Blister Cures & Blister Makers

I started to write this blog with a little pointer that I learned the HARD way. I downloaded the following pictures taken just hours after I finished my first marathon last year. You can see from the picture that I had wrapped my toes to keep them from blistering. It might have done the trick, had I not done something else that was INCREDIBLY STUPID.

I went to the Running Store and bought a new pair of socks the day before the big run. There was some smooth talking kid in there who steered me into the store's own brand of fancy colored and high tech looking socks. I remember telling him that I only run in dual layer socks and he assuring me the pair he sold me were dual layer.

Well, I had butterflies in my stomach and could barely sleep, but knew I would do good with my new socks!




And there you see the result of changing something up the day before your marathon. So fitting, I remember about mile 18 hearing the Annie Lennox song, "Walking on Broken Glass" come on my iPod. My feet felt like they were on fire, but I had no idea they were actually bleeding into the dermal layer. Oh and by the way, I lost 7 toenails by the time I finished that marathon last year.

LESSON: Never change anything that is working for you before a big run! NEVER!

The pics above show the damage. And upon further inspection, the socks the 19 year old sold me were not dual layer socks. They were pretty, but they were not the dual layers that I had become used to and that kept my blistering to a minimum.

So the original reason I wanted to write this blog was to reach out to you if you are experiencing repeated blisters on your toes. I have a little added problem that the #4 and #5 toes on each foot have been surgically fused. I was born with them curved under and it was a mess to run on curved under toes. I had a horribly painful surgery at 30 that straightened them out - only problem is they don't bend anymore. So they are prone to blister.

So after last year's experience, I decided to experiment this year with Silicone Toe Caps. You just place them over the complaining toes and they are actually protecting my toes from blisters! So far, 273 miles and not a single toe blister! Here's what they look like:



I will never go on a run again without my toe caps. No blisters, no damaged toenails!


Here is a little picture of my foot from today- no damaged toenails, no blisters!

So that was what this blog was going to be all about. Silicone toe caps and how they can prevent blisters. But events of the week went from good to BAD to WORSE to well, ok I guess, and so the blister chapter had to be expanded.

Back to the fused toes. All is ok except for toe #4 on the left foot. It was actually fused incorrectly, pointing down instead of straight out. So every time my left foot strikes the ground, the #4 toe actually hits first and because it does not bend, it takes a lot of force. It is always somewhat swollen and tender, but I have just lived with it. This year I decided to go see a Podiatrist to see if there were any options to ease the pain in #4 Left.

I saw a guy who immediately prescribed orthotics to lift the balls of my feet and get that toe out of the way when that foot hit the ground. I was freaking out due to my previous experience with just changing the socks in my running shoes. He assured me I would be so much happier and comfortable with custom orthotics. The thought sounded so good... a 16 mile run coming up and reduced pain...?! Who wouldn't have signed up? But I was serious with him that changing something so drastic could only result in sure disaster. He reassured me and off to the orthotic lab I went.

They plastered my feet and 3 weeks later I had my custom orthotics. Eager, I put them in my shoes and walked around for one hour the first day. Awesome! No toe pain! It had been 18 years of constant pain. Day two, 2 hours of walking around... my heart was soaring. Day three, I could not help myself. I took them for a little easy 4 mile run - 44 minutes.

Mile One - I was singing out loud! My heart was full of joy and I was running with NO PAIN! I was as happy as I have been in a long time! I could hardly wait for Saturday and my 16 mile run! Why did I wait so long to consider orthotics????!!!

Mile 1.5 - The left foot was still feeling great, but something funny was starting on the right foot (the one that didn't hurt). A little hot spot on my arch and I figured I had a wrinkle in my sock or something. I pulled on my sock and figured I straightened it all out.

Mile 2 - At my turn around spot, I stopped and took my shoe off for an inspection. There it was, a big blister had already formed on my arch, right at a corner of the damn orthotic!

Mile 3 - Hobbling and increasing pain.

Mile 4 - Intermittent walking and crying right out loud.

I was hysterical by the time I got home. I was SO DAMN MAD at myself for thinking something like this would not happen. Here I was on an easy 4 mile run. Now I have a hole in the bottom of my foot. There is NO WAY IN HELL I was going to make my 16 mile run on Saturday. I figured it would take 2 weeks for the blister to heal and then I would be completely out of shape and back to my 10 or 12 mile distance. All in all I just knew this little orthotic experience put me back at least a full month in my training!

So back to the above Lesson: Changes can cause you great pain and havoc. Be careful when you make changes. Even in the care and direction of a foot doctor - intuitively I knew the orthotics would hurt me. But, I ran in them anyway.

Friday I did not run. Saturday, I could not stand it, I got up and wrapped the hell out of my foot with bandages and put on the running shoes. I set out for my 16 mile run and made it to 15. Just so happened the Loving Husband drove by at 15.01 and I saw him and threw in the towel. Jumped in the truck with a throbbing foot and headed home for ice.

So, I am not set back as much as I figured on Thursday, but I am still upset about the orthotic experience. The foot doc and I are going to have a big talk about this sometime soon, but for now...until I heal, I will be running in bandages.

Being smart & saving $!!!

There are benefits to following this blog! Not only are you learning some cool facts and doing something good for yourself... you now have the opportunity to SAVE MONEY!!!

It is smart I guess to run with some ID when you are out there on the streets of this crazy world. If you are like me and you put your Driver's License in your pocket, chances are it is in the washing machine when you are searching through your wallet at the airport to get your boarding pass. I know of at least one of my running friends that has also done that, so my guess is this is one of those little hassle factors of running.

Hassle solved! Go to www.RoadID.com and you will find all kinds of cool ID's that you can customize to put contact phone numbers, words of inspiration, cute etchings - and they come in all kind of formats. Necklace (that's what I got), bracelets, anklets, etc. I have my loving husband and my little brother and their cell phone numbers listed on mine. Plus a cool daisy. Here is the best news: It is a nice father/son company with a great story and they are really friendly and funny when you place an order. They also told gave me a COUPON ID so that I could pass it out to my friends for a little discount! How about that?! A whole buck off!

So here it is: ThanksCj409143 Get yourself a comfortable ID with lots more info than your Driver's License and leave that in your wallet where it belongs!

And tell Ed that CJ sent ya!

Breathing right and Great Britches

Wow. Friday night after a long week of a lot of work! Last time I checked, I worked part time. Last time I got a paycheck, it was part time pay. Trouble is... I work every day!!! Not sure how that happened, but regardless... I missed two 3 mile runs this week because of WORK!!!! Aaarrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!

But I got my 5's in and tomorrow I am set to repeat my 12. I am ready for it.

I wanted to talk a little bit about something I notice that happens to me when I begin to get tired or my heart rate is rising. I am smart enough to slow to a walk, but I catch myself doing something that is really stupid. I take short, shallow breaths. Not sure why I do this... maybe I get a little nervous...? Concerned about high heart rate...?

The problem with short, shallow breaths is they don't get a lot of oxygen to your lungs and in turn - into your bloodstream. So your muscles are screaming for more oxygenated blood and your heart starts beating faster to get that oxygenated blood out there. Not the time to start scrimping on breathing. If you do, your heart rate will continue to rise. So watch yourself - when your heart rate starts getting high, consciously think about your breath. Take deep breaths that fill your lungs. Watch your abdomen distend as you pull in big, deep breaths. And then watch your heart rate begin to go down quickly.

Note to everyone: Take slow, deep breaths (kind of like mediation breathing) right before and during a blood pressure test. My readings are significantly lower when I do that versus when I let my nerves take over and I fret about what the reading might be.

Everything works better with deep breathing. Remember to practice it when your find your heart rate rising!

Let's switch gears. I just received two new items of clothing to keep me entertained with running!

First I will tell you about the functional piece I ordered - The Stabilyx 3/4 Tight. What an incredibly engineered piece of clothing!!!! CW-X makes several versions of shorts and tights that have built in support straps to give structure in the right places. Wearing them is almost like running in ace bandage wraps. They are expertly designed to support your major muscles and your knee joint. So I finally broke down an ordered a pair ($90!!!), after studying a very complex sizing chart. When they arrived I pulled them out and held them up and the first words out of my loving husband's mouth was, "don't cut the tags off, you're sending those back". Seriously, they looked as if they would fit an 8 year old. They are about 8 inches across and maybe 24 inches long... before you put them on. I was really unhappy because I thought they sounded so cool and I really wanted to try them out! So I reviewed the sizing guide again and dang it all, I had the right size! So... I tried to get them on.

Pulling them on was like putting on a pair of REALLY THICK pantyhose. It was a bit of a struggle. But.. they were accommodating my tree trunk legs and once I got them all the way up... they felt pretty dang good! They are extremely supportive and I know they are going to help me keep my knees healthy. They are high compression which I like! Makes all the jiggle disappear. I am going to love running in these tights this winter.

Check out their Website to read more about them: www.cw-x.com

Next! I read an article on all the great attributes of running skirts. Okay... I fell for the girly image of running in a skirt! After reading all the reviews, I ordered one. Had to find a skirt that had shorts underneath and not bikinis because of the thigh chub I wrote so much about a while back. Found one that looked good, so I ordered it. Skirt Sports GymGirl - even has great hidden pockets and a port for your iPod cord! I was nervous. Wished I could have tried one on before buying, but went for it anyways. Well... it is VERY comfy! GREAT waistband that is wide and sits below the belly button. I have put several miles on this skirt since it arrived as it is cool and flattering and covers the right things and sways with your stride just perfect. The ad said running in this skirt makes you feel happy to be a girl and ya know... they were right. I love my GymGirl Skirt and I just might go buy some more. It is so comfy I could see running errands, going grocery shopping, even just hanging out in my GymGirl skirt!

Check them out at: www.skirtsports.com

I am exhausted now and gotta get to bed. I want to get up real early for my 12'er tomorrow. I'll let you know if I have a better 12 tomorrow than last week's drag of a 12. I don't think it could get any worse! : )

Memphis Commitment!

Wow!  It is amazing how quickly things start to happen!  

There is a run coming up - December 6th - in Memphis, Tennessee.  This is important because two of our club members live in Memphis; Pam & Jen!  We had a quick, little email session yesterday and the result:  Pam & Jen have signed up for the 5k.  I told them if they ran I would fly out and run too!  So I committed to the 21k.  Then it got a little interesting... it was said if they ran, their husbands would sign up and run the 5k!  So, long story short, now my husband is also going to run the Memphis 5k.  This is especially interesting because Ted (mine) and Tony (Pam's) are both post arthroscopic knee surgery patients.  Ted will be 12 months out and Tony will only be 3 months out.  They may do it at a walk, but that's ok!  The fact that they are willing to try, after injuries and surgeries is awesome.

Then, (because it is my nature), I began an inquiry into another family I know and love that live in Memphis.  If there is a way we could get Jamie and Sharlyce and maybe a couple of their teenagers to run too, well..!  That's quite a representation of the 50 is the new 30 Running Club!

For anyone else interested in a December run in the land of Elvis and the Blues (not to mention awesome barbeque!), here is the offical web site!  Come join us!  It's a great cause.  (think of the opportunity for a really good post-run dinner!!!! : )

http://www.stjudemarathon.org/index.htm

So this is how it begins... You make a formal commitment.  Sign up for a run that is several months out.  Then follow the schedule to get you ready for it.  Before you know it, the race day is upon you.  You feel so much better, so much healthier than the day you signed up (with doubt in the back of your mind).  For us that have committed to the Memphis run, December 6th is going to come whether we run or not.  But we will run and I am excited for Pam and Jen to feel that awesome sense of accomplishing something they cannot do today.  The sense of self that comes with this kind of goal.  I am delighted I will be there to share it with them.

DOUBLE DIGITS!!!!

Running in the Canyon of Gold, (my backyard), more commonly known as the Superstition Wilderness.

I am so dang lucky.  Really, I am.  Look what I have just out my front door!  Here is a little picture of me on a run from last year.  This is a trail I have grown to know well and love.

Yesterday I ran my first 10 mile run of this training!  I am 4 weeks into it now and took advantage of the big storm that had passed and was able to do my run in canyons with cool breezes and washes still damp from running just days or hours before.

I was surprised how easy this 10 mile run was.  I guess this is why you follow the training schedule.  I had built up the muscle and the stamina and really could have gone farther if I wanted to.  I still continue to need to walk during intervals to keep the heart rate where it's supposed to be, but that is happening less and less.  I am not at the 12 minute mile pace I trained for last year, but don't expect to get there until it cools off significantly more.

By the way.  I have lost 8 pounds.  Right at the 2 pounds per week goal, so things are right on schedule.

If you are ready for double digit mileage, it is time to start thinking about hydration and supplements.  Seems like you can do anything under 10 miles, but when you start going 10 and more, you really need to be smart about what is going on with your body.  I finally got a Camelback for carrying fluids.  They make one for women that is comfortable and can carry 2 liters without weighing you down.  I fill it with 1/2 Gatorade and 1/2 water.  

Thanks to great advice from my eTrainer Friend and my Bicycle Racing Doctor buddy, I also take a GU gel every hour or every 5 miles.  GU is packed with electrolytes and glucose - both of which you deplete when you venture into long distance runs.  One thing you don't want is to get dizzy and pass out because you become hypoglycemic.  I almost did that and now I don't mess around anymore.  It would be a drag to end up unconscious in some of the places I run.  GU has been my savior.  Important to note, you must drink fluids when taking a GU.  If not, the GU gel will sit in a lump in your stomach and make you feel not very good.  So drink a bit, swallow the GU and drink some more.  It is amazing how it perks you up to finish your run.  You can get GU or other brands of the same thing at Sport Stores, Health food Stores or Running stores.

There is another trick I learned from my above mentioned buddies - After long runs, ice your joints!  I think I mentioned before that every time you run, you create micro injuries to your joints and muscles and tendons and ligaments.  So, if you follow up a big run with icepacks to the hips, knees, ankles and toes you would be surprised how good it feels!  I like to get on the couch and rotate my icepacks and read the paper.  Ice is a natural anti inflammatory and pain killer.  And continued use of it will help to keep your joints from injury.  I never experienced any joint injury last year and I am going to keep using ice to help keep healthy this year.  Also - it feels good!

10 miles + hydration + GU + ice = feeling great!  And = Looking forward to 12!!!!

Corriendo en Mexico

Just home from a great vacation!  Took a week off and the Loving Man and I, (plus the 2 perros) went down to our favorite home away from home - our little beach casita in Puerto Lobos.

The town of Lobos is very small and very rustic. Basically, it is a Mexican fishing village.  No electricity, no fresh water.  A place where the Sonoran desert meets the Sea of Cortez.  As simple and beautiful as it gets.  We have a little house made of rock and a solar plant that powers it.  We truck in water to our holding tank so we have fresh water showers.  Peaceful and relaxing.

But not a vacation from running!  My Monday - Saturday schedule was 4, 3, rest, 5, 3 and a 10. Due to a little Hurricane named Julio, I was able to run under cloudy skies and temperatures about 15 degrees cooler than typical for this time of year.  Humidity??!  Well, how about 96%?! Running at sea level is always an advantage, but throw in that kind of humidity!!!  Yikes!!

So I got up early and did my runs.  There are several dirt roads and trails around the little village so running is a delight.  Not many cars down here either!  In fact, I think I got all my runs in with only one car passing by me!  But here is the highlight of the week:

On Thursday I had a 3 mile run to do, so I decided to go up a hill toward the "airport", which is a clearing with a dirt runway.  I have never seen a plane come to town, but perhaps there was a time when they did.  Anyway, it sits on a mesa, just about 1.5 miles from our little house.  So off I went.

All of the sudden, I had a running partner!  Here comes a skinny Mexican guy, in running shorts and shoes and he joins me, running along side me and talking to me in Spanish!  Well, my brain is a bit disabled when it comes to communicating in Spanish, but we did get a few things understood.  1) His name is Ray.  2) He is training for a big race in Mazatlan in February, 3) Hills are good for the heart, 4) I run slower than him because I am poquita gorda (a little bit fat).  He got a laugh out of that one.  It was fun.  He was about 5' 4" and ran with a spring in his step along side my plodding.  My guess is he will finish his Big Race in Mazatlan at a much faster pace than I finish mine!  We parted on the way back and indicated we would run together some more.

Running in Mexico is a treat for me.  I run past little houses with chickens and baby chicks in the yards.  Mothers with their babies smile and wave as I go by (probably thinking - look at the loca gringa!)  I run past giant cactuses with Vultures roosting on each arm.  Ospreys, Herons, Pelicans are all part of the scene.  And the best part is, the ocean is always on the horizon.  If you click on the picture above you can see the Sea of Cortez to the right of "Black Mountain".

Loving Man got to fish everyday and brought us home a very large Grouper.  I got to see 3 whales, 1000's of dolphins, several Sea Lions, 2 Manta Rays jump, and 3 Marlin jump.  The seas were calm and the peace and rest were delightful.

Spandex is your friend

Ok, so I haven't written in awhile... my bad!  Seems like the last couple weeks have flown by.  I have been busy!  BUT... I have been running too, so it is possible to be busy and stay with your workout schedule.  It just takes a little extra planning!  So - apologies for the gap and on to an important subject I have been meaning to discuss:  Spandex

When I first started running, I was adamant that I would not get all "geared up" and look like some of the runners I had seen.  So I would throw on an old favorite Phoenix Suns T-shirt and some shorts that didn't hurt and away I would go.  It did not take long for me to understand why companies like UnderArmour and Nike do so well...!

Alright, so this first bit of narrative comes from direct experience as a female.  I am guessing some of it will transfer over to you males for obvious reasons, but one thing I have learned in 48 years is Men and Women are not created equal!  There are big differences!!!  So you guys can skip down to the later paragraph on my "presumptions" for you, but this next stuff is serious stuff for us girls.

This 1st Big Difference between Men and Women: Chests!

So this is surely too much detail for some, but important data for others, so let's get clinical. From age 20 to 48, I have weighed between 100 and 140 pounds.  Most significant is I have not become any taller in that time frame, so we all know what that means.  One of the ares of size accumulation has been my chest.  I have been a 32B and a 36DD and everything in between. Why is this important in the spandex section?  Because as a female, whether you are small or large in the chest, you need to IMMOBILIZE them when you run.  I learned early that the cheap pullover, racerback, workout bras were not enough in the C & D phases of my life.  So, I went to 2 of them!  Yep, one over the top of the other.  Now that's real comfortable, not to mention how that pushes a nice gob of fat out into your armpit (more on that later!).  Painful.  So I finally broke down and spent the $38 for a Champion Running Bra which actually comes in bra sizes - like 36 C or 34 D.  Incredible how that makes such a huge difference over the Small, Medium and Large choices!  And you only have to wear one at a time!  No underwires to poke you, just heavy, thick Spandex with seams in the right places.  No chafing, no rubbing.  Perfect immobilizer!  So I was lucky, as some of my friends have told me horror stories of running long races and enduring bleeding nipples from friction!  My stomach hurts just hearing it!  AND BY THE WAY - even a guy runner told me he experienced that!  So all you guys that went ahead and read this paragraph even though I told you to skip it (!!!!), go get yourself an UnderArmour sleeveless, spandex undershirt.  You won't require immobilization, but you will need to protect your own nipples from rash that WILL occur with friction.

Shorts:

There are so many cute little running shorts on the market!  However most don't work for me. You see, I was born with large thighs.  And if you put loose fitting shorts on large thighs and go for a run, you will end up with them gathering up between your legs at your crotch and then your large thighs will rub against each other.  PURE MISERY and something that will make you stop running immediately and try to get them pulled back into place.  Don't bother.  They will NEVER STAY IN PLACE unless you have perfect thighs, but this is not the Perfect Thighs Running Club.  This is REALITY!!!  : )

So - Spandex once again, to the rescue!  And wait...there are choices with spandex!  I have learned that if I run in any short that has a leg shorter than 5 inches>>>MISERY.  The little shorts just roll up and soon it looks like I am running in a swimsuit and the thighs are rubbing. Also - don't go for a cotton-spandex blend.  When you run, you sweat and when you sweat into cotton, it gets wet, stretches out, and loses it's shape.  Go for full compression, heavy spandex and a 5 to 8 inch leg.  That is, if you have any thigh chub!  And you will remain comfortable, even in high humidity.  And you will protect yourself from skin rubbing on skin.

It was so funny - last year when I began to train, I had this vision that after I ran a marathon I would look like a runner!  Like maybe a white version of those Kenyans that always win the NY Marathon.  Well - at the end of it all, Big Surprise!  I was still short and my legs were still thick. Funny how that worked.  BUT... I was strong and my legs were no longer jiggly - my quadriceps were hard.  And I felt good.  And I felt so incredibly proud that I stuck to a schedule and actually completed it.  And I have spandex to thank for that!!!!

GUYS:

Since you probably read everything I just wrote, the only thing I would add is you have things dangling just like we women do (different things, but dangling for sure!).  I would imagine it best to secure those things while running.  I can only extrapolate my own pain of thighs rubbed raw to the other things that might rub raw from friction.  So eliminate the friction!  However you guys do that!!!!!  But take my word for it, no cotton!  Go with the Spandex!!!!!

Whew!  This is important stuff for new runners!  But wow, it took a lot to get it out!!!  : )

Let me close with shirt options.  I have now fallen victim to "gearing up" and bought just about every kind of running shirt out there.  Here is what I like and what I hate.  If my narrative makes sense to you, don't waste your money trying to prove me wrong.  These shirts get expensive when you have several in the closet that you know you WILL NEVER WEAR AGAIN.

I have found that I cannot run in sleeveless or tank tops.  Remember the armpit chub I spoke of earlier?  Once you get into higher mileage, that chub will rub and unless you have a sleeve to protect you, there will be>>>>PAIN!  Raw skin turns to scab before it heals.  I just can't deal with that, so now all I run in is Short or Long Sleeve tops.  Protect the chub - it's the only way if you are going to stick to a weekly schedule and don't want to have to take a week off to heal the friction burn.

I like a loose fit top.  I have a couple Underarmour tops and they are just too dang tight.  Tight is good for shorts and running bras, but I found tight fitting spandex tops to just roll up my chest as I run and expose belly and back.  YUCK!!!!  Not comfortable and not flattering for sure! So a looser fit with longer length has become my preferred running top.  There are some great fabrics out there that are so lightweight - nylon blends - that you sweat right through them and they dry instantly.  Some are vented and breath really nicely.  I even wear my long-sleeved versions in the summer to protect me from the desert sun - that's how cool they are.  When winter hits - I just wear two of them.  I have a couple from NIKE and RUN brands that are awesome.  Nike even puts a little tab on the back to keep your iPod cord from driving you nuts. If you have choice, go for the ones that have some reflective tape built in.  Ya never know - you might get a little side tracked and start your run too late and end up running in the dark! (That's another story for another posting...!)

Well that's it for today.  I am down in Mexico on vacation and have run 4 of the 5 days we have been here.  I will write about those experiences next, so stay tuned....!  Happy running to you all~