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What is the recovery protocol from blisters on your feet?

I got some blisters on the outside esdges of my feet when runnning an oly-tri 10k sockless for the first time ever. It was an epic run but my feet got very angry obviously...

After a day off running on Monday I did a 30 min brick run on Tuesday in my normal training shoeswith socks and didn't seem to make the blisters worse. Then yesterday I did a hard 90-min long run (had to shift it from Thursday due to incoming heat wave) and the blisters got worse.

They are pretty large, looks like some fluid in there but not a major amount...i.e. the skin is kind of "loose".

Any ideas? Drain and tape up the feet and keep running? Lay off until some point (if so, until what point?).

Many thanks in advance to the experts here!!

Matt

Comments

  • I drain them and put tape/band-aid/second skin (depending on severity) over them and keep going. Never had a problem. It's never super comfortable, but it allows them to heal and you get to keep training. Try vaseline or some other lubricant pre-run, too.
  • I also drian them as quick as possible. If they are just red, I leave them open and put some body glide or vaseline on prior to running. If they are bleeding enough that they will stain my shoes then I put a blister band-aid on them prior to running. If the band-aid doesn't stay on, duct tape works really well.

    After racing sockless and training with socks my feet were taking a beating. The day I started working with Zoot, I decided to just go sockless all the time and the first 3 weeks sucked but after that I haven't had an issue at all. I'm going on my 3rd year now of running sockless and get very few blisters ever and when I do they are typically from R&D or wear test shoes that are not finished and something is rubbing wrong.

    The other key is make sure you are running in a shoe that is good for sockless. I think the K-swiss's you got are but I have not personally run in them. Most true running flats and tri specific shoes have inner liners that are much better than normal running shoes and will be much easier on your feat.
  • Drain + calendula ointment. You can get it at Mertz.

    Mancona -- tell me more about this sucking it up for three weeks and going sockless. I have a pair of Zoot Ultra Kalanis and it seems to be a shame to wear socks with them -- will my poor heel backs have hope of recovery?
  • Beth - If that is all that is bothering you with the shoe, get two large binder clips, bend the heel tab area back and over and leave them like that for a bit. That will move the seam/piping back and away from your Achilles area. A little vasiline goes a long way as well.

    Do you have the 2011 version? I ask because they changed that portion on all 2012 models just to fix that issue. The Kalani however has always had a lower heal tab height so the changes are not very dramatic on it, but it might be enough to make the difference for you.

    Anyway, the good news is your skin will get tougher where they rub and then you will not have issues. The bad news is it takes some time and good blisters before the skin toughen ups. There was not trick to my sucking it up... I literally just said no more socks and did it. It was int he OS so most runs were shorter and the pair of shoes I used had many blood stains but the worst of it was over in 3 weeks.
  • Drain+tape for me. It can still feel a little bit uncomfortable, but it's not nearly as bad as running with a full-on swollen blister.
  • Thanks for the comments everyone.
    So it sounds like draining doesn't subvert the healing process.
    As for the "suck it up for 3 weeks", I like that. I can't do it now but I'd like to find time to do that and build up the calluses / tolerance for sockless running.
  • Posted By Matt Ancona on 28 Jun 2012 12:56 PM

    Beth - If that is all that is bothering you with the shoe, get two large binder clips, bend the heel tab area back and over and leave them like that for a bit. That will move the seam/piping back and away from your Achilles area. A little vasiline goes a long way as well.



    Do you have the 2011 version? I ask because they changed that portion on all 2012 models just to fix that issue. The Kalani however has always had a lower heal tab height so the changes are not very dramatic on it, but it might be enough to make the difference for you.



    Anyway, the good news is your skin will get tougher where they rub and then you will not have issues. The bad news is it takes some time and good blisters before the skin toughen ups. There was not trick to my sucking it up... I literally just said no more socks and did it. It was int he OS so most runs were shorter and the pair of shoes I used had many blood stains but the worst of it was over in 3 weeks.



    Ooh! Binder clips going home with me tonight!



    I have the 2012 version. The heel tab is mighty high. Difference in men's and women's models, maybe? 

    It is terrible, but now that I don't have to tie my shoes, I don't want to put on socks, either!

     

  • @Matt - yes, peak of the race season is not the best time. I did it in the OS.

    @Beth - i just looked and you are right the Kalani is the mid height still, bot as tall as last years tri shoes, but not as low as some of the newest shoes. The TT5 or OTEC are also neutral and would fix that problem for you, but they have slightly less cushioning then the Kalani's so some people don't like them for every day shoes. The binder clip trick works well though if you let them site for a few days.
  • Posted By Matt Ancona on 28 Jun 2012 02:54 PM

    @Matt - yes, peak of the race season is not the best time. I did it in the OS.



    @Beth - i just looked and you are right the Kalani is the mid height still, bot as tall as last years tri shoes, but not as low as some of the newest shoes. The TT5 or OTEC are also neutral and would fix that problem for you, but they have slightly less cushioning then the Kalani's so some people don't like them for every day shoes. The binder clip trick works well though if you let them site for a few days.



    Sorry Matt A. for totally highjacking your thread!

    Good to know! As part of training and the strategy of throwing new and different things at my legs to change things up, I have been wearing different shoes. The Kalani's are my heavy, long run shoes; the Mizuno Wave Elixirs are my go-to favorites. Maybe the TT5 or the Otec might be, a nice, light racing/speed shoe.

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