What is a good way to keep training and also race with blisters? I have one from running, on my arch, about a half-inch long. I just bought some band-aid blister patches. Will these stay on after a half-mile swim and bike, or will I have to put it on in T2? Is there a good way to accelerate the healing process. I run about 3-4 times a week, so I’m not constantly aggravating it, but it gets to be a pain when I do run after about 2 miles or so.
Thanks,
Jack
Back in my speed skating days we used a product call “Second Skin Gauze pads” by a company called Spenco.
http://www.spenco.com/advanced.html
A big key to getting blisters to heal fast is to keep them as clean a possible. I used to clean them 4 times a day if I got them. The best way to avoid them is with proper fitting shoes.
You need to tape it well, unfortunately we never skated under water so I don’t know how it will do during the swim.
jaretj in Mi
I have a blister the size of a dime on my right heel right now due to improper fitting shoes, with a race coming this sunday. Mole skin or second skin type products work pretty good. Used them while I was in the military. I am on my way to a running shoe store this afternoon to get a properly fitted pair of running shoes.
I use Liquid Bandage type of product. I believe both Band-Aid and Nu-Skin manufacture the stuff. It comes in a bottle with a little brush and you apply it like nail polish. It dries to a tough waterproof coating. Stings like heck when you apply it and lasts for a couple of days on the feet.
I haven’t had good luck with the adhesive products. They tend to fall off after the swim. Duct tape could be an option.
I don’t think too many things will stay on during the swim. You’ll probably have to apply during T2. I’d try moleskin until they heal. I’ve been using Bodyglide on my feet the past year for all my runs (training and racing). Not advisable to put on a current blister but will help once they are healed. It’s pretty quick to apply at T2. My feet always get too hot when I run with socks.
I’ve used Second Skin quite a bit, but find that some areas of my foot it works better than others. For my heel blisters I have concentrated on prevention by placing a coule of strips of athletic tape on my heel. This is very thin so you don’t even know it’s there and it stays on really well. The best way to deal with blisters is to avoid them if possible. I’va also found that in my case, very thin socks work better at preventing blisters on the bottom of my feet.
Warning - This is NOT for the faint hearted!
I have used, and had great success, with the following method, used by the military and adventure racers, taken from the book “Fixing Your Feet: Prevention & Treatments for Athletes” by John Vonhof. I first clean the blister and surrounding area. Then with a sterile needle, I puncture the blister at its base. And drain any fluid by expressing it toward the puncture hole. I then inject Tincture of Benzoin into the area of the blister (not into the skin). You then press the loose skin (blister) down to your foot which will expel any excess Tincture of Benzoin. This effectively “glues” the skin back to the foot. Be forewarned, this is an EXTREMELY painful and somewhat questionable/controversial solution. While this has worked time and time again for me, anyone contemplating this should proceed at their own risk.
Here’s what didn’t work for me:
Moleskin on feet that were already damp with sweat. It shifted out of position within 1 mile.
“Waterproof” band-aid (Curad brand, I think). I was careful to apply it to clean, dry skin, a couple of hours before the start. The thing fell off between when I entered the water and when the gun went off.
While going through the Army Special Forces Q-Course we used Tincure Benzoyne for blister management. You paint this stuff on your feet and in hours your feet have a nice layer of callous on them. If you really quest high adventure paint the stuff on a broken blister. By the time they peel you off the ceiling your blister will be no-more 
eric