I had so much fun reading all of your comments on my blister plea! So much great information!
Here is a quick recap of some suggestions that seemed to be popular:
- MOLESKIN (by far the most popular suggestion!)
- Body Glide stick/lubricant
- Lace Locking
- Bigger shoes
- No cotton socks- use double layer socks
- Running technique/heel striker?
Moleskin:
I told my MIL about it yesterday while we were out and she actually had some Moleskin at home and she gave me a piece to try out. She actually uses it on the palms of her hands when gardening and raking- what a great idea because I always get blisters on my hands when raking! I will be using the moleskin on my next run! I will, of course, to a step by step recap of it! :)
Body Glide:
I want to try this out. I have used Vaseline with little success before. It helped a bit but not much. Do you think I can find it at Running Room?
Lace Locking:
Who knew??? I never knew there was such a thing! Thanks for the links. I went to this demonstration and ended up doing Lacing Technique Method 1. Here it is:
BEFORE (traditional method):
After (Method 1)
I hope this will give me a much more snug fit!
Bigger Shoes:
I was a bit hesitant to go up a size because it almost feels that my shoe is too big because my heel rubs around so much!? If my heel is rubbing around a lot wouldn’t this be because the shoe is too big? At any rate, I have laced up my bigger sneakers (7.5) vs. the 7’s I was wearing. I think I still had problems with the 7.5’s though which was what prompted me to buy the 7’s! Argh.
Special Socks:
I actually use Wright Socks and unfortunately they have not helped prevent blisters on my right foot! :( I should get my money back because they have a guarantee… :)
Running Technique:
Yes I am a heel striker and if heel strikers are more prone to blisters than this must be contributing to the problem. I have not looked into Chi Running yet, but I may explore that at some point. Right now I am still trying to improve my form with each run.
So my first few steps to combat blisters are this:
1) Moleskin
2) Bigger shoe
3) New lacing technique
4) Body Glide on inner right foot where I am prone to other blisters (less severe). Can I use Body Glide and Moleskin together? If so, how? Wouldn’t the body glide make the skin slide off? Or would I just put a dab on the blister only?
Right now I am just hoping this blister heels pretty fast! My blister already feels much better and isn’t as bad as I thought yesterday. Yippee!
Day 49 (May 14): Today we are going to do standing calf raises– I LOVE these! We can’t neglect those sexy calf muscles! Do 3 sets of as many reps as you can do. I am going to do mine on the edge of a step.
PETA Vegan College Cookbook Giveaway Results!
Congrats Shelby!!! Please email me your address so I can send you this cookbook! :) Thank you to everyone who entered! Remember the second copy will be up for auction in Shop 4 A Cause held on Tuesday May 19th 2009!!!
We have a couple more guest Green Monsters to show you today!
1) First up, Danielle:
First and foremost I wanted to tell you that I absolutely love you blog. I really enjoy all the fun recipes and insightful posts I read each day.
Also, I wanted to share with you my first green monster that I just made. I was a little hesitant to try it at first since until now I had only used kale to make kale chips and was worried it would taste bitter.Into the blender went:
* 2 cups kale
* 3/4 cup soy milk
* 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
* 1 TB ground flax seed
* drizzle honeyI was so pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it! I’m working on getting clearer skin and toning up for summer so I am very excited to introduce these monsters into my diet. Thanks for the inspiration!
-Danielle
2.) Amy also made her first one here!!
3) Jennifer is up next:
Hi Angela,
I recently tried your green monsters and love them even though I HATE smoothies usually! I am in the midst of finals right now and I think they really help me focus AND keep me away from snacking away while studying, which is one of my worst habits!
Bad bad kitty!!! ;)
4.) And finally Lauren also shared her Green Monster Club Initiation!! Sounds so highschool! haha.
Thanks for sharing ladies!!! Keep rocking the GM’s!
See you this afternoon for some FAQ’s!
PS- Comment links are now BOLDED so you can find them easier!!
Kindness is an inner desire that makes us want to do good things even if we do not get anything in return. It is the joy of our life to do them. When we do good things from this inner desire, there is kindness in everything we think, say, want and do.
– Emmanuel Swedenborg
My shoes are lace locked- we have a great running store in New Orleans and when I got my shoes they sold them to me in a size or so larger than what I normally wear. When I said I thought that my feet would move too much in my shoes, they laced them for me like that. Trust me, my feet don’t move! I do think it’s easy to lace them too tightly now if I’m not careful, actually. I hope the lace locking helps!
e- good point! I’m not sure, I’ll have to relace it- thanks for the tip!
good luck with the blisters! I’ve never heard of lace locking before, but I’ve definitely used moleskin on a couple hiking trips I went on. Great stuff :)
I love your blog! You have an award on mine. Thanks for the excellent fitness tips.
Hi
These are the socks I use when running: Nike Dri-FIT Elite quarter socks. I got mine at the Running Room. Here is a link to the Nike, so you can see what they look like:
http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?country=US&lang_locale=en_US&l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-141469/pgid-163646#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-207377
I hope the link works.
congrats to shelby!
i have those drifit socks and they help a lot. Try to focus on not landing on your heel first – it takes a lot of work to be able to do that without thinking about it, but it makes it a lot easier to run/less effort.
You can definitely get body glide at running room, running socks are a must! Also the way you tie your shoes are really important most people spend a few seconds on it but you should really spend a minute or two!
Love your videos! I’ve watched both and think I’m going to try the ponytail one tomorrow night! My hair is super thin and naturally straight, but your video made me not so afraid or discouraged to try.
Thanks for the lace-locking info! I seriously think one of my feet is at least a half-size smaller than the other – ugh! I have the same problems with my shoes, so I’ll give that a try! Have a great day :)
Interesting about the laces.. I have never thought about doing my shoes up differently than I was taught when I was 5 :)
Hi Angela, I want to tell you that your blog is now my #1 source for health, nutrition, and happiness tips!
Also, I had to share that I read your post about blisters yesterday and thought to myself- “hmmm I never get blisters from running”.
And then last night at the gym I forgot my good socks and had to wear bad work socks, and I got blisters for the first time ever! How ironic. Or at least the Alanis Morissette type of irony :)
Have a good day!
I am so going to try lace locking with my new shoes when i get home! I was so excited about them and i usually buy a different model mizuno in a 7 (i’m naturally a size 6) so i bought these new models in a 7 and they’re slightly big. Thanks for the lace locking info!
I’ve been troubled by quite a few blisters lately (mostly on the bottom of my foot). The only thing that helps once I’ve already got one is to pop it with a sterilized needle and cover with antibiotic cream. I just tried a great pair of NIKE socks – they are dri fit material and have an arch support built in. No blister problems so far!
Hi Angela,
I’m a somewhat new follower of your blog (loving it). I just recently completed a 44 mile hike in the Grand Canyon (Rim to Rim to Rim) in less than 24 hours this past weekend, so I know a thing or two about blisters ;) There’s no preventing them no matter how hard you try on hikes of that length…but the best things I can recommend are:
a) fit of shoe – this is very important, especially for running – I got fit at a local running store and found out that I had to go up a half size – and they also lace locked my shoes for me. For hiking, finding the right shoe is DEFINITELY the most important thing.
b) moleskin – without moleskin, I wouldn’t be able to walk with my blisters. I still got them, but I never felt them once. Moleskin is a lifesaver for me. I always get blisters on my big toes, so now I put moleskin on before I even hike. I *big puffy heart* moleskin.
c) Proper socks – non cotton socks are a must. Wool socks are the only way to go for hiking…there are a few synthetic options out there for running.
d) body glide – I’ve heard SO much about this, and tried it, but to no avail. It actually makes me get blisters worse – I think it’s because I put it on, and then my moleskin doesn’t stick as well afterward. So now I put the moleskin on then, and put on the body glide for good measure – but I still got the blisters on the Rim to Rim to Rim…and they were covering my entire foot where I had put Body Glide, so I’m thinking it didn’t help. I also used to use it on my inner thighs, but found that switching to compression shorts completely eliminated the chafing issues I was having while running/hiking.
I’ve also heard of cornstarch to keep the feet dry. Here’s a link:
http://walking.about.com/cs/blisterschafing/a/aablisterrob.htm
Good luck :) Right now, my feet look pretty horrible after R2R2R last weekend. My bf accidentally kicked my toe the next day and ripped off my toenail and the top part of my toe, where it had been loosened up by the blisters. The toenail was going to die and fall off anyway…but that HURT. I’m just now wearing closed toe shoes to work!
I heart moleskin!!
You should be able to find body glide at just about any running store. That reminds me, I used to put that on my feet before I put on socks before long runs. It definitely helped.
Happiness Awaits
Hi Angela,
I hope that you stop getting blisters on your foot.
Congrats to Shelby. I hope she enjoys the cookbook. I never thought that I would want to learn more about vegetarianism and have just placed an order for three vegan books (Eat, Drink and Be Vegan; Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World; and My Sweet Vegan). I can’t wait to get them and try the recipes out.
I really love your blog and I look forward to reading it everyday. I just wanted to add that the energy exerted through your words have such an impact. You’ve made me more aware of things I’ve taken for granted (i.e. going green, vegetarian). I’ve learned so much here and I love that you seek others’ advice when you need answers or suggestions. Keep up the great work.
Have you tried any other running socks besides Wright Socks? I really like Smartwool and Balega. I used to wear Injinji socks but I got terrible blisters from them.
I also found out that pedicures and running do not go well together. If you do any sort of distance you need to keep those calluses on your feet for protection. I got my worst blisters ever after a pedicure…
I’d also really recommend either a liquid bandage or the Band Aid blister bandages to help heal once a blister has formed. Good luck!
hmm, so I actually don’t like moleskin, it’s never stayed on for me and has made things worse. I wear smartwool socks for running and biking :) my absolut all-time favorite blister tools (prevention AND healing) are band-aid advanced healing blister!!! they have one shape that would be good for your heal, and others that are good to wrap around toes!
BodyGlide is the best. It is aloe vera based so it doesn’t stain your clothes. I never get blisters when I put it on my feet. It is great for summer running and any chaffing that happens due to heat and sweating.