Runner’s feet… the ugly truth

If you’ve been doing quite a bit of running lately, and your feet still look awesome and all of your toenails are still on and normal colored, please send me a photo as proof, and your secret.  I’ll keep it confidential…

I think all runners know our feet take a beating, and that means they usually resemble that beating.  As of today, I have two black toenails, one missing, and one massive, disgusting callous on the side of my big toe.  I haven’t had a pedicure in almost two years, and that’s why.  I would cry for the poor person who had to deal with my nasty feet.

I remember getting my first black toenail after my third half marathon, and slightly freaking out.  I was still naïve to all the foot related side effects of running.  I can’t give any tips on how to avoid the blackening or potential loss of (RIP) your toenails… but some pretty good rules of thumb to follow are:

-         -Wear properly fitting shoes.  Duh, right?  If your shoes are too tight, you are going to have a problem.  I didn’t know this until I started running more, but it is recommended to buy running shoes a half size bigger than your regular shoes.  I personally don’t do this.  Do what works for you. 

-         -Keep your toenails trimmed.  Nasty job, but someone has to do it.

-         -Give your feet some TLC.  I have slacked on this lately, but I try to use a foot cream or callous softener on my feet after a shower, and put socks on.   My personal fave is this Dr. Sholl’sfoot cream.  I also have one of those cheap foot massagers (mine was from Walmart) that you can fill up with some warm water and soak your feet in for a while.  Mine has a few different settings, and I usually throw some sort of foot soak salt in there.  It’s a cheap and quick way to do a mini at-home pedi.  I usually soak my feet after a race or long run.

Another lovely foot issue that is super common is the dreaded BLISTER.  Blisters are annoying, but can also really be painful if not cared for.  If I have a blister, I make sure to have it covered and taped sufficiently before I run again.  I HIGHLY recommend Band-Aid brand (or generic) blister band aids.  They are a bit spendier than your basic band aid, but totally worth it.  They stay stuck, and have an absorbent cushion for the blister.  Depending on the area of my foot, I’ll slap one of them on and usually throw a layer of pre-wrap around it for extra cushion and security.

Socks
Ever since I started wearing my beloved Mizuno Wave Riders, I’ve worn two pairs of socks.  Every single time.  I have a lot of laundry by the end of a week…  I wear a basic low pair of Adias socks underneath my Pro Compression socks.  If I am not wearing compression socks, I have two pair of Adias layered.  I doubt this is what would work for others… but it’s always been what I’ve had to do.

Any tips to add?  If you have other foot tips, please share! 

T25 Total Body Circuit and it's baaaack

Welcome back to my life KT Tape. You really are miraculous.  Calf strains have nothing on me.

Friday night was my third day of T25.  Total Body Circuit on slate.  I did a little bit of strength training earlier in the day, but mostly just hobbled around and tried to ease the horrible cramped pain in my left calf.  I was nervous to do the T25 workout, but threw on some Pro Compression sleeves and went for it.

Barefoot.

I did some research on the best shoes for T25/Insanity, and I know this is a big discussion.  Shaun T himself recommended the barefoot approach, or minimalist shoes.  I had done my first two days in clean Wave Rider 15s I had in my treadmill room, and I think that play a part in my calf tightness.  I really loved being barefoot as opposed to the clunky shoes.  I am considering getting a pair of minimalist toe shoes, just to prevent slipping around, but the yoga mat and my rug on the floor seemed to work well.

The Total Body Circuit was an absolute killer.  I had to stick with the modifier in several points.  Part of me was being over cautious on the calf front, but mainly it was just a butt kicker.

The 4 AM Club – Tips for early morning running

I used to have a limit, or rule if you will, about the absolute earliest I would ever run.  The earliest I would ever allow an alarm was 4:47AM.  I broke the rule, and it wasn’t even that hard.  Thank the time change.  3:55 AM, my eye balls popped open BEFORE my 4:00 AM alarm.  Like I said, if not for the time change, this would not have happened.  But my bed times had been skirting around the 8:30 range the last two nights.  So this was just sort of my body going by it’s normal clock.

To make a long story short, I had a time crunch, I needed to be in the car with my co-worker by 6:15 to head out for a work conference.  I wanted to run 6 miles.  SO, I started at 4:10 AM.  And it didn’t suck.

Tips for morning running and getting your tail out of bed:

-          - PLAN!!!! You must plan ahead.  Set a goal, an alarm, and all of your gear out the night before so it’s right there, and takes little time for you to gather.

-          - Go to bed early.  This goes with the planning aspect.  If you know you are running early, or earlier than you normally would, make sure to plan ahead and get to bed in time.  Cut caffeine off early in the day and start winding down so you can fall asleep.  This is really easy for me, I always seem to be tanked and ready for bed.  I’m also a good sleeper (if this exists)  I very rarely have issues falling or staying asleep, and I don’t have kids to wake me up!

-          - Go to bed visualizing your run.  This might sound crazy, but it works for me!  I visualize the workout, the route, or my plan for the morning.  Am I doing a tempo? Steady state? How many miles?  This helps and it also is a good motivator.

-          - Have your fuel ready.  I don’t eat anything, but I do drink something.  I have my Spark in my shaker bottle, and my 3 Catalyst on the counter waiting for me.  I take them immediately, that way by the time I get dressed, they have kicked in and give me the boost I need.

-          - Remind yourself WHY you are doing this.  For me, it’s usually “you get to come home after work and watch General Hospital” or “this beats going to the crowded Y.”  Or in yesterday’s case, it was really the only time I could do it.  I knew I’d be camped on my butt all day long in the car and in training, and wouldn’t have the energy to do a dang thing when we got home (this was the case) so I was extra motivated, and extra glad I did it!

Don’t expect to become a morning runner overnight.  It takes some getting used to.  I started last summer, and only did it when it was horribly hot out.  By September, I was back to running after work in the evenings or not at all.  (I kind of fell off the wagon after race season)  It’s not always easy, and can wear you down if you don’t take the rest when you need it.  I make sure to sleep in on my cross training days and do it after work or on my lunch break.  Having those “sleep in” days help me get through the week, and help me wake up more motivated the next early day.  It’s routine for me now, and second nature, but it took time to get there.  It’s like training for a race, you have to train your body to be able to respond and get going early.

THIS ISN’T FOR EVERYONE!  I so get that.  I can’t imagine the thought of evening running, like after 7pm.  Some people always run in the evenings.  Some people just aren’t morning people.  Some people think I’m bat sh*t crazy.  Everyone is different.  If I didn’t have to work 8-5, I would not run at 5AM.  My personal favorite time is that 7AM range.

Random tidbits from yesterday:

-         - FOUR.  The time I ran, and the number of cups of coffee I had.  One latte from Scooters and three cups of good ol’ black coffee during training.  I love coffee, but I typically don’t drink any during the week.  One day a week tops.  So this was a lot, and the top of my head was tingling.

-         - Mahoney State Park is just gorgeous.  If you can make it there during the fall, DO IT!  Wow.  I wished we could have been outside walking the trails or biking instead of inside.

-         - I hate to drive.

-         - Don’t trust the “fuel range” mile indicator on your car.  I was a block away from the gas station, and was 95% sure I was going to have to get out and push it there… oops.

-         - I really hate being in the car.