Nov 22, 2010 4:50 PM
Blisters - tape up and play hurt?
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I ran my first real long run last weekend - 10 miles. I'm so proud. However, I have blisters the size of a quarter on the pad of my foot by my big toe. Not to be disgusting, but I've read some of your posts and I'm thinking this is a pretty candid crowd. Do you drain them and keep running or does that exacerbate the blister? Or do you wait a couple days and let them heal? Or do you get some "mole skin" from REI? Or do you just tape up and play hurt because it's just a freakin' blister and stop whining already? LOL!
Drain it, cover it up, and keep running. Are you wearing good, non-cotton socks? You shouldn't get blisters.
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I wonder about the socks too. Stay away from cotton. I would hesitate to say you shouldn't get blisters, but minimizing them is certainly important. I tend to get them in the same place with certain shoes at longer distances (12+ miles). It seems to be due to the insole having a slightly rougher surface. So I replace the insoles on those shoes. I find that blisters in that area need no special treatment. Sometimes I take a day off. But walking around on them pretty much keeps them drained. It's important to change whatever caused them before you do much running on them.
Len
Len
At distances beyond about 10K, if I don't use Body Glide or equivalent on my feet, I will occasionally get blisters even with good synthetic socks and well fitting shoes. Go figure. Neosporin and band-aids seem to work well at clearing them up. Usually I have to strap some athletic tape over the Band-Aids, otherwise they will slide off as soon as my feet start to sweat a bit. I will normally run straight through blisters, as long as they're protected and they aren't causing enough pain to affect running form.
Blisters are minor injuries, but don't let them get infected. Earlier this year I got several infected foot blisters (from backpacking) and those were sufficiently painful that I could not run for 4 days after I returned. I tried, but my running form was definitely affected, and I did not want to risk a secondary injury. In that case I had to crosstrain those days and wait for them to heal.
"...I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do....I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't..." --- author unknown
2013 highlights...
@ 5K: Ontario Mills 5K, Ontario, CA, 24:42
Glendale Downtown Dash, Glendale, CA, 25:02
Heart of the City Run, Los Angeles, CA, 24:13
@ 10K: LA Chinatown Firecracker 10K, Los Angeles, CA, 51:42
The Great Race - Old Agoura 10K, Agoura Hills, CA, 51:12
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