jogging and motivation thread

[xllms]

end the year and welcome 2026 with a 25.26km LSD.

Ever since this LSD, i found my right feet tends to lean outwards, having discomfort around the metatarsal and tarsals areas when i wear shoes, and there are some discomfort at the inner talus area. There was more wearing out of my outer heel of the pair of running shoes in the above run. Looks like my supination on my right feet is getting worse.

Tried standing on just my right foot. The foot wobbles and leans outwards. I felt a dull discomfort in the tarsal (mid-foot) area.

GEMINI’S DIAGNOSIS:

The fact that your foot wobbles and causes dull mid-foot discomfort when you stand on one leg is a significant clinical sign. In podiatry, this is often a "software" problem (nerves and coordination) rather than just a "hardware" problem (bones).

Since this appeared suddenly, it is likely that your body is using compensatory supination. Your brain is subconsciously leaning your foot outward to protect an injured structure on the inner or middle part of your foot.

The fact that your foot wobbles and causes dull mid-foot discomfort when you stand on one leg is a significant clinical sign. In podiatry, this is often a "software" problem (nerves and coordination) rather than just a "hardware" problem (bones).
Since this appeared suddenly, it is likely that your body is using compensatory supination. Your brain is subconsciously leaning your foot outward to protect an injured structure on the inner or middle part of your foot.

1. "Functional" Instability & Proprioception
Your foot has thousands of tiny nerve endings (proprioceptors) that tell your brain where your foot is in space.
• The Wobble: This indicates that the sensory feedback loop is broken. The muscles that should keep you steady—specifically the peroneal muscles on the outside of your ankle—are likely "misfiring" or weakened.
• The Lean: If the Posterior Tibial Tendon (which supports your arch) is strained or inflamed, your body will lean outward to take the tension off that tendon. This is common in early-stage Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD).

2. Midtarsal Joint Stress
The tarsal bones (mid-foot) act as a "locking" mechanism to create a stable platform when you stand.
• The Dull Discomfort: A dull ache in this area during weight-bearing often points to a stress reaction (the precursor to a stress fracture) or a ligament strain in the Lisfranc or mid-tarsal joints. The wobble occurs because the "lock" isn't holding, and the bones are shifting slightly under your weight.

3. Tarsal Tunnel or Nerve Entrapment
The discomfort you feel at the inner talus (inner ankle bone) is exactly where the Tarsal Tunnel is located.
• If the nerve inside this tunnel (the posterior tibial nerve) is compressed or irritated, it can cause weakness in the small muscles of the foot. This weakness leads directly to that unstable, "wobbly" feeling when you try to balance.

Looks like old issue is back which X-ray & MRI couldn’t detect anything. Need to go back to basics of strengthening intrinsic muscles to correct the wobble and supination issue. Possibly have to stop running for a while.

 

[dev_stg_prd]

 

[WussRedXLi]

 

[WussRedXLi]

5k PB 14:39 for Ben is Running. If you have been following him, his 2025 was riddled with niggles injuries and nothing helped including S&C. He is not like the Ran to Japan Fella (Jake) who can just increase mileage. He then cut his run volume to 100-120km/wk (from 170km/wk) and supplemented with cross training.

But this cycling method of cross training might not work for everyone. For me, i am not totally sure but seriously i can only be termed a casual runner coz my mileage is just ~ 25km per week and if lucky then it gets closer to 30km (22km of easy via my commute) .....and only 1 serious / specific workout session (sometimes i would even skip the workout session so closer to 22km/wk), and the other 5 days i think some of you might even call it easy/junky mileage but peppered with micro hill sprint sessions but very short ones (eg like you see people pulling up with just a few reps and 1 set at fitness corner as they chanced it after work or lunch or what)

I Ran My Fastest EVER 5K... After Making This BIG CHANGE In My Training!​

 

[WussRedXLi]

Ever since this LSD, i found my right feet tends to lean outwards, having discomfort around the metatarsal and tarsals areas when i wear shoes, and there are some discomfort at the inner talus area. There was more wearing out of my outer heel of the pair of running shoes in the above run. Looks like my supination on my right feet is getting worse.

Tried standing on just my right foot. The foot wobbles and leans outwards. I felt a dull discomfort in the tarsal (mid-foot) area.

GEMINI’S DIAGNOSIS:

The fact that your foot wobbles and causes dull mid-foot discomfort when you stand on one leg is a significant clinical sign. In podiatry, this is often a "software" problem (nerves and coordination) rather than just a "hardware" problem (bones).

Since this appeared suddenly, it is likely that your body is using compensatory supination. Your brain is subconsciously leaning your foot outward to protect an injured structure on the inner or middle part of your foot.

The fact that your foot wobbles and causes dull mid-foot discomfort when you stand on one leg is a significant clinical sign. In podiatry, this is often a "software" problem (nerves and coordination) rather than just a "hardware" problem (bones).
Since this appeared suddenly, it is likely that your body is using compensatory supination. Your brain is subconsciously leaning your foot outward to protect an injured structure on the inner or middle part of your foot.

1. "Functional" Instability & Proprioception
Your foot has thousands of tiny nerve endings (proprioceptors) that tell your brain where your foot is in space.
• The Wobble: This indicates that the sensory feedback loop is broken. The muscles that should keep you steady—specifically the peroneal muscles on the outside of your ankle—are likely "misfiring" or weakened.
• The Lean: If the Posterior Tibial Tendon (which supports your arch) is strained or inflamed, your body will lean outward to take the tension off that tendon. This is common in early-stage Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD).

2. Midtarsal Joint Stress
The tarsal bones (mid-foot) act as a "locking" mechanism to create a stable platform when you stand.
• The Dull Discomfort: A dull ache in this area during weight-bearing often points to a stress reaction (the precursor to a stress fracture) or a ligament strain in the Lisfranc or mid-tarsal joints. The wobble occurs because the "lock" isn't holding, and the bones are shifting slightly under your weight.

3. Tarsal Tunnel or Nerve Entrapment
The discomfort you feel at the inner talus (inner ankle bone) is exactly where the Tarsal Tunnel is located.
• If the nerve inside this tunnel (the posterior tibial nerve) is compressed or irritated, it can cause weakness in the small muscles of the foot. This weakness leads directly to that unstable, "wobbly" feeling when you try to balance.

Looks like old issue is back which X-ray & MRI couldn’t detect anything. Need to go back to basics of strengthening intrinsic muscles to correct the wobble and supination issue. Possibly have to stop running for a while.

Not a pro, and I havent really looked into this but i know my shoes outer sides (front and heel) wear out faster than the inner. And i sometimes get metatarsal discomfort (niggle) which would then quickly turn into pain if i'd just continue for even a short 500m farther (you know, we usually heck it and dont stop at the first instance of a slight discomfort/niggle, 500m or 1km is like nothing also)...... when i go over-distance too fast/too much since i dont have much weekly volume. (which is unsurprising of coz). So that's why i just stay at the single digit km distances that i am most familiar and comfortable with.

But wierd thing is that past close to 3 years, i never get PF or AT or any of those running injuries. Not sure if S&C got anything to do with it coz i am really into calves for years now coz i wanna grow them. I only have this metatarsal pain thingy and 4X i kena a hamstring niggle dull discomfort bordering on slight pain at my upper hamstrings (might be tendon area) and also the occasional front lower patellar pain. Maybe the bones strength only get really stimulated by the repeated impact or what.

 

[xllms]

Not a pro, and I havent really looked into this but i know my shoes outer sides (front and heel) wear out faster than the inner. And i sometimes get metatarsal discomfort (niggle) which would then quickly turn into pain if i'd just continue for even a short 500m farther (you know, we usually heck it and dont stop at the first instance of a slight discomfort/niggle, 500m or 1km is like nothing also)...... when i go over-distance too fast/too much since i dont have much weekly volume. (which is unsurprising of coz). So that's why i just stay at the single digit km distances that i am most familiar and comfortable with.

But wierd thing is that past close to 3 years, i never get PF or AT or any of those running injuries. Not sure if S&C got anything to do with it coz i am really into calves for years now coz i wanna grow them. I only have this metatarsal pain thingy and 4X i kena a hamstring niggle dull discomfort bordering on slight pain at my upper hamstrings (might be tendon area) and also the occasional front lower patellar pain. Maybe the bones strength only get really stimulated by the repeated impact or what.

thx for sharing.

my mind have been working past few days thinking back past week on my runs and shoes i used. I went on another shorter run yesterday with a pair of shoes with a cut out at the arch area (PEAK匹克 千层浪). It does help and had less issues on my metatarsal and talus area. This morning as i am walking now, i am not having discomfort on my talus and less issues on my metatarsal area.

Based on observation, the 3 pairs of shoes i was using past 2 weeks were Xiaonian, BMAI Jingtan Mix Plus & SAUCONY Endorphin Speed. All the shoes above do not have a cut out at the arch area. There is a possibility that the shoes above, with the arch support, tilted my balance leaning outwards and at slower paces, instead of landing on forefoot or midfoot, rear foot landing was more common which resulting to the significant wear and tear on my outer right heel in the Mix Plus outsole.

Also believe somehow my talus discomfort was a result of my right leg's reaction to rebalance or compensate the outwards tilting of my feet. But i am still trying to figure out how it actually works.

While i don't think its conclusive, my personal take is that at slower runs, i need to wear running shoes with a cut out at the arch area, and make sure i land more on my forefoot or midfoot at slow paces, especially long distances

 

[WussRedXLi]

thx for sharing.

my mind have been working past few days thinking back past week on my runs and shoes i used. I went on another shorter run yesterday with a pair of shoes with a cut out at the arch area (PEAK匹克 千层浪). It does help and had less issues on my metatarsal and talus area. This morning as i am walking now, i am not having discomfort on my talus and less issues on my metatarsal area.

Based on observation, the 3 pairs of shoes i was using past 2 weeks were Xiaonian, BMAI Jingtan Mix Plus & SAUCONY Endorphin Speed. All the shoes above do not have a cut out at the arch area. There is a possibility that the shoes above, with the arch support, tilted my balance leaning outwards and at slower paces, instead of landing on forefoot or midfoot, rear foot landing was more common which resulting to the significant wear and tear on my outer right heel in the Mix Plus outsole.

Also believe somehow my talus discomfort was a result of my right leg's reaction to rebalance or compensate the outwards tilting of my feet. But i am still trying to figure out how it actually works.

While i don't think its conclusive, my personal take is that at slower runs, i need to wear running shoes with a cut out at the arch area, and make sure i land more on my forefoot or midfoot at slow paces, especially long distances

What you mean by cut-out at the arch area, is that those shoes just have a lower arch support?

You normal foot or more towards flat foot? I also find some running shoes have too high an arch support, the most extreme i have ever tried is Skechers Speed Beast esp when it is brand new in store and so the foam havent really compressed down. Like totally cannot run in it when brand new type of feeling.

I dont have a totally flat feet type when i come out of the shower and i look at my wet prints, but now when i sit down kiao kar and see my inner side of the feet, the arch "pad" is barely visible, there is a small curve only nia.

 

[xllms]

What you mean by cut-out at the arch area, is that those shoes just have a lower arch support?

You normal foot or more towards flat foot? I also find some running shoes have too high an arch support, the most extreme i have ever tried is Skechers Speed Beast esp when it is brand new in store and so the foam havent really compressed down. Like totally cannot run in it when brand new type of feeling.

I dont have a totally flat feet type when i come out of the shower and i look at my wet prints, but now when i sit down kiao kar and see my inner side of the feet, the arch "pad" is barely visible, there is a small curve only nia.

right is normal arch, left lower arch.

 

[WussRedXLi]

right is normal arch, left lower arch.

Oh i see you mean the cut-out for the midsole ah.

Too bad your love is 10-20km range. If not can try 3-8km range and see if it presents the same issue

 

[WussRedXLi]

Nowadays got this pattern

 

[rECKleSSfElla]

Li-Ning 赤兔9 Pro 389rmb (before GST, admin fee and what not) on PDD. Seems like official Li-Ning store so sld be safe.

 

[xllms]

Oh i see you mean the cut-out for the midsole ah.

Too bad your love is 10-20km range. If not can try 3-8km range and see if it presents the same issue

did a 8km yesterday with the PEAK千层浪 and appeared to have less issues.

 

[sph777]

did a 8km yesterday with the PEAK千层浪 and appeared to have less issues.

That's good. Continue to recover well

 

[xllms]

That's good. Continue to recover well

thank you. today right ankle, talus area doesn't feel so good. probably had. spoken too soon yesterday will observe and see if i should continue with my run.

 

[Ender]

thank you. today right ankle, talus area doesn't feel so good. probably had. spoken too soon yesterday will observe and see if i should continue with my run.

Try this mantra. High freq, low volume for 3 months.
Stop low frequency with high volume.
What I mean is doing short runs like 1km to 3km everyday, is better for injuries rehab, than running 8km to 15km one session in every 3 days.

 

[sph777]

thank you. today right ankle, talus area doesn't feel so good. probably had. spoken too soon yesterday will observe and see if i should continue with my run.

Play by ear and maybe try what Ender suggested

 

[Ender]

Play by ear and maybe try what Ender suggested

This practice is good for muscle and tendon rehab. But not bone fracture which I assumed he already consulted with the doctors that is not the case.

 

[xenotine]

Anyone had the same issue with Qiaodan plaid 2?
The collar of the shoe which does not have cushion , rubbing against our ankle.
Due to this , I had stop using it for long distance run

 

[sph777]

Anyone had the same issue with Qiaodan plaid 2?
The collar of the shoe which does not have cushion , rubbing against our ankle.
Due to this , I had stop using it for long distance run

I do not have this issue as I wear longer socks than most.

 

[Ender]

I do not have this issue as I wear longer socks than most.

I ditched ankle socks and replace all socks to quarter length to permanently solve this rubbing issue. But I am an unker, so fashion sense is zero.