Pain in the ball of my foot

Having gone through three different bikes in the last year, I would say that changes in geometry and ride characteristics can be telling in the old bones (and muscles, and joints, etc.), and the signs are not always immediate. Both times I got new bikes, it took a few months to really get settled in, and for me, going from a hybrid to a cyclocross frame has made the biggest difference, and been the most gradual process of getting used to. Also, being comfortable at one distance doesn’t mean being comfortable at the next (longer) distance. Meds can help, obviously, but one thing I’ve learned from folks here is that it’s important to listen to what your body is telling you, and go cautiously and gradually to adapt; meds can actually increase the risk of injury if you’re not cautious. I’m nowhere near being a physician, but it sounds to me like what you are going through is more like growing pains than the kind of injury that is telling you to quit doing what you’re doing altogether. Also, rule five is awesome and all, but rest days (or even rest rides) really are your friend.

Sounds like plantar fasciitis.

All sorts of things can go wrong when you add too much intensity/workload too fast. Adding 100 lbs. is a big increase in intensity. You would be turning an otherwise easy ride into a fairly tough ride. If you’re doing this 7 days a week, you are now doing 7 potentially hard rides a week (depending on effort level and so on). That would be far too much.

+1 on rest days or easy days. Manage intensity and ride volume (a combination of frequency, duration and total workload) carefully, especially when you introduce big changes, such as an extra 100 lbs. When something does go wrong, focus on taking care of the problem now, instead of letting it linger on. You don’t want a minor issue to become a long-term, chronic moderate to severe issue. If and when that happens, you could be forced to take a long involuntary break, or you could be facing long-term pain. If it is plantar fasciitis or tendinosis, keep in mind that some cyclists (and runners) have to deal with the issue for years. Once things get fouled up, it’s much more difficult to deal with than if you fix the problems completely at the beginning.

@jrenaut 94949 wrote:

Thanks, all. I’m hoping it’s just overuse, since that’s probably the easiest to fix (I’ve had these shoes ever since I started with clipless so I don’t think they’re the problem).

Everyone’s different, and YMMV, but here’s my experience: I’ve had one pair of shoes for several years, since I started with SPDs. They’re the MTB type that’s stealthy enough to pass as a pair of sneakers, and easy to walk around in with the relatively flexible rubber sole. I did notice some discomfort in my foot on longer (60+ mile) rides, which makes sense when you think about it–all the force transmitted through the pedals is focused on a point less than one inch square. I got a pair of roady-style shoes with a carbon plate which has zero flex. Now the pedal force is distributed over 5 or 10 times as much area, and the sore foot issue on long rides is gone. I still wear the sneaker-style shoes on shorter rides, when I don’t want to go full-MAMIL, or know I’m going to be off the bike a lot and don’t want to walk like a duck. Like commuting, or when I’m out with the family–and here’s the thing: 10 or 20 miles towing a kid is like a metric in terms of wear and tear on the feet, IMO. There’s just so much mass that you need to get moving every time you stop. The other possibility is to switch to road-style cleats if you’re using something like SPDs, as they’re bigger and spread the force out more. (But then going stealth isn’t an option. ) Or, down-shift even more to reduce the pedal force, but it’s so tempting to mash the heck out of the pedals to get going when you’re carting around another human.

@jrenaut 94958 wrote:

If it’s overdoing it then I’d expect it to feel a lot better after two days off. If it still feels like this I’ll probably go to the doctor.

Good decision. If it persists, possibilities to consider are Morton’s Neuroma and peripheral neuropathy. For me, it was the latter. I’ve been dealing with this kind of pain for 5 years now. Stretching helps.