I have tried to run several times without socks and everytime I get black nails or my shoes red in blood… A buddy of mine told me to try Vaseline inside the shoe, and I’ll tell you it worked well but it is a mess…
What do you guys do?
I NEVER wear socks for either cycling or running in either sprints or Ironman distances. Use vaseline for awhile and your feet will get used to it. I hardly ever need the vasaline anymore, unless my feet get very wet and a blister comes up. I still use the vaseline in the running shoes, at the toes and top of heel area, for 1/2 to full IM distances, as a preventative measure.
dumb question…but how does the vaseline help? seems like it would soften the skin and cause it to rupture more easily. probably just another case of bassackwards thinking on my part.
i go without socks nearly every time i run, 'cept in the winter when wearing heavier shoes. spring through fall and up to 1/2 distance is with flats-no socks.
this took a while to get used to…short runs of a mile or less without socks daily for a week or so and then started slowly upping the distance. wasn’t long and i could easily handle 6-10 no socks without issue.
the black nail/blood thing sounds like the shoes are too tight. i bloodied up a little at a long race yesterday since i failed to make sure the nails were clipped properly and lost a little chunk off the side of a toe. socks would not have made a difference with that.
i’ve never used any grease to make it work. just slowly work into it and you’ll be fine.
I never wear socks either. I just toughened up my feet by walking on hot coals. You should check the fit of your shoes, you should be able to run without socks for relatively short distances.
dumb question…but how does the vaseline help? seems like it would soften the skin and cause it to rupture more easily. probably just another case of bassackwards thinking on my part.
Reduces friction. I prefer Body Glide.
I don’t think Vaseline softens the skin, but it just coats and lubricates. I’m not as brave as Zipp, though, as I have yet to run anything longer than an oly without socks. But I always bike sockless, and for my cleats I use very little Vaseline - just at the heels and at the places in the cleats where the “knobby” parts at the base of my big and little toes come in contact. Yes, it’s a bit messy, but worth it.
My question, though, is what sort of weight is aded to a shoe by repeated applications of Vaseline? I’m sure my DS Trainers that I use for races have added a few ounces over the course of the season from Vaseline build-up. They’ve certainly changed tone, with the mesh uppers becoming much darker.
When do you put the vaseline or body glide on your feet? During T2? Wouldn’t it take just as long to put socks on? I am trying to understand the no socks thing on running. . . Also, does anyone go sockless and wear orthotics? I have orthotics and don’t think I should run sockless with them. … but maybe I am wrong.
I decided it would be a good idea to do an hour for my first sockless run.
Needless to say the shoes are quite red, and the scab is finally gone. But naturally the skin is tougher now, so I’ll have to give it another go soon.
I would think your feet would get all slippery with vasoline. I wouldn’t want any slipping around like that. Just go sockless for longer periods of time until your feet adjust.
Vaseline goes in/on the shoe after your warmup, before the swim start. Some shoes are much rougher inside than others. Depends on the shoe weather I can go sockless or not. Takes a while to get used to. Like everything else, don’t try it out for the first time on race day.
I wear my racing flats without socks around the house when I first get them to break them in and to check for friction spots.
I coat the Vaseline in the shoes before the race, pretty soon after I arrive at transition. (If I wait too long I might get into too many conversations and forget altogether.) End of toe box first, then above and below where my toes contact the shoe… Then the arch area, from the bottom and up along the sides up to the top of the foot along the big toe’s tarsal place. Finally I do around the heel counter.
No socks. No Vaseline. No problem.
Start slow and work up. Don’t try to do something on race day that you don’t do in training. You’ll get to where you can tell if a shoe will work for you within seconds when you first slip it on.
I know people that use bodyglide on their feet. Ewww!
I love running sockless and use no products of any sort. I can run almost 3hrs w/o socks. I have toughened my feet up by running running running. My husband is afraid of my feet.
I look forward to finishing IMWA so I can get a pedicure. 
Not all sneakers are created equal. I currently run bear foot in puma H streets and never have drawn blood. On the other hand I ran a Asics tiger paws and wore my feet raw. Also make sure you cut your toe nails short that should prevent black nails.
Paul
I have always gone no socks for anything shorter than an Ironman. Never had any issues with it except when I tried to use an elastic lacing system shich allowed my feet to move around too much in the shoes and I had bloody feet. After I returned to regular laces and lace locks I never had any problems again.
No socks for biking or running as of this year. Wonderful for transitions. For the running shoes, go short with a new pair (2-3 miles) and they will let you know where any hot spots are. Then I Vaseline just that area. I sweat heavily and have had no problems. Did the Steelhead last weekend and had sand every where but still no problems on the run. Sore toes from the sand on the bike.
the black nail/blood thing sounds like the shoes are too tight. i bloodied up a little at a long race yesterday since i failed to make sure the nails were clipped properly and lost a little chunk off the side of a toe. socks would not have made a difference with that.
I have tried to run several times without socks and everytime I get black nails or my shoes red in blood… A buddy of mine told me to try Vaseline inside the shoe, and I’ll tell you it worked well but it is a mess…
What do you guys do?
You need new shoes. Running without socks exposes the weakness in the fit of your existing shoe. Your experience is dramatic enough to make me think you’ve got the wrong shoes.
Vaseline is a poor fix. Try elastic laces. Those make my shoes fit like socks. The solution is not to allow your feet to slide around in the shoe – it’s to stop them from sliding around in the first place.
I haven’t run with socks for almost two years now. I only wear socks if I’m running on dirt trails, because sand and gravel end up in my shoes and grind my feet up.