C'mon, somebody must be running!

[GLC1968]

Great job getting it done, Oak...and fast, to boot! Nice!

I ran the Portland Half Marathon on Sunday. I had another friend running the half and two more doing the full, so it was a fun day. I ran the first 11 miles side by side with a friend from high school who was doing the full and we both agreed that those 11 miles were by far, the best of the day. We both faded fast after the split but luckily, I only had to survive two more. She had 15 more! Everyone agreed that it was a tough day and I think it was partly the heat. We are just not used to 85F and some humidity in October!

Anyway, despite a plethora of blisters on my toes, the heat, and those two tough miles, I was only 10 minutes off my PR for a half. Considering how undisciplined my training has been, I am not complaining. It was an EXTREMELY well done race though and I'm thinking I'll do it again next year to redeem myself.

My next will likely be a half in December. I'll sign up for it once I nail down my travel schedule for that month to make sure I'll be in town. :-)

[OakLeaf]

Yay GLC! Heat is brutal. Bet you'd have had a PR in better temperatures.

I'm a big fan of Band-Aid Advanced Healing Blister colloidal pads. I can usually run and walk pain free if I cover blisters with them. For blister prevention I'll pre-wrap my most blister prone toes, especially in hot or wet weather. I also slather my feet with Band-Aid Friction Block, which I think is better than Body Glide on feet. With that protocol (and with finally finding shoes that more or less fit!, and keeping problem calluses shaved) I haven't actually had a blister in a few years. I still use Body Glide anywhere else I need it, but the blue stick stays on feet longer IMO. Anyway hope they heal up fast.

[GLC1968]

Thanks for all the hints, Oak! I've never done any blister prevention for running before (mostly because I don't usually have blister issues), so this is very helpful. I was ready to dump my shoes and try new ones, but maybe my shoes are fine and I just need to think about some other prevention measures. Cool.

[zoom-zoom]

Yay GLC! Heat is brutal. Bet you'd have had a PR in better temperatures.

I'm a big fan of Band-Aid Advanced Healing Blister colloidal pads. I can usually run and walk pain free if I cover blisters with them. For blister prevention I'll pre-wrap my most blister prone toes, especially in hot or wet weather. I also slather my feet with Band-Aid Friction Block, which I think is better than Body Glide on feet. With that protocol (and with finally finding shoes that more or less fit!, and keeping problem calluses shaved) I haven't actually had a blister in a few years. I still use Body Glide anywhere else I need it, but the blue stick stays on feet longer IMO. Anyway hope they heal up fast.

Nice work, GLC!!

Also, I think Body Glide is absolute garbage. I don't know how it's so popular, because it's crap and it's $$. I gave up when I had several sticks totally crumble with 1/3 of the product remaining. A couple of ultra friends told me about Two Toms Sport Shield roll-on (I use it for "chub rub" and if I get raw spots around my bra band or anywhere else) and I've been hooked on that since. No need to reapply, unlike Body Glide. And they have a Blister Shield sock powder that is phenomenal. I don't get ANY blisters during races, ever. Hardly even any hot spots.

[OakLeaf]

Is that the stuff with teflon? Ew. No thanks. I lived in the Ohio Valley for a while, and even if I hadn't I wouldn't put the stuff on my body.

[zoom-zoom]

Is that the stuff with teflon? Ew. No thanks. I lived in the Ohio Valley for a while, and even if I hadn't I wouldn't put the stuff on my body.

Sport Shield: Dimethicone, Aloe Vera Extract, Vitamin E
Blister Shield sock powder contains PTFE, but it's not heated and since I only use it for longer races I'm using it maybe 5-6x/year, at most. I looked around and couldn't find any reliable risks associated with the stuff. I think I have a greater risk from the potential of a MRSA infection with a popped blister.

[OakLeaf]

Maybe I'm hyper-aware because I used to know people who worked at the Parkersburg plant and others who got their water from the contaminated well fields. But, I didn't realize that not all 2Toms products have PTFE.

[VeganBikeChick]

Was really looking forward to a decent run today, but with 90% chance of rain & thunderstorms predicted all day, guess it's not in the cards.