With Coach Alexa, Online Running Coach and in-person coaching in South Oxfordshire
Starting a Series on Feet: An Overlooked Running Topic
I thought I’d do a little bit of a series on feet. I feel like feet are under-appreciated. We talk a lot about our cardiovascular system as runners. We maybe focus a bit on strengthening our leg muscles in the gym. And we talk about injuries in various different places. But I think feet are under-discussed and underrepresented.
Normally, we only think of them when they start causing pain or having problems. So I’m gonna start off this series talking about some of those – kicking off with a little bit about blisters.
Why Blisters Are a Bigger Deal Than They Seem
There’s nothing worse than blisters, really – whether we’re walking, running, or just going about our day-to-day life.
I had a very lengthy process of wearing in a beautiful new pair of Doc Martens a few years ago that have only just got to the really nicely beautiful, comfortable stage. They take a lot of wearing in, and oh my goodness, my poor feet paid the price – even with the double sock strategy.
It really hurts. And it also alters our gait a little bit. We naturally alter our gait when we’ve got blisters or areas that are rubbing, turning into blisters. Our body is clever – it will naturally alter our gait to try and avoid that pain. And that comes with its own potential repercussions when we’re running, particularly if we’re continuing to run longer distances with those sore or blistered areas.
Key Things You Can Do to Avoid Blisters
1. Good Shoe Choice
Number one is good shoe choice. I’ve done videos before on this, but just a brief recap.
Shoes that fit well. Lots of different manufacturers have different template shoes – different feet templates for their shoes. My feet are quite long and narrow, and there are certain brands of shoe, like Nike for example, that just don’t work for me at all because they’re built around a slightly wider standard shape foot.
So, finding shoes that fit you well – that are snug but not tight around the heel and the arch – and have plenty of room for the toes to expand and lengthen when we land, because that is what we do when our arches flatten on landing, will really, really help.
If your shoes are banging into the sides or the ends, that might cause toenail issues, blister-related issues, and more. Also, look after your shoes. Keep an eye on the quality and the deterioration of the insides. We’re often looking at the soles as runners for signs of wear, but looking at the insides – if you’ve got bubbling or wear on the inner fabric – can be a bit of a recipe for blister sadness as well.
2. The Right Socks Make a Huge Difference
Socks make a huge, huge difference to us as runners. Again, finding socks that fit snugly and aren’t going to rumple up is key. Avoid cotton ones – just like we do with a lot of our gear – because they get saggy and saturated when you get sweaty or when you’re running out in the rain.
Wet cotton is a recipe for blister disaster.
You can get socks that either have built-in double-layer systems so that any friction between your foot and the shoe, or your foot and the sock, is actually between sock and sock, as opposed to foot and sock. Good socks act like a little layer between your feet and the shoes to help prevent the rubbing and friction between your skin and other surfaces that causes blisters.
3. Use Lubricants on Hot Spots
Using a little bit of some sort of lubricant on your feet can be quite useful. I sometimes just use old-school Vaseline or something like Body Glide. If you get particular hot spots that you don’t think are related to socks or shoe fit, this can help.
Also, bear in mind that in the summer, our feet sweat more – and they also swell up a bit more in the heat. The longer you run – especially for those of you doing ultra or longer events – our feet tend to swell the longer we stay on them.
So it’s worth thinking about, for a much longer event, having a slightly larger pair of shoes for later on in that event.
Let’s Talk Feet: Your Turn
So that was a bit of a whistle-stop tour of how to avoid blisters. I’d be interested to hear your tips and experiences as well.
And we’ll go off on a little bit of an exploration of the wonderful things our feet do over the next few videos.
Happy running!
