Bottom of Foot Pain

I did a metric century (and then some) yesterday. Longest ride I've done all year. Towards the end, somewhere in the last 7 miles, the ball of my left foot started hurting like crazy. I've had my feet feel stressed while riding before, but this was a little nuts, and it still hurt off the bike.

WTH is that, and how would I avoid it?

I was wearing softer mullti-surface shoes with SPDs, much like this pair: http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodLG_1487107.html

Been wearing these shoes for years. Got the bike fit when I bought it earlier this year, and I've been ok up until now.

Very unpleasant, and if I felt that at mile 60, what's going to happen when I do my next full century?

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Originally Posted by tangentgirl

I did a metric century (and then some) yesterday. Longest ride I've done all year. Towards the end, somewhere in the last 7 miles, the ball of my left foot started hurting like crazy. I've had my feet feel stressed while riding before, but this was a little nuts, and it still hurt off the bike.

WTH is that, and how would I avoid it?

I was wearing softer mullti-surface shoes with SPDs, much like this pair: http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodLG_1487107.html

Been wearing these shoes for years. Got the bike fit when I bought it earlier this year, and I've been ok up until now.

Very unpleasant, and if I felt that at mile 60, what's going to happen when I do my next full century?

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I used to be a long distance runner. I ran in high school track but didn't get serious until I joined the Navy and started running to get a high score on my Physical Readiness Test. My feet and ankles started to bother me after I started to train for my first marathon. I went to see my doc and he said that I had tiny hairline fractures in my foot and that is what was causing my pain. I didn't like it, but he ordered me to stop running for a few weeks.

I would get hairline fractures and they would heal and then I would get them again ... and they would heal. Maybe you should check with your doc?

TREKSTRONG

Getting those little stress fractures when running makes sense because your feet end up supporting several times your body weight with each step. This just doesn't happen with riding.

Tangent, it could be any number of things, depending on what type of pain it is. How old are your shoes? If they're fairly old, they may have just broken down with use. (Though I imagine it would take far longer with bike shoes than with regular ones since you're not walking so much with them.) Your cleat placement may need to be tweaked. Or you may just need to switch to a stiffer shoe and/or road pedals. I've been contemplating making the switch to road pedals because I've been getting hot spots.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

Getting those little stress fractures when running makes sense because your feet end up supporting several times your body weight with each step. This just doesn't happen with riding.

Tangent, it could be any number of things, depending on what type of pain it is. How old are your shoes? If they're fairly old, they may have just broken down with use. (Though I imagine it would take far longer with bike shoes than with regular ones since you're not walking so much with them.) Your cleat placement may need to be tweaked. Or you may just need to switch to a stiffer shoe and/or road pedals. I've been contemplating making the switch to road pedals because I've been getting hot spots.

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I don't know, I wouldn't be so quick to rule out stress fractures. My stress fractures weren't necessarily from my feet pounding the ground, they were from my toes hitting the front edge of my shoe repetitively.

Especially since I have a morton's toe (when your second toe next to your big toe is longer than the rest of your toes), that toe would especially hit harder than the rest and my toe nail would actually turn dark blue as if someone hit it with a hammer. I asked the doctor about this and even read an article in 'Runner's World' about 'black toe syndrome'. You don't have to hit any part of your body very hard if you hit it in the same place over and over ... it will eventually bruise and you can get very tiny fractures in your bone.

I think riding for long distances with cycling shoes, especially since cycling shoes tend to be sturdy with not much padding. Cycling shoes are stiff and hard against your foot for support and I think this could definitely cause a stress fracture. Heck, even when I rode for the short time I did this summer before my accident my toes and bottom of my feet were already starting to bother me (I was riding up to 3 hours on some days). Also, if you have osteoporosis your bones will stress fracture very easily as well.

Thanks ladies!

I'm going to rule out stress fractures for the moment - if it still hurt today I might think that was it, but it's fine now. Plus that sounds awful and if it is that maybe I can just wish it away. (I've decided that my family crest should feature an ostrich with its head in the sand.)

I got my shoes in 2006, and I have been contemplating a stiffer shoe. I hadn't thought about cleat placement for a long time, but that is a fixable culprit if it is. I could start there.

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Originally Posted by tangentgirl

I'm going to rule out stress fractures for the moment - if it still hurt today I might think that was it, but it's fine now. Plus that sounds awful and if it is that maybe I can just wish it away. (I've decided that my family crest should feature an ostrich with its head in the sand.)

I got my shoes in 2006, and I have been contemplating a stiffer shoe. I hadn't thought about cleat placement for a long time, but that is a fixable culprit if it is. I could start there.

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I agree, always start with the easiest fix first! The body is so complicated and the mechanics of how our body works can be so different from one person to the next. As Owlie stated your cleat may be off center, not stiff enough, too old ... etc. But what's really cool it that you get to come to this forum and get lot's of input about what you might consider as your next step to resolving the issue.

... and as the moderator mentioned, you should always check with your doctor first as this is only a forum of cyclists with lot's of experience to share and my no means experts when it comes to giving medical advice, unless of course you are a cyclist who just happens to be a doctor too! :D

If your shoes are five years old, new insoles may help.

Insoles may help, but perhaps the pain is a consequence of the longer ride: as we get tired, we frequently engage other muscles to do the work, and that can lead to "new" pains. The shoes you are using look very flexible, so maybe as you got tired you started moving slightly different (e.g., dropping your left heel a bit more) and that stressed the ball of your foot more than normal.

I used to get some pain in the ball of my feet with SPDs and mountain bike shoes, but I have switched since to stiffer Sidi shoes (with good arch support) and Look Keo pedals. No more foot pain.