Lesson not learned

My running has been spotty lately, to put it charitably, and all on treadmills and in conventional shoes. I've just recently gotten back into a bit of a routine, and on Monday decided it was time to put the FiveFingers back on and hit the treadmill. I should have known better, but I did the entire run (granted, it was only 30 minutes) in the Vibrams. This was after using only conventional shoes for the last few months. To make matters worse, when I felt my two big toes start to develop hot spots at about 25 minutes, I ignored it and kept on running. Not too bright!

Sure enough, I had blisters on both big toes. They aren't severe, and with the help of a bit of Dr. Scholl's Moleskin, I was able to run today.

If you've decided to take the minimalist shoe plunge, do as I say and not as I do: ease into it!

Moleskin

After two days off, my feet were showing no sign at all of hot spots, and I wasn't really worried about getting blisters. Just as an experiment, though, I thought I'd try some Dr. Scholl's Moleskin Plus I happened to have around. I wanted to see if it would work if I should ever need it in the future.

I cut two pieces about 5 x 3 cm (2 x 1.25 in) and applied one on the ball of each foot, centered about at the base of the second toe. This was where I felt a potential blister coming on a few days ago.  I ran on the treadmill -- the snow here is melting apace, but we've got a ways to go, so it's a big sloppy mess wherever you look.

It felt OK. I could feel the moleskin, but it wasn't unpleasant at all, and it wasn't slippery. After 12 minutes, one of the pieces partially un-stuck and folded over at the base of my toes. It felt too weird, so I stopped briefly and took it off. The other stayed on for the rest of my run, which was only 15 minutes total. When I stopped I found it had moved a little towards my toes.

I think the experiment mostly failed. This is not in any way a criticism of the product, as I was using it in a way that it's clearly not designed to be used. I've used it in the past when I had a new pair of shoes that rubbed a bit at the back of the heel until broken in, and it worked wonderfully.

But on bare feet, while running, it just doesn't stick well enough. I imagine that outdoors it would probably be even worse, since there likely would be dirt and moisture involved.

Blister watch, day 2

I still had a bit of a hot spot on my foot, and didn't run this morning. I may try tonight. Many of the usual strategies for avoiding blisters -- make sure your footwear fits properly; wear moisture-wicking socks; slap on some Vaseline; duct tape (!) -- just aren't applicable to barefoot running. The accepted wisdom seems to be "too much, too soon" will trigger blisters. So, run slower or less distance or both until the skin on your feet has adapted.

I have some Dr. Scholl's Moleskin Plus that I'm thinking about trying, but I wonder if it would just fall off after a few steps, or else make my foot slip.

Possible blister

At the end of my run this morning, I felt what could be the beginning of a blister on the ball of my right foot, near the base of my big and second toes. Apparently this is not uncommon; in the Runner's World Barefoot Running forum, for example, you can find many examples.

There's no actual blister yet, though. I'll see how it feels and looks tomorrow, and perhaps take the day off.