Learn more about Brodie's Research Database & AI Assistant 📄🔍For MORE Run Smarter Resources 🏃‍♂️📚- Including Free Injury Prevention Courses 🩹🎓- The Run Smarter Book 📖- Access to Research Papers 📄🔍- & Ways to Work with Brodie 🤝👟👉 CLICK HERE! 🎉✨Chronic plantar fasciitis can quietly strip away your confidence, your identity as a runner, and eventually your belief that running is even possible again.In today’s episode, John shares his seven-year battle with stubborn plantar fasciitis—and how he went from barely being able to walk in the morning to completing trail marathons at age 59.This is not a story about a magic treatment or a quick fix. It’s about patience, progressive strength, smarter recovery, and changing the way you think about pain. If you’ve tried everything and feel like you’re running out of options, this conversation will resonate deeply.What We Cover in This EpisodeJohn’s long road with plantar fasciitisHow his symptoms started, disappeared, then returned worse than everWhy years of rest, stretching, and passive treatments didn’t solve the problemWhat “first-step pain” taught him about whether he was improving or regressingWhy many plantar fasciitis treatments failOver-stretching and aggressive rehab that actually delayed healingWhy ticking “strength training” off the list too early is a common mistakeThe difference between doing exercises and loading tissue correctlyThe turning pointThe mindset shift that stopped the injury from controlling his lifeHow slow, progressive calf strengthening rebuilt tissue capacityWhy learning not to catastrophize flare-ups changed everythingStrength training that actually workedThe calf exercises that gave the biggest return on investmentHow he progressed from double-leg to single-leg loading safelyRep ranges, frequency, and why patience mattered more than intensityRecovery beyond rehabHow improving sleep quality accelerated his progressNutrition changes that supported training and recoveryWhy recovery became non-negotiable as he got olderWhere John is nowRunning pain-free most days after years of struggleCompleting half marathons, mountain runs, and a self-supported trail marathonHow he’s approaching goals differently to stay healthy long-term

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