In my early days of running, I discovered a condition that has ended many running careers and could have easily ended mine: plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a condition where the bottom of one's foot, and especially the heal, experience such serious pain that it gets difficult to walk.
After some research, I learned what I wish I would've learned when I first started running. There were two things I was doing wrong. First, I was running in cheap shoes. Second, my form was wrong. I was landing on my heel.
My future daughter-in-law helped with the first issue. She recommended Asics shoes. So, I went to a mall in Winnipeg and picked up a pair shoes for over $100 dollars - more than I'd ever paid for shoes. In the end, they were worth every penny.
The second problem wasn't difficult to fix. I just concentrated on not landing on my heels - landing more on the middle of my foot.
These things did not solve the problem over night. The pain lasted several months. I picked up some tips from YouTube. Every night I would take a bottle of bottled water out of the freezer and roll it under my foot. I also did physical therapy - strengthening and stretching exercises. After several months the pain finally subsided and went away completely.
