I have been training for a marathon in my triathlon off season, and have been through 6 different shoes. No matter what the shoe, on any training run over 10 miles I end up with blisters. I’m loosing various toe nails and my calouses have names. I have been professionally fitted at two running only shoe stores, my socks are sweat wicking, etc. Do marathoners just have gross, blistered feet and black toe nails? I have tries putting body glide on my feet before long runs with slight success. Any other suggestions?
moleskin (cut hole around blister to protect it)
dudoderm (put on top of open sore blisters - topical antibiotic helps with healing)
.
the goal would be to avoid the blisters somehow. I have all the stuff any drug store sells to help after the blisters are there, but no ideas to avoid.
Second Skin attached with coban or powerflex works well for covering blisters and hot spots. It’s a little more expensive than moleskin, but much more comfortable. Also, shaving down your calluses once a week after a long run will help out as well (just use a file or a callus tool). One of the problems I have found from running with the moisture wicking socks is that they are thin. Great to race in, but I don’t prefer to train in them. I throw talcum powder in my shoes and have never had a problem with blisters. I do always have black toenails though…
I’ve had your problem and tried the solutions above. Bottom line, get a pair of orthodics from a sports therapist. Make sure they are athletes that rehab athletes.
telfa pads and flex tape have helped me in the past. as for the black toenails that usually means your shoes are to tight in the toe box.
These will help for the blisters if they occur between the toes: http://www.injinji.com/tetratsok/performance.htm
The lady at the running store told me that most men wear shoes that are too small for them. She suggested moving up 1 whole size from what I would consider a street shoe fit. I can’t say that I have any proof that it works just yet, as I’m burning the last miles out of my old pair of shoes…and yes, I’ve got black toe nails. Toe nails are over rated…
Blisters are annoying. Generally they form because of poor ventilation and excessive pressure points. I’d second the suggestion to try slightly larger shoes. (The shoes I use for half-marathons and longer runs are 1/4-1/2 size larger than my usual fit.) You need to accommodate foot swelling, which can be significant during the latter parts of a long endurance run. That said, the shoe shouldn’t be loose. This would not only obstruct your running mechanics, but create even more blisters due to your foot sliding excessively back and forth in the shoe. Part of the trick is to use slightly thicker moisture-wicking socks.
How much endurance running have you done previously? When I was getting into tris/endurance running, I suffered from blisters now and then, but since then the skin on my feet has toughened up considerably. (Haven’t had a blister for years, without ever using any tape etc.)
my blister problems went away when i went up a full size in my shoes (from 11.5 to 12.5)
had no idea
I have been training for a marathon in my triathlon off season, and have been through 6 different shoes. No matter what the shoe, on any training run over 10 miles I end up with blisters. I’m loosing various toe nails and my calouses have names. I have been professionally fitted at two running only shoe stores, my socks are sweat wicking, etc. Do marathoners just have gross, blistered feet and black toe nails? I have tries putting body glide on my feet before long runs with slight success. Any other suggestions?
It sounds like the same problem I was having while training for a marathon. I was wearing the same shoe (model & size not actual shoe) that I had worn for over a year without an issues when the blisters started. I changed my shoe to a different brand without any change, same blisters in the same places. For years I had been wearing smart wool socks. I swapped them out for a pair of wigwam socks & the blisters went away.
I still have a ton of smart wool socks and love to wear them I just don’t run in them any more.
In the end I ran the marathon without any blisters or hot spots…
Wigwam sock review here.
Good luck,
Travis
dumb blog
Bigger shoes should cure the toenail problem. Feet swell during long runs. I killed off my toenails several times before I learned this.
In addition to some of the other suggestions for the blister problem, you may want to try rubbing an antiperspirant all over your feet. That will help prevent some of the wetness that contributes to the problem. I found the Injinji socks to be very helpful as well.