socks?

Tom Phillips said:

New shoes = new hot spots. Not always but usually. I'm
not as barefoot tough as Oz but I have pretty tough feet
from years of abuse (permanent callouses.)

Something I should've mentioned earlier also while on topic of foot
repair is John Vonhof's book "Fixing your feet". Lots of horror stories
and appropriate pics (don't read while eating dinner), including deep
blisters under calluses. I used to think that calluses were protection
against blisters.

He also puts out a free ezine.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FixingYourFeetEzine/

Dot

--
"running is a mysterious journey that we take not just to beat other
people or to stay in reasonable physical shape - but to find out more
about ourselves" - Owen Anderson

Dot said:

Tom Phillips said:

Dot said:

[email hidden] wrote:

>Looking for recommendations for socks.
>
>I've been wearing Gold-Toe sweat socks that I got at Penney's. I have
>a nasty blister on the bottom inside of my left foot (near the big
>toe). I'm pretty sure it's not my shoes (they're new and seem to fit
>fine - not tight but no slippage).
>
>

You might be surprised with some minor un-noticed slippage that could be
causing the blisters. If your sweat socks are cotton, you might try a
synthetic or different weight sock. Popular brands for running that have
worked for me so far include SmartWool (most of my runs) as well as
Ultimax and Bridgedale. Thorlos and Wright double socks have worked for
others but don't work for me.

I should've mentioned - I did get one small blister with Thorlos, but
it might have been coincidence. I always have trouble with getting double
socks on without them wrinkling - had another brand for hiking before
Wrights.

I don't much like double walled socks; I like to
layer individual socks. The inner sock is a skin
tight synthetic. I agree cotton isn't the best but
OTHO all socks slip. Doug gave me an idea though
for a more prophylactic foot "condom" 😉 Hey, if
it works for sex...

Quoted message said:

The real issue I have with socks and what influences my decision is
keeping feet warm when wet from running in slush - and try to keep them
from shredding my feet. Other than that small blister with Thorlos, the
last blisters I can remember were between my toes at field hockey camp
in hs. But wet, cold feet shred with abrasion (drawing blood), and they
may cramp (different issue). Smartwools seem to work the best for me in
that regard - at least up to about 2 hr of damp grading to wet feet.

But, yea, that probably has nothing to do with tm running. Spaced that
out when replying 😉

Well a vapor barrier might help with warmth; don't
know about the moisture and blisters though;
supposedly you stop sweating.

Smartwool seems a good choice, but overpriced IMO. No
matter what also eventually get saturated when you
sweat that long and in a shoe. When I said "cheapo
cotton" I meant only for my running near home. Course
I live in a desert; even the snow is pretty dry 😉

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Best thing to do is get some Spenco Adhesive Knit
(http://www.spenco.com/prod_sportsmed_adhesiveknit.html)
or other blister dressing and tape it tight over the
blister. Point being to prevent friction directly against
the skin until it forms a callous. Course with a full
blown blsiters should probably stay off it for a few days.
Friction prevention dressings are best applied over hot
spots before blisters form.

aw, c'mon. You're not a subscriber to the crazy-glue and duct tape
solution and have the runner back on their feet and out the aid station
in a hurry 😉 You need to read Badwater stories 😉

Personally I've never used crazy glue but I'm aware
it has "applications." I often do carry duct tape 🙂
Spenco stuff generally works pretty well in most
situations whether it's a hot spot or full blown
blister, though I wouldn't know how a Badwater
compares to my alpine climes.

Quoted message said:

Dot

--
"running is a mysterious journey that we take not just to beat other
people or to stay in reasonable physical shape - but to find out more
about ourselves" - Owen Anderson

Dot said:

Tom Phillips said:

New shoes = new hot spots. Not always but usually. I'm
not as barefoot tough as Oz but I have pretty tough feet
from years of abuse (permanent callouses.)

Something I should've mentioned earlier also while on topic of foot
repair is John Vonhof's book "Fixing your feet". Lots of horror stories
and appropriate pics (don't read while eating dinner), including deep
blisters under calluses. I used to think that calluses were protection
against blisters.

For the most part they are if the callous is in
proportion to the activity; most blisters are
superficial. But you're right you can get a blister
under a callous and I've gotten them. The absolutely
_worst_ blister is a deep blister under or behind
the toe nail, typically called a climber's toe.
Talk about pain...

Quoted message said:

He also puts out a free ezine.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FixingYourFeetEzine/

I'll have to see what he says about toe nails 🙂

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Running down hills a lot?

Treadmill.

Probably makes you even more blister-prone -- you sweat a lot on treadmills.

That could very well be it. I sweat A LOT. I'm absolutely drenched
from head to toe when I get off the treadmill.

On Mon, 04 Apr 2005 14:34:19 -0600, Tom Phillips <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

FWIW a blister on the bottom of the big toe isn't unusual;
it's a typical hot spot and expected if new-different
shoes or feet aren't broken in. Soft fleshy tissue on the
bottom of the toe or ball of foot is prone to shoe-to-foot
slippage/friction regardless of the sock. I'll agree a
sloppy poor fitting sock certainly doen't help and I'll
agree better fitting socks help there but in the OP's
case is probably mostly due to toe box slippage during
running motion.

OP here. The blister is on the ball of my foot. More precisely (and I
hope I remember anatomy right) it's on the plantar aspect of the first
metatarsal.

Quoted message said:

Sounds like the OP has either
first time or different running shoes.

First time different shoes. I have Saucony 3D Grid Hurricane. They fit
as good as a shoe can fit. They replaced my New Balance (forget
model).

I was developing the blister using the New Balance running on a
treadmill. I've been running for a couple of years and I was never
very good. 2 miles to me would be like a marathon to most of you. But
recently I started improving. 2 miles became 3. And now 3 became 4
miles.

Since the shoes were a few years old, I figured the blister was caused
by the shoes. I still get the blister (over a callus from the old
blister) with new shoes. The only thing constant is the sock - and the
treadmill. As somebody pointed out, the large amount of sweat
accumulating in my shoes due to the indoor treadmill might be
contributing.

Donovan Rebbechi said:

When I was doing 70 consistently,

so now you must be in the midst of a Boston taper? Why the "stealth"
training week reports?

Don't reply, bad juju.

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 04 Apr 2005 14:34:19 -0600, Tom Phillips <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

FWIW a blister on the bottom of the big toe isn't unusual;
it's a typical hot spot and expected if new-different
shoes or feet aren't broken in. Soft fleshy tissue on the
bottom of the toe or ball of foot is prone to shoe-to-foot
slippage/friction regardless of the sock. I'll agree a
sloppy poor fitting sock certainly doen't help and I'll
agree better fitting socks help there but in the OP's
case is probably mostly due to toe box slippage during
running motion.

OP here. The blister is on the ball of my foot. More precisely (and I
hope I remember anatomy right) it's on the plantar aspect of the first
metatarsal.

Quoted message said:

Sounds like the OP has either
first time or different running shoes.

First time different shoes. I have Saucony 3D Grid Hurricane. They fit
as good as a shoe can fit. They replaced my New Balance (forget
model).

I was developing the blister using the New Balance running on a
treadmill. I've been running for a couple of years and I was never
very good. 2 miles to me would be like a marathon to most of you. But
recently I started improving. 2 miles became 3. And now 3 became 4
miles.

Since the shoes were a few years old, I figured the blister was caused
by the shoes. I still get the blister (over a callus from the old
blister) with new shoes. The only thing constant is the sock - and the
treadmill. As somebody pointed out, the large amount of sweat
accumulating in my shoes due to the indoor treadmill might be
contributing.

Not running on treadmills I wouldn't know but could
be the dynamics for slippage/blisters there is different
than on streets/trails.

So, get some new socks, make sure your shoes fit snug,
put some Spenco on the area, and try running outside 🙂

BTW, depending on how shoes fit it might help to use
an insert; some are intended to help prevent slippage.

Tom Phillips said:

Dot wrote:

Quoted message said:

I don't much like double walled socks; I like to
layer individual socks. The inner sock is a skin
tight synthetic.

For hiking I always used a liner sock under those gray ragg socks. For
most of my running, I've just been using a single sock since they aren't
as rough as those ragg ones. For winter wear, I think I've tried my
Ultimax liner under either a heavy Ultimax or Smartwool. The liner is
smooth enough and fits snugly enough that I think it will help with
abrasion resistance. But that combo is likely to be too hot in summer.

Quoted message said:

Well a vapor barrier might help with warmth; don't
know about the moisture and blisters though;
supposedly you stop sweating.

I may go back and revisit plastic bags over feet or the assortment of
more expensive "solutions" like Sealskinz, Storm socks, neoprene socks.
I do know that Sealskinz keep my feet dry for short runs even when
immersed in cold water, but there's not enough insulation to keep feet
warm in ice water, which is what slush and meltwater are. I may also
look at desitin although I think anything like that on feet is likely to
get crud on it, thus creating a problem that didn't exist. I'm guessing
that what people have success with at Hardrock (lots of streams and snow
melt, or at least that's what I've gathered) are probably the best
starting points. That and the Su100 or ITI, although the latter are
usually colder.

Since last summer was so hot and dry, I never had the chance to start
testing in a typical summer rain, which is what I'm more likely to run
into on an early August long run. Hopefully, I can get a couple data
points this summer, although I'll have to admit it was nice running
without so much gear in the summer.

Quoted message said:

Smartwool seems a good choice, but overpriced IMO.

What price is warm feet 😉

Quoted message said:

though I wouldn't know how a Badwater
compares to my alpine climes.

very hot

Dot

--
"running is a mysterious journey that we take not just to beat other
people or to stay in reasonable physical shape - but to find out more
about ourselves" - Owen Anderson

Dot wrote:

snip..

Quoted message said:

But that combo is likely to be too hot in summer.

Nah. Just run higher trails 🙂

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well a vapor barrier might help with warmth; don't
know about the moisture and blisters though;
supposedly you stop sweating.

I may go back and revisit plastic bags over feet or the assortment of
more expensive "solutions" like Sealskinz, Storm socks, neoprene socks.
I do know that Sealskinz keep my feet dry for short runs even when
immersed in cold water, but there's not enough insulation to keep feet
warm in ice water, which is what slush and meltwater are. I may also
look at desitin although I think anything like that on feet is likely to
get crud on it, thus creating a problem that didn't exist. I'm guessing
that what people have success with at Hardrock (lots of streams and snow
melt, or at least that's what I've gathered) are probably the best
starting points. That and the Su100 or ITI, although the latter are
usually colder.

Since last summer was so hot and dry, I never had the chance to start
testing in a typical summer rain, which is what I'm more likely to run
into on an early August long run. Hopefully, I can get a couple data
points this summer, although I'll have to admit it was nice running
without so much gear in the summer.

Quoted message said:

Smartwool seems a good choice, but overpriced IMO.

What price is warm feet 😉

Ah, good point. OTOH, how warm can you get in
AK in wet running shoes? Just have to keep moving 😉

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

though I wouldn't know how a Badwater
compares to my alpine climes.

very hot

I was at Death valley one August night about 2 a.m.
It was about 100F.

Tom Phillips said:

Dot wrote:

snip..

Quoted message said:

But that combo is likely to be too hot in summer.

Nah. Just run higher trails 🙂

That's a problem here. When they get much above 5000ft, many of them are
rock climbs. I really miss the rolling alpine ridges of Colorado.
There's one north of Fairbanks with a 30+ mi trail that I dream of
running some day - at least the part I've seen is above treeline
(usually below 3000 ft in these parts, 10000 ft where you are).

Quoted message said:

Ah, good point. OTOH, how warm can you get in
AK in wet running shoes? Just have to keep moving 😉

Takes more than constant motion- at least for me. My achilles starts to
tighten if my feet are immersed in ice water long enough, like tonight
and it was only a short run. I think we're starting to get into serious
breakup now, although snow is still a possibility in forecasts for next
2 weeks (as far as Accuweather goes out).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

though I wouldn't know how a Badwater

Quoted message said:

compares to my alpine climes.

very hot

I was at Death valley one August night about 2 a.m.
It was about 100F.

And that's what it had cooled off to with dry air 😉

Cold deserts of northwestern Colorado got hot enough for me, but they
cooled off to near freezing at night.

OT: Do you know anything about the Cache La Poudre National Heritage
Area - whether it's functioning, saving trails / river, creating hassles
for recreational users, or even know that it exists? Feel free to
contact me off-list if you want. Thanks.

Dot

--
"running is a mysterious journey that we take not just to beat other
people or to stay in reasonable physical shape - but to find out more
about ourselves" - Owen Anderson

Dot said:

OT: Do you know anything about the Cache La Poudre National Heritage
Area - whether it's functioning, saving trails / river, creating hassles
for recreational users, or even know that it exists? Feel free to
contact me off-list if you want. Thanks.

I never heard of this, sorry. Sounds like some sort of
early version of the current Wild & Scenic Recreational
river status. But that was quite a while ago.