FIXING YOUR FEET E-zine
Volume 6, Issue 4, April 2006
John Vonhof, Footwork Publications
Copyright, April 2006, All rights reserved
THIS ISSUE IN SUMMARY
My editorial talks about Who Makes the Best Trail Shoes. Then, if you have ever lost a toenail, you’ll appreciate the story behind Colleting Toenails. There is one foot care tip and in Non-feet Good Stuff I talk about SkirtSports.
PURPOSE
The Fixing Your Feet E-zine is published monthly to inform and educate athletes and non-athletes about proper foot care skills and techniques, provide tips on foot care, review foot care products, and highlight problems people have with their feet.
EDITORIAL: Who Makes the Best Trail Shoes?
When it comes to trail shoes, no matter whom you ask, everyone has an opinion. The matter of who makes the best trail shoes is often debated, many times heated as one athlete tells another how great their shoes are—and if they only give them a try, they’ll no longer have problems with blisters, sore arches, Achilles rubbed raw, tender feet, black toenails, and other possible foot ailments.
So who makes the best trail shoes? That question has been muddied in recent years as the once quiet trail shoe market has exploded. Some can remember the old days when New Balance (pictured to the left), 
Nike, Adidas, Asics, and Reebok were the main players. Then along came Montrail. These shoemakers were dedicated to runners and made, for the most part, great shoes. Oh yea, a few others tried but came up short.
Then trail running and adventure racing heated up the market. Long distance hikers discovered the benefits of the lightweight trail shoes. Along with the increased numbers came new players who saw the potential for increasing their market share. These new players have names like Garmont, Merrell, Lafuma, Salomon, Vasque, and Scarpa; and made the move from hiking boots to trail runners. These were first and foremost, boot companies. Another new player in the trail shoe market was Five Ten, who made primarily rock climbing shoes. 
Sensing dollar signs, The North Face, Pearl Izumi, and Helly Hansen moved from clothes to trail shoes, while Keen (the yellow shoes to the left) and Teva went from sandals to trail shoes. Timberland moved from ordinary shoes to trail shoes. And of course, not to be left behind, smaller shoes companies like Puma and Mizuno tossed in their new trail shoes. Adding to the mix, Inov-8 (the red shoes to the left), introduced trail shoes used successfully in Europe in fell running.
The issue, in my view, comes down to one basic question: Do running shoe companies, who naturally made shoes, make the best trail shoes – or companies who only make only trail shoes, or do boot companies, who naturally made boots, make the best trail shoes? Does a shoe company, who already 
makes shoes, have the best trail shoe ideas in support, cushioning and stability, tread, materials and fabric, shape and fit, lacing style, and weight? Or can a boot company make the transition from a heavier and stiffer boot to the best trail shoe. Or can a sandal company, used to making a minimalist piece of footwear, make the best trail shoe. Or even more strange, can a clothing company, with no experience in shoes, make the best trail shoe?
In the end, what makes a trail shoe the best? For one person it may be fit because they always have trouble getting a shoe that doesn’t cause blisters. For another it’s the last or shape of the she that fits their foot perfectly. Or it’s support. Or it’s …
Who makes the best trail shoe? A shoe company or a boot company? Does it matter? You decide. Send me an email, I welcome your comments.
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FOOT CARE TIPS
Those looking for a new tape to use when pretaping their feet or for patching blisters are encouraged to check out Kinesio Tex tape. This tape comes in one, two, and three inch widths. It’s breathable 
and stretches in length, not width. This unique tape is very thin, and smooth in texture. Made with a porous cotton fabric with a high grade adhesive it allows the skin to breathe. Use the one inch on toes and the two and three inch widths everywhere else. It has been used successfully in the heat of Badwater and the humidity of Costa Rica. The tape comes 5.4 yards to a roll and has a backing that peels off. While not as cheap as other tapes, it is very sticky, breathable, and water resistant. You might not use it for everyday taping, but you will find it a good value. Kenesio Tex tape is now offered by ZombieRunner at their Web site. Check out ZombieRunner here.
ARTICLE: Collecting Toenails
This is a one of a kind story. Most athletes at some time or another lose a toenail—or two or three. Most of us have simply tossed them and not given it a second thought. For many of us, losing a toenail is a rite of passage into marathoning, ultrarunning, hiking or adventure racing.
Jan Ryerse had an idea and created a necklace out of toenails. Some are his and some are from his friends. He writes: “Most of the toenails are mine – I lost all 10 toenails after Badwater when I ran it in July 02 – that picture on the SLUG website of me removing a loose toenail with needle nose pliers is one of them – all 10 of my lost Badwater toenails are on the necklace.
The toenail with the hole in it is my daughter’s big toenail, which she lost after running her first marathon, the Marine Corps marathon (I trained with her and ran it with her). She got bad bleeding and swelling under the nail and ultimately went to see the doctor who drilled a hole in it to relieve the pressure.
Fellow St. Louisan and a good running buddy of mine, Mark Williams, gave me a toenail he lost after Western States. 
Doug Ryan from the Dallas area lost both big toe toenails after running a sub 24 hour 100 in his first 100, the Heartland in Kansas. I ran some of the race with him.
Jim Stroup lost a toenail from running Rocky Racoon about three years ago.
Victoria White, the race director of the Double Chubb 50K here in the St. Louis area gave me a small toenail she lost at Howl at the Moon in Danville IL.
All the donated toenails are labeled in the picture. The picture of the toenail necklace was published in the last edition of our SLUG newsletter and has received quite a bit of attention.
The necklace has received quite a wide range of responses – from “ooohh how gross” to “ooohh how cool.” Some want to know if it was disinfected and the answer is, No. I just glued the toenails onto small wood beads, which had holes in them and then strung the beads on a cord. “
So now the questions is, What do you do with all your toenails? I know I’ll be saving mine.
BAD FEET PHOTOS
Next month I’ll have a new bad feet photo. This month I did not want to run a photo that would overshadow the toenail necklace!
If you want to see past photos, check past issues of this newsletter from last September on this website or for photos through August 2005 at my Footwork Pub Web site.
Just think; your feet could be featured in this e-zine for everyone to see! Submit your photo or short story by email or snail mail. Stories should be no longer than 250 words. Send them to me by email or by snail mail to Footwork Publications, 352 Fragrance Court, Manteca, CA 95337.
NEW HAPPY FEET BOOKLET
My booklet, Happy Feet! Foot Care Advice for Walkers and Travelers is in stock and ready for the walkers in your life. This booklet is 3.75 x 8.5 and 36 pages in length. In an easy read format, it gives advice on biomechanics and gait, buying footwear, fit, lacing, insole and toenail tips, skin care, powders and lubricants, blister care, sprains, foot care kits, and more. It’s a bargain at $5.00. Click here to read more.
GOT A STORY TO SHARE?
I am always on the look out for stories to share about their adventures with some type of connection to feet. If you have something to share, please send me an email.
NON-FEET GOOD STUFF
Ok, this is for the women reading this, or those who like to do nice things for them. When I was walking around the LA Marathon Expo, I noticed SkirtSports. These are neat skirts for running, working out, or any athletic activity—or even casual wear. They look good, really good. Designed by Ironman Champion Nicole DeBoom, these highly technical yet feminine line of fitness apparel (with running skirts as the foundation) appeals to women involved in any sport. The shorts are made with a “TRIKS Spankies” – a built-in, extra comfy pantie that fits like a glove. No baggy-bottoms in these babies! Made from TRIKSmesh, so you can finally breathe! Or go for the Marathon Dress, a TransitionGirl skirt, GymGirl, BikeGirl, tops and accessories, and more. Each design is made from technical; fabrics that are light and wick moisture. These will help you feel better about yourself and how you look. Check them out at SkirtSports.
THE HAPPY FEET BLOG
If you like to stay informed about foot care issues and information, check out my blog, Happy Feet: Expert Foot Care Advice for People Who Love Their Feet. This is different from this ezine. The Happy Feet blog will have a new short topic every few day.
READER FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS
Reader feedback to this E-zine and its articles is welcome and encouraged. Please email me any foot care ideas or tips that you have tried and would like to share with others, or ideas for an article for the e-zine.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
You are welcome to contact John Vonhof by email at about this E-zine or the book Fixing Your Feet. Snail mail is welcome at 352 Fragrance Court, Manteca, CA 95337.
