i’m running in 85 degr. temp. w/90 deg. humidity and i can hear my soaking wet feet squishing in my shoes. i only did a 9 mi. run, but the humidity is making me sweat so much that i’m filling up my shoes/socks. now, i see alot of athletes at races with 2 sponges on their shoulders, squeezing wet sponges on their heads etc. and i can’t help but wonder if their shoes/socks are filling up and how their dealing with this. Are their some shoes or socks which handle the moisture better? C’mon, what is the secret?
Hmmm…I live in Singapore so deal with roughly same conditions. I sweat profusely in these conditions. Shoes and socks are both damp when I get back from a run but I get no sense of flooding my shoes with water. FWIW, I run in one pair of thin, low-cut running socks so not a lot of material there to retain water. Maybe I am carrying a bunch of water and I’ve just adapted to it? Have you just moved into the 85 degr. 90% humidity conditions?
If you have a sensitive scale you could weigh your shoes and socks pre and post run to find out how much water you are carrying by the end of the run. If I can find my scale I’ll do it for my run tonight and post results.
I don’t have a sensitive scale, but the results would be interested and comical too. This is michigan weather. i ran the same route 2 days before in 62 degree weather w/rain and my shoes seemed “dryer”??? go figure.
I did the sponge thing at LP and I made sure my feet never got wet. I made that mistake in my first 1/2 IM and I suffered dearly for it with big blisters on the bottom of my feet.
i’d love to know the answer as well, i have the same problem. i’ve found that shaved legs is a help. i don’t know if they stay cooler or if the water falls off more easily as you stride but for whatever reason it is a little help.
my wife keeps telling me to drill holes in the bottom of the shoe but i don’t know about that. some day i’ll try it with an old pair.
If you watch Ironman 2006, the do a lot of closeups of Macca’s feet and he is wearing some sort of fishnet type socks. Not sure what they are but his feet are dripping wet. He is a major overpronater as well. But fast as they get.
We will see him at the finish line first this year.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find my scale today so no amusing ‘how much sweat am I carrying figures’ available. Wasn’t willing to delay the run to search through boxes for a scale. I’ll find it and do it though - now I’m curious…
yep, I agree…use thin socks and HTFU, its part of running in the summer. Even here in San Diego, with low humidity…I am sopping wet after an hour or so.
One thing I’ve found to prevent blisters is to keep my feet dry at other times during the day, ie. be barefoot or wear sandals as much as possible. I work from home so this is pretty easy for me.
They have lots of different ones (hiking, cycling) and I just run in the hiking. Get the thin ones for summer and thick for winter. Best Sock Ever. When my ship comes in its the only sock I’m going to wear.
All of my Fall, Winter and Spring rides and runs are with Smartwool socks. I will look into their summer weight stuff. Smartwool socks rock in cold and/or wet conditions.
I lived in Florida for about 8 years. Very hot and humid all year. I always ran and biked without socks. I wear light weight racing flats for both training and racing. Seems as though they don’t “stay” as soaking wet as shoes without lots of ventilation and wearing socks. With the ventilation and lack of socks, my feet stayed drier.
When racing, comfort in the run is not much of an option. I’m with the HTFU people. The sponges, etc. assist in cooling you down, the wet feet is just an unfortunate side-effect. I’d say it is worth it though, just to stay a bit cooler.
