Today I want to share the new Introduction to the 5th edition of Fixing Your Feet. I think the Introduction to any book is one of the first parts buyers should read. It usually sets the tone for the rest of the book. While authors’ struggle to make sure the whole book is complete and thorough, we often sweat over the Introduction. Personally, it is one of the last sections I write. Here is the new Introduction to the 5th edition.
For years, I have signed copies of Fixing Your Feet with the following inscription, Best wishes for healthy and happy feet. That has been my motivation for more than 14 years of learning as much as possible about foot care – and helping people. I love to see athletes able to finish their race without foot problems.
Those reading this fifth edition of Fixing Your Feet are, by their very nature, active people. They love the outdoors. They love challenges, often pushing their bodies beyond normal. Oftentimes this is done in less than ideal conditions – rain, cold, snow, sand, and on feet that hurt. And more often than not, on blistered feet. If there is one injury that has plagued the majority of athletes, it’s blisters.
Mark Swanson, an ultrarunner, sent an email to a listserv in response to a comment about blister prevention. He wrote: “Let’s remember the lesson John keeps emphasizing – what works for you may not work for the next person and what works for you now may not work for you next time. But what works for you will help some people and may work for you for a long time!”
There is a lot of value in these two sentences. A common saying is, “We are each an experiment of one.” That applies to foot care, and especially blister prevention. Ever since I wrote the first edition of Fixing Your Feet, I have tried to get people to learn about how to prevent blisters with a variety of techniques and products.
Yes, blisters are the number one issue, the number one question, that athletes ask about. I wish I could tell you the one answer that would solve all your blisters problems. But there’s not one solution. In this book are hundreds of tips to help prevent blisters, and if you get them anyway – products to fix them. You need to find which ones work for you. By doing your homework, you’ll be closer to solving your foot problems. This goes for other foot problems too.
Fixing Your Feet is filled with information to help you keep your feet happy and healthy. Rather than read looking only for a solution to your problem or injury, I encourage you to learn as much as you can about what caused the problem or injury. It is important to eliminate the cause to achieve a long-term solution. Start with the new chapter on Getting the Most Out of Fixing Your Feet.
In the publishing world, not many books make it to a fifth edition. Fixing Your Feet has because, as I said earlier, we are active people, loving the outdoors and challenges, and we pushing their bodies beyond normal – and when our feet give out – we look for solutions. This book offers solutions.
In each edition, the Foreword presents a perspective that emphasize a unique point that we need to understand:
- Our feet are our primary mode of transportation and require our attention and preparation. Billy Trolan, MD, 1st edition
- Most of our foot problems could have been avoided with proper care. David Hannaford, DPM, 2nd edition
- Our feet will take us to new challenges and adventures if we make the conscious choice to care for them. Dan Barger, the Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race Founder, 3rd edition
- If your feet are happy, you’re happy. If your feet are miserable and want to quit, you are miserable and want to quit. Demetri ‘Coup’ Coupounas, 4th edition
- It’s our feet that connect us to the surrounding terrain, propelling us toward our next destination. Take care of your feet and the world is yours to enjoy. Ignore your feet and life can be a miserable experience. Brian J Krabak MD MBA, Sports Medicine Physician and Medical Director, RacingThePlanet 4 Desert Series, 5th edition
Fixing Your Feet is for you – solutions for your feet. I would love to hear from you. Send me an email and let me know your story about your feet.
