An Advanced Course about Maceration
Several weeks before Western States last year I wrote a blog post about conditions on the course and how feet were going to be wet. The title was Running a Wet 100-Mile Trail Run. I talked about what would happen to runners’ feet, and steps I would take to manage my feet if I were running. […]
Results of Tape Survey
I recently asked two questions in an online survey. Very simple questions. There were 57 responses. Let’s start with the first question. What is your favorite tape for pre-taping for blister prevention? The tapes ranked highest were, Leukotape P and KT Tape kinesiology tape both at 19.3%. However if you add all the kinesiology tapes […]
Cutting Your Calluses
When I saw this video, I knew I had to share it with all of you. You probably know how much I dislike calluses on runner’s feet. You can easily blister under a callus, however draining the fluid can be painful and sometimes is impossible. Most people have some degree of callus somewhere on their […]
Diminished Heel Pad Treatment
I know a number of runners and athletes who struggle with loss of the fat pad under their heels. It’s a fairly common problem as we age. Some people have more of a problem with this than others. Several weeks ago I received an email from John Marnell. He wanted to share what worked for […]
Skip These Two Foot Care Products
I have always told athletes that I have three absolutes when it comes to foot care. Over the past years, they have not changed. The three are: 1) Proper toenail care, 2) reduce calluses, and 3) wear gaiters when running trails. I still stick by the three because, in my mind, they are proven. Now’s […]
Your First Ultra and Foot Care
It’s been many years since I ran my first ultra. It was probably about 1984 and it was the Skyline 50KM in the East Bay from San Francisco. I think I had a few smallish blisters. In later years as I ran longer ultras, I recall having more blisters. The one thing I know is […]
Still Learning Foot Care
I have been doing foot care for more then 20 years–and some things don’t change. What disturbs me is that there are still large numbers of athletes who seem to give little thought to their feet. Oftentimes these are newer runners, newer adventure racers, and new hikers. They come into the sport without a base […]
Running a Wet 100 Mile Trail Run
Here’s a post from 2017, and it fits 2019 too. I encourage you to read it and be prepared. Next week is the running of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. I will be at the 55.7-mile Michigan Bluff aid station, along with Tonya Olson and others on the medical team. Our aim is to […]
What Were You Thinking?
Last week was the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Race. Two days before the start, Tonya Olson and I gave a presentation to the runners about foot care preparation and foot care during the race. At least we gave it to those who stuck around after three other talks. Among other things, we stressed the […]
Mandatory Gear for Foot Care?
This post is an editorial about foot care at races – and more importantly, the lack of it. Over the years I have worked many multi-day multi-sport adventure races and multi-day running races. Most of these are six or seven-day events. Adventure races are races where the clock doesn’t stop until the team gets to […]