Billy Troland, an emergency room MD and adventure race medical advisor, is amazed that so many adventure racers “… spend vast amounts of money, time, and thought on training, equipment, and travel, but little or no preparation on their feet.” This statement is true for adventure racers, ultrarunners, and other athletes, who when their feet go bad, find all their work has been ruined because their primary mode of transportation has broken down.
Foot Care Basics

Every athlete, from the first-timer to the experienced, must make the choice to be either reactive or proactive. Being reactive means taping hot spots and fixing blisters when they develop. It can mean making fixes under less than idea conditions, with less than adequate materials and in a manner does not work for your particular foot problem. Being proactive, on the other hand, means discovering before an event, what works for your feet and knowing how to treat any potential problems before they develop. This means knowing what resources are available to use, trying out blister fixes before an event, and pre-race taping of your feet where hot spots and blisters typically develop.

It is essential for extreme athletes to have shoes that fit properly, are broken in, and are appropriate for the terrain and weather you will encounter. Find the best socks for your feet, preferably that wick moisture away from the skin. Some athletes prefer single-layer socks, others like double-layer, and still others use a two-sock combination. Gaiters can be important to prevent grit and debris from getting into your shoes and causing irritations that cause blisters.

Your training should be done in the gear you typically use in your sport, even down to the weight of the fannypack or backpack. This avoids subjecting your feet to new stress on race day. Whenever possible, during training or an event, take off your shoes and socks and air out your feet.
Prevention

Preventing hot spots and blisters requires knowledge of what is best for your feet. Some feet respond well to lubricants while others are best when powders keep them dry. Ten hours into a 72-hour run, with bad blisters, I wiped off all the lubricant and learned how to duct tape my feet. I completed the run with any additional problems. There are several types of tape to use on the feet and there are several combinations of products that make the feet more resistant to blisters. These must be tried before a race.

Fixing blisters can be an art. Anyone can slap on a piece of moleskin and slather on the Vaseline and hope for the best. But knowing how to really fix a blister so you can continue running for another day or even a few more days takes practice. You want to know how to fix your blisters and not be forced to rely on someone else’s treatments.

Bad feet can quickly ruin a race. By educating yourself about foot care options and methods; you increase your likelihood of finishing an event successfully. Spend the same amount of time on learning about foot care as you spend on learning the disciplines of the sport and you will enjoy adventure racing even more.

Strengthening exercises for the foot and ankle can help prevent injuries and can speed recovery from an injury. Balancing exercises are good to help strengthen the ankles. Stop any weight-bearing exercises if you experience pain. Here are nine exercise options. My favorite is number five.

1. Sit in a chair and write the alphabet with your toes to simulate ankle motion in all directions.
2. Stand on one foot on a pillow or similar soft and unstable cushion and try to maintain your balance, first with one foot and then the other. As your ability to balance increases, move into short controlled up and down knee bends.
3. Move the ankle up and down in a pumping motion to help decrease swelling.
4. Rotate your feet up to 50 repetitions in each direction. Do four to five sets every other day.
5. Strengthen your ankles by balancing with one foot flat on the ground and the other leg bent back at the knee, as if you were in the normal support phase of a running stride. Start at 30 seconds at a time and practice until you can hold your balance for several minutes. When you have mastered this step, close your eyes and do the same thing. Repeatedly losing your balance and then recovering gradually strengthens the ankles even more. Doing this exercise with your eyes closed retrains you to quickly react to changes as your nerve endings detect a twist or turn when the foot hits the ground.
6. Stand on one leg and slowly rise all the way up onto your toes and then slowly lower your heel to a flat foot. Balance yourself as necessary. Start with 25 repetitions and work up to 50 daily. This is another good proprioception exercise.
7. Stand with your forefeet on a raised surface, a few inches is fine, and rise up onto your toes and then back down again. Hold each, at the top and at the bottom, for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat until both calves are fatigued.
8. An isometric exercise done in a sitting position with the feet pushing against each other helps strengthen muscles without joint movement. Push down with one foot on top while pulling up with the other foot on the bottom. Then reverse feet. You can also put your feet bottom-to-bottom, first pushing the big toes against each other and then the small toes against each other. Hold the motions for six to ten seconds and repeat several times a day.
9. Hop on one foot and then change to the other foot. Practice forward and backward, and side to side movements.

Ninety-nine percent of those whom have participated in an adventure race or ultramarathon of any significant distance, at one time or another have had their share of blisters. Some blister easily; regardless of what steps they take to prevent them. Others get a blister now and then.

Some people are simply not prone to blisters. They might rub some Vaseline on their feet, pull on cotton socks, run on trails where dirt gets into their shoes, and still not blister. These folks are just plain lucky and we all wish we could be like them. Others of us blister in spite of what we do or because we don’t know what to do. What steps can we take to prevent blisters?
First Steps

Some assumptions have to be made upfront. We assume you are already wear socks made from Coolmax or a similar fabric that wicks moisture away from the skin. You may even use double-layer socks or a thin liner under a thicker outer sock. Your shoes should fit your feet properly and not allow the foot to move too much inside the shoe. Gaiters are an important part of your gear and should be worn to keep dirt and grit out of your socks and shoes. These are the first steps in blister prevention.
Finding What Works

Before giving up and resigning yourself to a life of blisters, try a few things and see what might work for your feet. The first is to determine whether your feet can benefit by using a lubricant to reduce friction. Some of the most popular lubricants include Avon Silicone Glove, BodyGlide, Sport Slick, Hydropel, Runner’s Lube, Bag Balm, Vaseline, and Un-Petroleum Jelly. Clean off any dust and dirt buildup and apply the lubricant to any parts of the feet that typically blister.

A second choice is to switch from lubricants to powders. The best powders will keep the feet dry as they reduce moisture and friction. Two top choices are Zeasorb and Gold Bond that contain moisture-absorbing agents and are less prone to caking than regular talcum powder and cornstarch. Reapply the powder as necessary when the feet are exposed to a lot of sweat or water.

If the lubricants and powders do not work, consider learning to tape your feet-or at least the areas prone to blisters. Before taping there are a few tricks to learn. Clean your feet with an alcohol wipe to remove the skin’s natural oils. Then use a tape adherent on the areas to be taped. Tincture of benzoin can be applied with a clean cloth or use one of the spray products, Cramer Tuf-Skin or Mueller Tuffner Clear Spray. Allow the adherent to dry before taping. Apply the tape and round off any corners. After taping, apply a bit of lubricant to the edges of the tape to cut any exposed adhesive on the edges of the tape that might catch on your socks and pull or roll the tape off the skin. Put another thin layer of lubricant, or powder, on any areas of the feet still sticky from the adherent. You don’t want toes sticking together or socks sticking to your feet!

If you are prone to blisters, try one or two of the lubricants and powders mentioned above. You have to find what works for your feet.1

Ninety-nine percent of those whom have participated in an adventure race or ultramarathon of any significant distance, at one time or another have had their share of blisters. Some blister easily; regardless of what steps they take to prevent them. Others get a blister now and then.

Some people are simply not prone to blisters. They might rub some Vaseline on their feet, pull on cotton socks, run on trails where dirt gets into their shoes, and still not blister. These folks are just plain lucky and we all wish we could be like them. Others of us blister in spite of what we do or because we don’t know what to do. What steps can we take to prevent blisters?

First Steps

Some assumptions have to be made upfront. We assume you are already wear socks made from Coolmax or a similar fabric that wicks moisture away from the skin. You may even use double-layer socks or a thin liner under a thicker outer sock. Your shoes should fit your feet properly and not allow the foot to move too much inside the shoe. Gaiters are an important part of your gear and should be worn to keep dirt and grit out of your socks and shoes. These are the first steps in blister prevention.

Finding What Works

Before giving up and resigning yourself to a life of blisters, try a few things and see what might work for your feet. The first is to determine whether your feet can benefit by using a lubricant to reduce friction. Some of the most popular lubricants include Avon Silicone Glove, BodyGlide, Sport Slick, Hydropel, Runner’s Lube, Bag Balm, Vaseline, and Un-Petroleum Jelly. Clean off any dust and dirt buildup and apply the lubricant to any parts of the feet that typically blister.

A second choice is to switch from lubricants to powders. The best powders will keep the feet dry as they reduce moisture and friction. Two top choices are Zeasorb and Gold Bond that contain moisture-absorbing agents and are less prone to caking than regular talcum powder and cornstarch. Reapply the powder as necessary when the feet are exposed to a lot of sweat or water.

If the lubricants and powders do not work, consider learning to tape your feet-or at least the areas prone to blisters. Before taping there are a few tricks to learn. Clean your feet with an alcohol wipe to remove the skin’s natural oils. Then use a tape adherent on the areas to be taped. Tincture of benzoin can be applied with a clean cloth or use one of the spray products, Cramer Tuf-Skin or Mueller Tuffner Clear Spray. Allow the adherent to dry before taping. Apply the tape and round off any corners. After taping, apply a bit of lubricant to the edges of the tape to cut any exposed adhesive on the edges of the tape that might catch on your socks and pull or roll the tape off the skin. Put another thin layer of lubricant, or powder, on any areas of the feet still sticky from the adherent. You don’t want toes sticking together or socks sticking to your feet!

If you are prone to blisters, try one or two of the lubricants and powders mentioned above. You have to find what works for your feet.

Some foot care treatment tips are listed below

1.  Hot spots can be treated by applying a piece of tape to the skin… better yet, apply the tape to your hot spot prone areas  before hiking or running.

2.  Before you have blister problems, learn how to fix blisters. Be prepared with the correct blister fixes so your run or hike won’t be ruined. There is more than one way. Learn the normal method, the advanced method, or the extreme method.

3.  If you are prone to ankle sprains, try one of the high-quality ankle supports that are made to provide a “taping” effect to reduce the chance of ankle injury.

4.  If you are bothered by pain at the metatarsal heads just back from the toe joints, try metatarsal pads in your shoes or boots. The pads can relieve pressure and make your footwear more comfortable.

5.  Fix a badly stubbed toe by buddy-taping it to the toe next to it. Put a piece of tissue between the toes before lightly applying a piece of tape around the toes to provide support to the injured toe.

6.  Plantar fasciitis can be helped by using one of several devices which provides support to the plantar fascia.

7.  If you are bothered by heel pain, try one of the heel pad, orthotic, or a device which provide support and stabilization to the mid-foot and/or heel.

8.  If you do not have a blister repair kit in your gear bag or pack, consider making one with the blister fix materials which will help your feet the most.

9.  If your second toe is longer than the big toe next to it (Morton’s Foot), be sure you have a non-slippery insole. A slit or slits cut into the toe box can help relieve pressure on the toe.

10.  Relieve a black toenail by using a pin, needle, or paper clip, sterilized by heating it with a match, to penetrate the nail, expel the blood, and relieve pressure.

These are some important things you should care, for your foot

1.  If you are prone  to blisters, try taping your feet before hiking or running to eliminate friction points. Learn how to tape toes, heels, and the balls of the feet. Duct tape and Elastikon tape are two good  tapes. They can also be used to tape over blisters.

2.  Use Compound Tincture of Benzoin on your feet before applying tape to hot spots or blisters-prone areas of your feet.

3.  If you use a lubricant on your feet and still blister, try using a good highly-absorbent powder instead. Likewise, if you use powder and blister, try a top-quality lubricant.

4.  If you will be running or hiking during rainy weather, consider trying a high-technology oversock, like the SealSkinz waterproof socks. This type of sock can help reduce blister problems caused by wet feet.

5.  If you are prone to pressure point problems caused by shoe or boot laces, try one of the lacing options for your specific foot style or one of the new alternatives to regular laces. These new laces can offer greater foot comfort.

6.  Dry and callused  feet can be helped by using quality skin care  products. These creams or lotions can soften hard skin, eliminate cracks in your skin, and make your skin more resistant to blisters.

7.  Investigate the new socks found in your running and camping  stores. Many of these socks offer moisture wicking benefits, double layers to reduce friction, or special yarns to reduce heat  buildup. The right socks are a major factor in preventing blisters.

8.  If you have problems with dust and grit buildup coming in over the tops of your shoes or boots, try gaiters. A gaiter, store bought or home-made, can eliminate the friction against your feet caused by dust, rocks, and grit in the socks.

9.  If you wear orthotics and experience problems, try one of the inexpensive alternatives to expensive hard orthotics. These alternative insoles can relieve pressure points, reduce blister and foot irritations, and make your feet comfortable again.