Marching On...

[emily_in_nc]

Nice job, Oak! Hard to imagine that kind of mileage but sure admire those of you who do it.

Today I overslept, and by the time I got ready, it was so blazing hot and sunny I decided to wait and run a bit later as it often clouds up some later in the morning, and the forecast was calling for a good chance of showers from 10 am on, so .... Unfortunately, the forecast here is notoriously inaccurate, and I have yet to find an accurate weather radar (so I can't check on approaching storms, etc), so it was still bright and sunny at 10:30 am. Ugh. I couldn't wait longer as our housekeeper comes on Tuesdays, so I had to get out, get back, showered, and eat my lunch before she arrived at 1pm.

So, I tried running on the streets and a long bike path instead of at the track, because there would at least be some shade from walls and buildings. That helped somewhat, but it was still blazing hot (heat index of 85 to 87F). At least there was a breeze!

I managed 4.1 miles, 3.1 of running and one walking in between running intervals, plus another mile+ walking to the place I started and back.

One problem I'm having lately is blisters on my toes. My shoes fit well, or so I thought, but I've gotten two blisters; one on my big toe with thicker socks, and one today on my other foot pinky toe with thin socks. Ugh. I can't afford to change shoes here, and they never caused blisters until just recently, so I am thinking maybe a change of socks might help. I need to find some with NO seams near the outsides of my toes, as that's where they rub.

[Crankin]

Tekko socks. Thin, wool. Search on-line for the best price.Pricey, but worth it. I use them for boot camp, walking/running, and I have others for hiking.

[OakLeaf]

Are you in the USA now?

While your blisters are healing - and potentially for blister prevention until you find a better solution - I'm a huge fan of Band-Aid Advanced Healing Blister colloidal pads. I actually bought these for the first time in Spain (where at the time anyway they were called Compeed), so I expect you can find them anywhere J&J products are available. They'll stay on for a couple of days anyway, and they'll not only protect the blister all day, but the cover helps soften the surrounding callus for quicker healing.

Band-Aid Friction Block lubricant stick lasts WAY longer on toes and feet than Body Glide, plus it's also easily available in drug stores next to the bandages, in the US anyway. I usually touch up my most blister-prone areas with a little lube before any longer run, plus extra on any area that's already damaged. You can even, once you get a colloidal bandage sealed down tightly, put some lube over it which will help the bandage stay on longer.


As far as socks, all I run in is wool, year round.

It's kind of a dance between shoe fit and sock fit and I'm honestly still searching for The Perfect Footwear.

My stand-by socks for a long time have been SmartWool PhD Running. Any more they're not the highest quality, unfortunately, but they run a little bigger in the toe box, so provided I'm wearing shoes that are wide enough, they don't cause trouble. If the shoes are just a little too narrow though, they have the potential to bunch. Also, they're more heavily cushioned than many, which is my preference, but might not be yours, especially for warmer weather.

I really like my wool Injinjis - MUCH better constructed than other brands of toe socks I've tried. Probably the only reason they aren't my favorite is that I prefer more cushion than is possible in toe socks. For the time being, you might have trouble wearing them over blister bandages.

I have a couple of pairs of Teko - they chafe my ankles over longer distances, but for shorter distances they're fine, and they are well constructed.

I recently got a couple of pairs of Icebreaker. They make these in an ultra-light version also if you prefer less cushion - although the "cushion" version are still very lightweight, comparable to my Injinjis. I really, really like the construction - don't have that many miles on them yet, so I can't speak to the durability, but if I had to guess I would think they'd last a very long time (and looking at the website, I notice that they're guaranteed for life!). The only downside is they run small - order a size up if you're near the top of a size.


Good luck!

[rocknrollgirl]

I have not run since Monday. We had a 30+ degree temp change from Friday to Monday. Friday I ran in 6 inches of snow, Monday it was 55 degrees. Just awful bring on the blech.

Emily if you cannot get those blister products in Mexico, you can let me know, I would be happy to buy for you and send them down if that is not too weird.

Keep trudging everyone.

Oh and the local 10k trail race we were planning on doing just raised the "late reg" price to 45 dollars. Times two for both of us. So with reg fees 100 bucks to go run on the trails we run every weekend. Nope, can't do it. Too pricey. Bummer because I was looking forward to it.

[OakLeaf]

Bummer about the race, RnR.

I'm giving myself the day off today. Just decided. My stomach isn't right, I'm pretty beat up from my massage yesterday, one of my Achilles tendons has been nagging, I don't have a lot of time to get it done, it's another hot day, and attempting my intervals today would just set myself up for failure a third Wednesday in a row. So, rest today, intervals tomorrow.

Laying it out that way sounds like good reasons rather than excuses.

[rocknrollgirl]

Bummer about the race, RnR.

I'm giving myself the day off today. Just decided. My stomach isn't right, I'm pretty beat up from my massage yesterday, one of my Achilles tendons has been nagging, I don't have a lot of time to get it done, it's another hot day, and attempting my intervals today would just set myself up for failure a third Wednesday in a row. So, rest today, intervals tomorrow.

Laying it out that way sounds like good reasons rather than excuses.

When in doubt, leave it out...or something like that. Smart move, and way to listen to your body.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks everyone for the socks and blister product recommendations! I haven't even had a chance to come back here since I wrote my post above (been a busy week!), but very kind of you all, especially RnRGirl for offering to mail me blister products in Mexico...but chances are I would never get them. I don't trust the mail system down here at all. Fortunately, there are lots of stores with good products, so it's not nearly as much of an issue as when we were in Belize and so many items were just not available in the entire country.

There are all kinds of blister products in the stores and pharmacies here...medical stuff is great here and very much on par with the US, so no worries there. Socks, not so much, but I did find some "diabetic" socks since writing my post. They have the toe seams on the outside, and they work GREAT for running. My blisters were minor enough that spending a few days off between runs (I only run 2x a week as it is), was enough for the blisters to heal without even having to buy any special tapes or band-aids. The only thing about the socks I don't like is that they are higher cut than I prefer, making for strange tan lines in sandals, so I'll be buying more low-cut socks when I get back to the US (May 1). The recommendation for wool is a good one, and I love wool socks anyway. Will look for some that are low-cut and not thick b/c of the heat here.

And yes, we are coming back to Mexico after a few months in the US with our families, so this will be an ongoing issue.

Ran 4 miles (plus 1 of walking) on Thursday, so I'm doing pretty well. Not fast but feeling good. Coupled with yoga 3x a week, a couple of bike rides, and lots of walking, it's all good!

Thanks everyone...you are all the best!

[rocknrollgirl]

No worries Emily, glad to help if you need and and glad you have products in Mexico for your blisters.

So remember back the other day when I posted we got priced out of our local trail 10k? Well we had a snow storm yesterday into last night that dumped about 4-5 inches of heavy, wet, slushy snow. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful now that we got priced out. Don't get me wrong, I love snow running, but I am not sure this stuff even qualifies as snow.

Things sometimes happen for a reason

[emily_in_nc]

No worries Emily, glad to help if you need and and glad you have products in Mexico for your blisters.

So remember back the other day when I posted we got priced out of our local trail 10k? Well we had a snow storm yesterday into last night that dumped about 4-5 inches of heavy, wet, slushy snow. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful now that we got priced out. Don't get me wrong, I love snow running, but I am not sure this stuff even qualifies as snow.

Things sometimes happen for a reason

Yes they do! Sounds like things worked out for the best after all.

Crankin, I found the Teko socks you recommended on Amazon and have put a couple of pairs on my wish list. They look great, and the company sounds very eco-conscious, which I love. Love too that they don't have toe seams since that's an area that has been causing me problems. Will definitely be ordering a couple pair to try. We always have a lot of amazon stuff waiting for us when we descend on my mother in NC. That will be happening on May 1!