Footwear Archives - Fixing Your Feet

Aug 26, 2013 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Footwear Tagged: Blister Formation, blister prevention, blisters, Cavity, Few Days, Finger Tip, Footwear, friction, Hand Skin, Index Finger, Internal Layers, jungle marathon, Left Hand, managing blisters, Memories, Misunderstanding, podiatrist, Rebecca, rebecca rushton, Rushton, Several Ways, shear and blisters, Step 1, Tissue Layers

Back on June 17 I introduced the concept of shear with a post by podiatrist Rebecca Rushton from Australia who has studied blisters and identified shear as a major factor in blisters. It’s best to start by refreshing our memories about what was shared on the previous article. Here’s the link in case you want to see the full post: An Introduction to Shear and Blister Formation. Otherwise, here's a short piece from that post: Poor blister prevention outcomes are due in no small part to the …

May 5, 2013 · by John · In: blister care, Foot Care, Health Tagged: blister prevention, Foliage, Foot Care, Footwear, hot spot, Humid Conditions, Jungle, macerated feet, marathon, Mud, Norm, Puddles, Race Director, Runners, Seven Days, Shirley Thompson, socks, Stream Crossings, trail shoes, training with wet feet, wet feet, Wet Trails

For years, the norm has been to avoid getting your feet wet. When feet get wet for extended periods, usually the feet have skin that is soft and macerated. In long events, and especially in multi-day events, that can lead to trouble. Taping or patching wet feet, or macerated feet, is very difficult. So it is best to keep your feet as dry as possible. This has always been the rule. In the past few years, adventure style races have become popular, which puts runners in conditions where wet feet …

Feb 15, 2013 · by John · In: Footwear, Footwear Products, Sports Tagged: Composite Material, Deluxe Package, Durability, Footwear, Hex, ice spikes, icespikes, Installation Tool, Low Profile, Quality Steel, Replacements, Runners, Sheet Metal Screws, shoe spikes, shoe traction on ice, Small Ad, Tagline, Thread Design, Traction Products, Traction System, traction systems for shoes, Walking Shoe, Washers, Work Boot

I spotted a small ad in one of my magazines that looked interesting. The product was IceSpike. They are a system of patented composite-material, cold-rolled tool quality steel, heat hardened ice spikes, which provide superior grip and long lasting durability. Their tagline is, “The ultimate non-slip shoe system, for all outdoor activities.” Of course, since it relates to footwear, I had to check it out. IceSpikes are rated to last 10 times longer than commonly used sheet metal screws. Average …

Nov 4, 2012 · by John · In: Footwear, Footwear Products, Sports Tagged: blisters, Confusion, Depression, fit, foot problems, Footwear, footwear fit, insoles, Lead, New Pair Of Shoes, Pair Of Shoes, Physician Assistant, Pitfalls, Quarter Inch, Seams, shoe fit, shoe inserts, Size Shoe, socks, Stock, Tight, toes, Ultrarunner, Uppers

In choosing footwear, fit is everything. You may buy a new pair of shoes, not get a good fit, and use them for short runs or races without much problem. But the longer you’ll be wearing them at a time, the more important the fit. Here’s a trick to help get ensure a good fit. Rich Schick, a physician’s assistant and ultrarunner, shared that he believes the key to getting the proper size shoe is the insert - often called insoles. “If the foot does not fit the insert, then the shoe will have to …

[Read more...] about Fit and Inserts

Aug 15, 2012 · by John · In: Footwear, Health Tagged: Adventure Race, Bike Boxes, Bike Shoes, Bike Trek, Bikes, blisters, crocs, dirty feet, flip flops, Footwear, Foresight, Gearboxes, Gold Rush Adventure, gold rush adventure race, Multiple Times, Pods, Preventive Measure, Raft, Ropes, Small Stones, Ta4, Tape Job, Trek Bike, Twigs

Last week I worked the Gold Rush Adventure Race. We had 11 teams working their way through paddle, trek, bike, trek, bike, trek, ropes, raft, and finally a last trek. The full course was 285 miles, although some of the teams were short-coursed because of time. I started at TA2 (transition) where racers went from trek to bike, then TA3 – from bike to trek, TA4 – from trek to bike, and lastly, TA5 – from bike to trek. I saw the same teams, TA after TA. I did not count the number of racers on …

Mar 17, 2012 · by John · In: Footwear, Sports Tagged: Ads, Ankles, Best Fit, Best Shoes, Conversations, Current, Experiences, feet, fit, Foot Care, Footwear, Forums, Magazines, marathon, Moving, old shoes, Pay Attention, Runners, shoe fit, shoe reviews, shoes, Stressors, Twinge, Ultramarathon

Life has been busy this past month and I apologize for not posting more often. As I read the my magazines, I find shoe reviews. As I open emails, I read people’s experiences with their shoes. As I check newsletters, websites and blogs, I read reports and reviews of shoes. And then, of course, there are the ads – everywhere. The thing is, they all point out the features and benefits of their shoes. Is there one shoe for you? Yes, there is one – and many more that will also work. Some work …

Feb 9, 2012 · by John · In: Footwear, Footwear Products, Sports Tagged: Armour, Bandwagon, boots, Different Styles, Evaluations, Footwear, footwear companies, Guess, Natural Move, new balance, New Shoes, Newcomers, nike, Outdoor Magazines, Outdoor Sports, Pair Of Shoes, Runners, running shoes, shoes, Shoes Company, Stalwarts, Underwear, Ups

I started running in the early 80's and bought my first pair of shoes from New Balance. They were a great company that made great running shoes. They still are a great company. The shoes worked and I bought more from them in the following years.Back then the running footwear scene was dominated by the stalwarts: New Balance, Nike, Adidas, to name a few. The shoes were good, solidly made, and offered in a few different styles. They worked.Now, we can choose from a bunch of footwear companies that …

Aug 1, 2010 · by John · In: Footwear, Footwear Products Tagged: fivefingers, Footwear, innovative footwear, running shoes

When I started running in the early 80's, there were the usual "brand" name shoes. I remember buying my first pair, New Balance, and that they cost $45.00. Since then, I have owned many pairs of shoes. Some for road and many for trails. In all that time, there have been only one or two pair that were bad choices. They simply weren't right. The rest have served me well. Now, shoes have become more complex. There are many more to choose from. Companies are coming out of the woodwork to get a piece …

Apr 18, 2010 · by John · In: Foot Care, Footwear Tagged: boots, buying footwear, buying shoes, Footwear, sandals, shoes

Yesterday I watched hikers, backpackers, and walkers do their best to pick the right footwear out of dozens of possible choices. It was a madhouse. I had done a foot care clinic at the Berkeley REI store. It was fun with 40 people attending. Rather than 1 hour, it lasted 1-½ hours. They had lots of questions. Good questions. They ranged from neuromas, taping, blisters, plantar fasciitis, toenails, minimalist footwear, barefoot running, and a few others. The guy in the front row ended up with …

Mar 7, 2010 · by John · In: Foot Care, Footwear, Health Tagged: barefoot, feet, Footwear, shoes

Feet, Feet, Everywhere Feet. Sometimes you have to just post a quick fun thing. I spent the past four days at the Florida Christian Writers Conference near Orlando. I was on the faculty and taught seven sessions. When I go to these conferences, I always talk about how Fixing Your Feet has done as a nonfiction book. Even though I teach on a variety of writing topics, I am known as 'the foot guy.' At several workshops, conferees asked asked me questions about their feet. Arch pain, forefoot pain, …

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