Probably tempting fate here but it really does feel like my troublesome injuries are almost behind me, particularly my heel problems.
It occurred to me during the week before the Gold Coast Marathon - when I had Thursday, Friday and Saturday off with no running - That my heels almost immediately felt better. And after the run my heels were really sore. Next day they were pain free. And Tuesday they were great.
During the days off after the GC marathon I studied my shoes. And put them on, off and on again, trying to _feel_ how they fitted around the heel. Then I realised that my shoes have another lace hole that I have never ever used. Looking at it, I thought it may well be something I can use. I did some googling for heel fit and running shoes and found a YouTube video that discussed this extra lace hole, and a couple of techniques on how to use it.
The lace hole helps to secure the ankle and heel and stop it moving around. Here is a link to the video:
http://youtu.be/y0BSXa8vE10
So are my heel problems really caused by my feet bashing about unsecured in the shoe? I really don't know now. The problem was diagnosed as Insertional Tendonopathy of the Achilles. Its true that the problem I have/had manifests itself in the same way as the typical symptoms - Pain at beginning of run, eases as I warm up, and gets worse toward the end of a run. It is also supposed to trouble you in the mornings, and at its worst it did. But it seems dramatically better now after I started lacing my shoes to use that extra hole. All of my runs since 3rd July I have used this lacing method and things do seem better.
I could be annoyed or upset if it does turn out that the problem was heel slip all along. But then again I should be pretty darned happy if such a simple solution will allow me to achieve a higher work load in training to able to have a decent stab at a good Marathon race. I am cautiously optimistic again.
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