I may well do a lot of walking as well. I’m getting a bit jaded with the bike training after ten solid years on TR. I will be continuing with it but want an alternative to keep me motivated.
I honestly think that my issue was largely self inflicted by ignoring calf/Achilles tightness and by using my Xero shoes a little too long before changing them, so I don’t blame minimalist shoes for my plantar fasciitis. The nice thing about Hoka is that have very little drop so I’m still striking on the front/mid foot. But once the damage was done I really needed cushioning to recover.
Focus on making sure you have good form, work on your hip/ankle mobility/stability. Knees are where we feel a lot of stuff that is prevented by the right supplementary activities.
Find good shoes for you. Don’t be afraid to swap between a few different pairs pretty quickly. Your local running store is the best resource. Avoid the pitfall of the pronation correction test nonsense they might do.
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I went through a stage of Achilles tightness, did a bit too much too soon on those early months, I know the run, it was a 43km on the canals when I was aiming for 50km, just wanted to see how far I could go, found my limit in that run! Just dialled it back a bit over a few months and have no Achilles issues now. It is a case of listening to your body, I didn’t in that run. Do find the indoor cycling very complimentary, gives my aging body a rest of impact whilst still giving it a workout, still experimenting on the right mix…
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Also on the shoe front, i suggest rotating through different shoes.
Lower heel drop shoes
Higher heel drop shoes
High stack cushy shoes
Low stack more firm shoes, etc etc
And in my case i add some “minimal barefoot” shoes in the mix to help (like xero or vivobarefoot), as i had an achilles tear and it was recommended to keep the elasticity in my achilles.
So i rotate between 3 different pairs with different properties and i think it helps “build” a more balanced running form. It’s definitely a more adaptable form. I know people who go from 8mm drop to 4mm and immediately get achilles pain. I want to avoid being that person.
Also to keep in mind, some shoes will actually change your run form just due to all the tech in it (motion/stability control, etc etc)
Another 2 shoe brands to consider for some cushioning but zero drop is Altra and Topo Athletic
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Biggest thing for me is remembering that running can’t replace the training load I get from riding. So, trying to maintain a specific weight, for instance, requires a change in diet from me, if I’m only running. I want to get to where I’m adding running to my cycling regimen.
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