, my readers and friends come from all over the globe) beach or park clean next year using Hyprr (and hopefully another soon to be announced partner) to organise, fund and share our work?

Ideally we would need a minimum of 8-15 (COVID19 restrictions may vary) in each location and the only resources you will need are litter pickers, gloves and bags.

If you are interested, reply to this blog, comment on my Twitter feed at @howmanymiles_ or Hyprr.com at @Stephen with your location and I’ll respond.

My friends at the World Calisthenics Organization have already vowed to support my efforts. Will you join them?

October 24, 2021 0 comment

Feet For Life Health

Feet For Life : Walk Before You Can Run with Foot Medic Podiatry

written by Stephen Morrison

With my Ironman training gaining momentum (i.e. I am finally being consistent with both my training and my diet), I am still consciously aware that before I can start running again, I need to be able to walk (comfortably) again.

For the past year, my knee pain has made made running impossible and walking difficult.

My visit to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital to see Magic Mandy identified that I had some abnormalities in my gait and the introduction of a temporary orthotic eased the pain considerably for a week or so (you can read that blog HERE).

However, if I was to ever run again and become an Ironman, I would need to find a long term solution.

And thankfully, I was presented with an opportunity that I could not refuse. I don’t demand or receive payment for the vast majority (i.e. all but three) of my blog posts whether they are for How Many Miles, FSEM, Man v Fat or the BMJ, so I was delighted when Ciaran of Foot Medic Podiatry in Bearsden contacted me to praise my work on the Feet For Life campaign with the College of Podiatry and then proceeded to invite me me along to his clinic for assistance with my recovery.

Once past the very lush and relaxing reception area Foot Medic Podiatry looks more like a science lab than a podiatry clinic. Ciaran and the team must have one of the most advanced private clinics in the country and the big kid in me wanted to play with it all.

While there is a treadmill and multiple cameras to analysis a runner’s gait, Ciaran suggested that with my knee pain that we use the pressure pads on the floor to assess my stance and my walking style. After an initial static reading, I repeatedly walked the short length of the clinic treatment room with a step landing on the pressure pad which would measure my landing and my step off.

Once Ciaran had enough data and had quickly assessed it with his trained eye, he presented his findings….in Technicolour.

From the computer images, It was clear that when standing I favour one side of my body over the other while almost a third of my weight distributed through my right heel. This is consistent with observations from Magic Mandy and from one of my Personal Trainers, Scott Devenney.

We next looked at how my feet land and then take off.

My heavy heel striking came as no surprise, but two things did come as a shock. Ciaran identified that when stepping off, I gently and possibly invisibly to the naked eye, perform an abductory twist just as my foot leaves the ground. Basically this means that I whip my heel and smarter people than me have explained this as my pelvis and tibia not working together. While it might not explain all of my pain, it was another piece of the puzzle that are my lower limbs. As was the fact that I had achilles tendinopathy, possibly due in part to lots of miles ran and years of my poor feet carrying substantial weight. With limited foot dorsiflexion, this could explain my very short stride

With my history of Perthes Disease and the clues that he had already discovered, Ciaran also had me lie down to measure my legs and what he discovered added yet another clue.

My right leg is 16mm shorter than my left and while up to 10mm is within normal parameters, Ciaran suggested that we consider this when it came to fabricating my orthotics.

For that was to be the final surprise. While most podiatrists have to send away for orthotics to be made, with a waiting time of around 14 days, Foot Medic Podiatry were able to cast my feet and produce my orthotics in just over an hour. And not just your run of the mill insoles. These bad boys would be made of Crist’air, a material that is used in making bulletproof products.

Ciaran was going to bulletproof my feet

Firstly though, he had me stand in their foot casting machine, which saw bags of heated silica mould around my feet.

IMG 20161203 122014 1

Then the insoles were heated around my cast before we started on fabricating the wedges that would hopefully address my supination and my short right leg. I say we as I just had to get in on the action.

IMG 20161203 150457 1

Ciaran explained that he would use a carbon fibre composite for the base and that we would grind it into shape. We would not compensate for the full 16mm, but instead, around half of that. The reason, Ciaran explained, was that any more could create imbalances and cause more harm than good. It has taken me 36 years post Perthes to develop my unique gait and I accepted that any sudden changes might not be welcomed by my body.

IMG 20161203 151746 1

The end result was two pairs of orthotics that should hopefully see me through next year’s gruelling training regime, but if I should need more, I will not hesitate to return to the Foot Medic Podiatry. In fact, before I return to running, I will go west and have my running gait fully assessed by Evelyn, Foot Medic Podiatrist’s resident running expert.

However, I don’t know whether to forgive them for making me don this costume. On behalf of the entire Feet For Life campaign, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Maybe, someone will treat your feet to some pampering this year.

IMG 20161203 140056 1

December 16, 2016 0 comment

Feet For Life Health

Feet For Life – Taking Care of Our Feet

written by Stephen Morrison

Damn, those are some nasty looking feet.

The podiatrist at Hampden Foot Clinic didn’t exactly say this and at no point did he even give me a look that might reveal any sign of disapproval, but I just knew that behind his really friendly welcome, he would be disgusted at what he was about to witness.

Before I had my first shoe off, I was making excuses and preparing him for the sight that awaited him.

I’ve ran a few miles ( I didn’t tell him howmanymiles) and I possibly haven’t taken as much care of my feet as I should have”.

Even as I said it, i knew that it was a lame excuse. I own dozens (and covet many more) of pairs of relatively expensive running shoes and I have merino wool socks that I take great care in washing. I take great pride in adorning my feet in the latest designs and the brightest colours with only the best running shoes worthy of encasing my feet.

In fact, as soon as I learned from Magic Mandy that some orthosis should help me run, I went out and bought myself the brightest and best shoes that I could find (using my Vitality discount, of course).

my usual idea of a treat for my feet

As a runner (I am running again), I might very well have all the gear, but I am guilty of neglecting my feet and were it not for the Feet For Life campaign, I am not sure that I would have taken the steps that I have.

However, with Magic Mandy (I WILL make this stick) having discovered the cause of my knee pain, I was intrigued to see what other mystical powers podiatrists possessed and deep down I knew that my feet were gradually worsening even though I hadn’t even been running.

This is what brought me to be sitting in Hampden Foot Clinic with podiatrist Graham Bone, a former student under Magic Mandy at Glasgow Caledonian University Podiatry , preparing to treat my feet to some much needed care.

Podiatry is a medical profession and it was therefore not surprising to see that the clinic resembled a hospital theatre or dental surgery. It was white and bright and in Graham’s room he had a tray of surgical instruments….wait, a tray of surgical instruments?

Was I booked in for a £29 podiatry treatment or for an amputation?

Hopefully it would not be the latter, but as an obesity campaigner and someone who is overweight, I am painfully aware of the very real danger that diabetes poses to our feet

But first up, he needed to see the task ahead and if you are reading this at lunch or at dinner, you might want to skim over these before pictures. Or, with Halloween on Monday you might want to print them off to scare the local kids.

Frightful Feet

Graham must be a fantastic poker player, as he didn’t flinch at the sight of my feet. He simply looked them over and then explained what needed to be done and how he would do it.

Although I wasn’t experiencing the usual tell tale sign of itchy toes, Graham explained that the white residue around my toenails was symptomatic of a fungal infection. He would remove the cuticles and a layer of my toenail, using what looked like a drill piece and then apply some anti fungal cream that I would reapply in two weeks using the application technique that Graham coached me to perform.

a wee treat for my feet

He then set about reducing the mass of hard skin that had developed on my heels and along the outside of my feet. While doing so he explained that the hard skin was my foot’s way of protecting it from the force and friction that I apply to it and subsequently he would not remove all of it, unless I wanted it removed. As I am not currently considering a career in feet modeling, I decided to retain some level of protection. He also identified and skillfully removed at least four corns on my right foot which correlated with my tendency to walk on the outside of that foot.

The transformation complete

Even with some hard skin seemingly retained, Graham left my feet dolphin smooth (yes, the departure of Abraham is hard) with a mass of skin that seemed to symbolise the ashes of my past life as a neglector of feet.

sorrynotsorry skin pic

For having seen how Graham has transformed my feet in one session, I have decided that I will take more care of them and undertake some basic daily care.

Rather than just standing in dirty soapy shower water, I will actually bathe my feet at least three times each week. Gordon would have me do it daily or twice daily like brushing my teeth, but I will aim for making it a regular feat first.

I will actually use that pumice stone sunk somewhere deep in my toiletry box and keep that dolphin smooth feeling.

I will wear even more shoes. I have my favourites and I sometimes wear them days on end and when you consider that our produce about half a pint of sweat each day, it’s no wonder that my shoes stink. I will use my ever growing collection of shoes to aid my feet. By alternating shoes, I can hopefully keep my shoes and my feet fresh.

I will get myself a “proper” pair of toenail clippers and use them more regularly.

I will moisturise them (no, I don’t mean peeing on them in the shower) and apply some cream to them every couple of days

And lastly, I will treat them to a massage. Not only as possible content for a future Feet For Life post, but because I genuinely quite fancy it. After all, our feet carry us for miles and deserve the same respect and care that we afford to the rest of our lower limbs. After a race, we queue to have our legs massaged… so why not our feet?

Can you look at your feet (go on, take off yours shoes and socks) and honestly say that they are in good health or do you also have the odd black or fungal nail and some excess skin?

To him whose feet hurt, everything hurts.

My corns are gone and my feet feel great and somehow, I feel much better. I am walking taller and straighter ( see my previous Feet for Life post) and I have a spring in my step.

That Socrates was quite a smart fella.

October 29, 2016 0 comment

Feet For Life Health Running

Feet for Life – Bow down to the Podiatrist

written by Stephen Morrison

I had seen a physiotherapist and an osteopath; I had consulted my personal trainers (yep, I have two) and I had even spoken to fellow runners, but after 10 months and endless numbers of leg raises and squats and even some sessions with the Core Momentum Trainer (that deserves a post of its own) and a stint in barefoot shoes I was still no closer to putting on a pair of running shoes in earnest.

So, when the College of Podiatry suggested that I should see a podiatrist, my only thought was that it might make for another nice Feet For Life post.

I would never have guessed that six days later, I would be out running 5km.

I was referred to Podiatrist Mandy Abbott (now forever known as Magic Mandy) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and right up until I entered the clinic, I wasn’t completely sure what help a podiatrist would be, although she certainly helped me with my obligatory selfie!

Feet for after Life

Sure, I do possess typical runner’s feet and I could benefit with having some hard skin removed, but just how would a podiatrist help me to run again or even walk without pain again?

Well, I soon learned that in addition to being a lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, Mandy Abbott also specialises in biomechanics and she offered to review my gait and examine my feet, ankles and knees.

This wasn’t like the standard treadmill gait analysis found in your average running shop. Mandy checked my range of motion in my ankles before asking me to walk up and down the clinic. After what felt like about 300 laps, she told me to stop.

She had seen enough.

I had excess hard skin along the outsides of my feet and especially in the heel. The latter wasn’t a surprise, as I know that I am a heavy heel striker (when my foot lands, it lands heel first), but the explanation for the outer foot was more of a shock.

During my walk up and down the clinic I displayed signs that I have Genu Varum or bow legs as they are more commonly known. I walk on the outside of my feet (supination) and my my lower legs are inverted. This is yet another sign/symptom of osteoarthritis and I am close to finally accepting that I cannot continue living in denial. At some point my knees will require further investigation.

However, at the very least , I now have a more than viable explanation for my knee pain. Something that I have been searching for. With this knowledge, I can move on.

So what does it all mean and why is it causing pain?

medialknee

Whenever I walk or run it is most likely that my tibia and femur are making contact which is increasing my knee degeneration and causing the associated pain. I am also possibly stretching the lateral ligaments and this might explain my reluctance to attempt any movements that involve bending or twisting my knee.

Training sessions with Scott Devenney (using the HUB and the CMT) prove that I can perform lunges and that I can apply load to me knee. I will continue to train and I will keep strengthening my body and lowering my body fat. This will all help me move better and without unplaced fear. I will not lunge into anything too quickly, but I will lunge.

As as well as an explanation for my mobility issues, Mandy also recommended and provided me with an orthosis for my shoes. It has a lateral wedge that will enable me to walk with less pronation with the force of each landing being absorbed more centrally thus increasing knee joint stability. It will also help with my knee alignment and increase the space between my tibia and femur which should help ease my symptoms and reduce the pain.

The thin edge of the wedge

This a temporary orthosis that Mandy fabricated in a matter of minutes and should it continue to work, I will look into getting a more long term orthosis produced. I don’t particularly want to wear an orthosis for the rest of my life, but it is much more preferable than walking in pain and not being able to run again

Mandy provided me with something else too. Hope. Hope that I will run again and hope that my dream of being an Ironman isn’t over before it even starts.

Even after only a week of wearing the orthosis and making a conscious effort to walk that little bit more straight, the frequency and the intensity of the pain has decreased. It hasn’t gone completely, but it is no longer ever present and I don’t feel that it is restricting me as much as it has in the past.

I ran!!!!!

So much so, that when my girlfriend Teresa suggested that we go for a short run this week I agreed. Without hesitation. It wasn’t fast but it was pain free and even after 5km I felt that I could have kept going. However, taking small steps has always been my approach and 5km was far enough for my first run.

I’ll rest my knee and I will look forward to my Cancer Research Tough 10 event on November 6th for which I am an Ambassador. It will be my first (and possibly only) event of this year and although I will not be fast I will run and after 10 months out, I hope you all appreciate just how much this means to me. I’ve lost and given up a few things in the past year and I had begun to believe that I would never run again.

I will run!!!

It’s too soon to say that I’m back and I doubt that I’ll ever again fully consider myself as a runner, but I can and I will run. And I will be an Ironman.

And if that wasn’t good enough, Mandy provided me with an excuse to buy new running shoes. With my supination and bow legs, my current shoes are undoubtedly worn away on the outer edges and it is in my best interests to replace them (I’ll ignore the fact that I do already own several as yet unworn pairs). My first pair arrive on Wednesday.

When I partnered with the College of Podiatry to promote the Feet for Life campaign I never envisioned that it would be a podiatrist that would hold the key to my knee pain and to me running again. I simply wanted to show that our feet deserve more attention and more care. Now, I also want to show that Podiatry is about much more than treating athlete’s foot or removing corns…..although that will probably be the content of the next Feet for Life blog.

October 23, 2016 4 comments

Feet For Life Health

Feet for Life – Step into Action in June 2016

written by Stephen Morrison

If you are a regular visitor to How Many Miles you will appreciate that I am a sharer. No facet of my life is off limits and in blogs like “All the Bad Things” , I can be accused of over sharing.

So, for those of a nervous disposition, this blog post serves as a warning. And for any podophiles among you it’s an open invitation, although I might cure you of your fetish.

For, over the next few weeks, I am going to be posting regular updates about my feet and explain why we need to remember that we have our feet for life. I can almost anticipate how viral this post is going to be.

My feet have, for too long, been forgotten foot soldiers in my battle against inactivity and obesity.

They have stood strong when I placed upon them the heavy burden of carrying my obese frame and they have marched on when I have been close to lying down in the face of adversity.

Howmanymiles has been a personal challenge to my feet. One they never asked for, but one they were beautifully designed for.

Our feet are mechanical marvels, each made up of 26 bones and over 100 ligaments, tendons and muscles. They connect us to the earth and they act as shock absorbers and stabilisers. Without them, we would be grounded.

Yet, we do not give them the respect and care that they so richly deserve. We often ignore pain in our feet and as a Paths For All Step Count Champion and runner (hopefully not ex runner), I can recall boasting about how badly I have mistreated my feet. Black or missing toenails after a long hike or run are badges of honour and blisters are looked upon with annoyance and as an acceptable consequence of “breaking in” our latest pair of highly cushioned shoes. We think that we are protecting our feet, but the blisters should be a warning.

I hate to burst people’s bubbles, but we need to take more notice of our feet and take much more care of our feet. Philosopher Socrates once said: “To him whose feet hurt everything hurts.”

Give your feet a treat and walk to your nearest podiatrist. #letsgetscotlandwalking #feetforlife #stepintoaction

Over the years my feet have hurt from everything that I have thrown at them (including the marathon that I seldom mention) and at this point in my life, I have finally realised that many of my problems with my knees, might be related to my feet. After all dem foot bones are connected to the leg bones (feel free to sing along..Dem bones, dem bones).

I have suffered from plantar fasciitis, over-pronation and fallen arches. My phalanges are lifeless and have no individuality. They act as one, when instead I should be able to move them independently. To an extent.

My feet aren’t even pretty to look at. They are calloused, cracked, dry and my toenails are deformed.

I am probably even carrying a fungal infection. My chances of becoming a foot model are slim. Unless, that is, they are feetured (I couldn’t resist) as the Feet for Life “before” example. At this point, you will be relieved to learn that there is no photographic evidence being presented.

Luckily for me (but maybe not the podiatrist), June is Feet for Life month and I will be working with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow’s Faculty of Podiatric Medicine and the London Based College of Podiatry on their Feet For Life campaign to encourage more of us to consider our feet as part of our efforts to #sitlessmovemore

As part of the campaign, you can get a Feet for Life health check at these participating locations and over the next few weeks you can follow my progress and learn more about foot health and how you can Step into Action.

I’ll be seeing a podiatrist, trying Toega (Yoga for toes) and trying my hand (or is that foot?) at bare foot running among other things. It will be some feat to repair my feet but it will be worth it.

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm – Abraham Lincoln

June 9, 2016 0 comment