How Important are Gaiters?
Many runners have a love-hate relationship with gaiters. Some love them and swear by them when running trails. Others never wear them, and dislike them. Which camp do you fall in? I have regularly promoted the value of gaiters since I made my first homemade set from a pair of old white cotton crew socks. […]
Consequences of Wet Feet at a Dry Western States!
Last Saturday was the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run over the California Sierras. As you probably know, California is in year four of a severe drought. Most of us expected the trails to be dusty and dry. From everything I heard, they were. So in a dry Western States year, why did so many runners have […]
Foot Care Preparation for Primal Quest – or Your Next Event
The seven tips below are written for the Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race starting next week. They are also applicable to any race you may have coming up. Primal Quest is less than two weeks away and here are seven things you can do to improve your chances of finishing with healthy feet. 1. Wear […]
8 Top Tips for Foot Care
If you are a subscriber to Backpacker magazine, check out the October issue, page 34 for a full page of eight top tips to care for your feet. I have included an image of the page in this post. If you click on the image, you’ll get a larger view. I was contacted by Backpacker several months ago […]
When Your Shoes Fail You
It’s not common but it can happen. At the worst opportune moment, your shoes fail you. Maybe it’s on a training run, or worse yet, it’s during a race or somewhere where you are miles from getting help or another pair of shoes. I’ve seen it more than a few times. Shoes that fell apart […]
ENGO Blister Prevention Patches
Today’s post will cover a great way to prevent blisters using ENGO Blister Prevention Patches. It’s a repeat of a post from mid-2013. Tamarack Habilitation Technologies is well known for providing healthcare professionals and clients with innovative, value-added orthotic-prosthetic componentry and materials. Their ShearBan product is similar to the ENGO Blister Prevention Patches reviewed in this article. ShearBan […]
The ICESPIKE Traction System
ICESPIKES have been around for a while and have proven themselves to be a reliable tool for those wanting to run, walk, and hike in winter conditions. It doesn’t take much in bad conditions to take a nasty fall. Landing on hard ice, a rocky trail, or rocks hidden under snow can ruin your day. Protecting […]
Making Overlapping Toe Separators – Part 1
This is part one of a two-part blog post. Over the past few years, I have seen many athletes with a common toe problem – overlapping toes. Some people may call then underlapping toes or call them some other name. When a pinky toe goes under the 4th toe, both toes can be negatively affected. Skin […]
Making Overlapping Toe Separators – Part 2
This second version of a toe separator is a more complicated to make and apply. It uses a large or small ENGO oval, depending on the size of the toes. The idea is to pinch the patch into an upside down T where the base of the T goes between the two problem toes. The […]
Two New High Technology Shoes
This past week I read about two new high technology running shoes. They are very different from what we have seen in the past. The shoes show how far researchers and athletic industry innovators are going in the search to find the perfect running shoe. When I first started running, in the late 80’s, there […]