Categories: >Running

Taking Care of My Feet

I’ve been running alot lately, and not taking care of my feet. I was preparing to go on the longest run of my season on Sunday morning, but a nagging blister on my big toe was hurting alot. It hurt just to walk around. This was BEFORE my 12 mile run on the hilly trails of Duke Forest. I was worried I wouldn’t get through my long run, which was crucial to my Duke 1/2 training.

I’ve read on other blogs about some funky toe covers that runners can buy to protect blisters. I don’t have any of those, but I rigged something up that worked really well. I wrapped my toe in Mueller M Wrap, which is a foamy sports wrap that teenage girls use to hold their hair back for sports. You might remember I wrapped the tears in my saddle with this stuff.

First I popped the blister and trimmed off the as much of the hard caloused skin as I could using cuticle scissors. I didn’t take a picture of that grossness, but don’t worry, I do have some gross pictures!

Then I put a big old blob of Bag Balm on the blister, and wrapped the M Wrap around my big toe. I used another dollop of bag balm to act as ‘glue’ to hold the end of the M Wrap down. I put Bag Balm on any other spots on my feet that are prone to blisters. Then I carefully donned my socks so as not to dislodge the M Wrap, or smear the Bag Balm around too much.

In case you never heard of it, Bag Balm is made to prevent chaffing on the udders of cows. It also promotes healing on skin, of both cows and humans! Someone on the BeginnerTriathlete.com site suggested I try it to help with chaffing from my bike saddle. It does indeed work great as a lubricant for the cyclist You can buy it at Walmart.

After wrapping up my toe and lubing up my feet, I went on my 12 mile run on the Duke Forest trails. This trail is extremely hilly and full of gravel , and thus is very hard on the feet. I did not notice any pain in my blister throughout the entire 2+ hour run. Yeah!!

Here is a photo of my foot with the Mueller M wrap after the run. The M Wrap stayed in place very well. The blister that was wrapped up did not get any worse.

Here’s a picture of the bottom of my foot, after I removed the green wrapping. Well, okay, maybe that big blister did get worse…but it didn’t FEEL any worse! You can see lots of new blisters, too.

After I took a shower, I wanted to put something on my feet to help all those new blisters heal faster, so I’d be ready to roll for my next hard run. I dug out the Mission Foot Synergy Gel that I had received in the mail as a free sample. I really love that stuff, but am usually too lazy to use it. I rubbed it all over my feet – Ahhh, so soothing. Then I put some socks on. Several times over the last 24 hours, I removed my socks, rubbed in the Foot Synergy gel, and put the socks back on.

So, here’s what my foot looks like now, 24 hours later…pretty fresh (well, as far as feet go, anyway!)

They are selling the Mission products at Performance Bike now – I saw it on the counter last time I was in the store.

When my tube of the Foot Synergy Gel is gone, I will want to buy more of it. I’ve never tried any other foot gels. Just never really thought much about my feet. Anyone else have a favorite foot gel?

carolyahoo

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View Comments

Kari K says:

September 2, 2008 at 11:52 am

Hey again! Have you tried Injiji socks - the ones with individual toe sleeves? Granted, you wouldn't want to use them in a race, but definitely for training to help prevent blisters. They are perfect for keeping the toes separated and keep them from rubbing against each other. I like them for training, though it took about 3 runs before I decided that I liked them. I wear them here in TX in the summer, 'cause I have nasty sweaty feet. They work. :) As a side note, they're great for very hot or very cold days playing sand volleyball.

I love all the info on your blogs and learn something nearly every time through your experiences. My second tri (just a few weeks ago) I actually watched and noticed people tucking their knees close to their bars in the bike and have tried it myself since then. There are more great tips you've provided as well. Thanks again!
kk