I recently hit the 10,000 mile mark for total miles run. I’ve been lucky enough to run in many places all round the world on some amazing multi day adventures. I still get blisters occasionally but these days I am armed with all sorts of tricks and tips to solve the discomfort or swelling in my feet.

The jump above marathon distance is usually the point where you might start to notice issues with your feet. I certainly don’t consider myself an expert in footcare, but I can share with you a number of things I’ve found that work !

This guide is designed to give you lots of ideas and starting points for solutions to help you with your feet as you start running longer distances. In this guide I give you areas to consider for you shoes and fit of your shoes, new lacing ideas as well as easy to buy items from pharmacies to give you loads of different options to help soothe your feet and prevent and treat blisters before, during and after being on the trails.

The idea is not to try and carry everything in this guide with you on the trails! But instead to try a few ideas that might work and leave a few other options in a drop bag on race etc so that you have lots of useful options for dealing with or preventing blisters.

I’ve put this guide into three sections

• Prevention
• Socks and foot care on trail
• How to treat a blister if it happens.

So lets get started !

Blister Prevention

I’m aware that often you are well beyond the prevention stage when you already have a blister but If you can understand why blisters tend to form you then have the knowledge to reduce the number of times you have a problem in the future.

Why Do Blisters Form ?

There are a number of reasons this happens. As you run longer distances into the Ultra range you may find that combinations of shoes and socks that worked for a few hours running don’t work as you start to go beyond the 30 mile distance. Let’s take a look at whats happening to cause blisters for most people.

The longer the distance you run the more likely you are to get sweatier feet that have expanded and got bigger than normal and the increased amount of friction from every time you put your foot down. Excessive moisture or perspiration can also trigger these skin bubbles. This is common during warm seasons among athletes, particularly runners. Tiny blisters form when sweat clogs the pores in the feet.

Blister Prevention – Avoid Badly Fitting Shoes

Feet come in all shapes and sizes. If you find that you start to get blisters on your feet its best to look where on your feet you are getting the blisters and what part of your shoes this corresponds with.

Blisters on Toes

If you are getting blisters on the sides of your big or little toe then its likely that the width of your running shoes is a problem at the distances and time on your feet that you are doing. What may have worked in the past for shorter distances and less time on your feet may not now work for longer distances as you feet swell and get pounded more.

The first thing you can look at is re-lacing your shoes so that you reduce the tightness towards the toebox end of your shoe. I did a short video to explain this .

The second thing you can do that is more long term is be aware of the fact that your feet can rub in this area and look to see if the existing shoes you use have a wider D fitting version of the standard size you use.

If they don’t then you can look at some brands of trail or road shoe such as Lalo Zodiac or Topo Athletic who do ‘foot shaped’ shoes that are much more forgiving on toes and feet when you are running or hiking long distance. I do a review of the Topo Athletic Ultraventure and the Altra Lone Peak on my site.

Blisters on Heel – Try Using Heel Lock Lacing

If you are getting blisters on your heel then its possible that your shoes are a little bit too long and you have too much play in the shoe. You can reduce the movement by using Heel Lock lacing .

Alternate Lacing

With Alternate lacing you can buy yourself some extra width at the front of your shoe. I don’t recommend this as a permanent thing, more as an option if you find during a long run that your feet are swelling.

Cut Your Toenails

Yup. Its as simple as that. By keeping your toenails as short as possible you are reducing the chances of getting blisters because your toes are less likely to rub against the ends of the shoes.

Black Toenails?

This can be caused by shoes with too much of a drop between the heel height and the toe height. What then happens is over a longer run your toes are pushing forward and down slightly every time you take a step smashing your toes and toenails into the front of the shoe. Altra Shoes have no drop from heel to toe and Topo have only a few mm so both work well to prevent ‘toe smashing’ on long trail runs.

Blister Prevention – How to Tape your Feet

If you know there are certain places you are prone to getting a blister what you can do is to tape those areas in advance to protect them from abrasion.

There are lots of different types of tape for feet and runners and all but one are pretty useless and don’t stay stuck for long enough.

I came across Tensoplast when I ran the Marathon des Sables as they were using it in the ‘Doc Trotters’ tent to fix up really bashed up feet from the desert.

What makes Tensoplast the superhero of foot tape is that it is ridiculously sticky. I mean insanely sticky so once the tape goes on it doesn’t peel off later as your feet sweat. It is also elastic so I can use it as kinesiology tape as well on aching muscles or injuries elsewhere on my body. Its so strong I’ve even used it to patch up a backpack on a long run once.

When applying the tape make sure your skin is as clean and dry as possible and gently cut the corners of the tape. By rounding the corners off you reduce the chance of the tape catching and pulling away.

Blister Prevention – Socks Guide

Good socks play an important role in preventing blisters. I cover a few particular types below.

If you are finding that you are getting blisters on specific toes then toe socks like the Injinji socks are well worth considering.

There are plenty of runners I can think of that swear by injinji socks and we are all different so you may want to experiment with them. I recently reviewed the entire Injinji trail runner sock range and was really impressed with how well they help prevent blisters over long distances.

Waterproof Breathable Socks

When the weather is bad or I’m likely to be in a lot of mud or rain my go to socks are military grade MVP ( Moisture Vapour Permeable) socks. The best make I’ve found are the Sealskinz variety.

These socks need to be cared for, washed in tec wash only ( not detergent) reproofed and hung dry, but if you look after them they are WITCHCRAFT for your feet. They are breathable and waterproof. They changed winter wet running for me forever.

The key to helping to prevent blisters from a sock point of view is to opt for socks with as much breathability as possible that allow excess sweat and moisture to wick away from your skin. The lower the friction the material they are made from will also help in reducing the chances of a blister occuring.

Socks for the heat

Swiftwick tend to be my sock of choice here. Particularly the Aspire sock which is stripped down to be as light as possible for maximum moisture wicking and coolness. They are as light and thin as possible on the top to allow easy moisture wicking and heat loss whilst still having significant padding underneath the heel and ball of your feet to make sure you get some cushioning from running with a light amount of compression to also help with foot fatigue.

I’m also keen on the Injinji Lightweight no show socks which I used on a 61 mile Fastest Known Time in the heat recently.

Socks for cooler days

Drymax Maximum Protection Trail Socks or Hilly Monoskin socks tend to be my main sock of choice for all distances of trail running in colder weather. I’m also keen on the Injinji Ultra Run Crew Sock.

The hilly socks are close fitting with no seams and are contoured to feet my feet properly with a material that has great wicking qualities to keep your feet as dry as possible when running.

Blister Prevention – Powders and Lube

There are a number of tricks I’ve picked up over the years that can help alleviate soreness on your feet and also prevent or reduce the chances of blisters. I’ve put together a whole list of cheap hacks that you can easily get in a pharmacy. I’ve also included a link to the cheapest place to buy them online too.

The first thing to do is to check on your feet every 2 to 4 hours. Its easy to forget but I make sure that stopping for a foot check every few hours also gives me the chance to eat and rest for a few minutes.

I recommend keeping a small pack of wet wipes or alcohol wipes on you that you can use to just clean off the dust and mud and grit that gets through shoes and socks and adds to the abrasion on the skin on your feet.

A few minutes airing your feet with the socks and shoes off gives you a chance to inspect, clean and do some maintenance and prevent much more time later on patching them up.

Talc

I small container of talc is really good for helping to keep feet dry and moisture free.

I’ve found out though that prolonged use of talc on your feet for multiple days can actually irritate your feet and make them feel like they are hot and on fire so this should be a short term or every now and then solution to prevention. Alternatively I now also use an antifungal foot powder which gives me the drying properties of talc and helps prevent the ‘foot rot’ I can get after a few days on trail.

There is also a non Talc alternative with the fantastic name of ‘Lady Anti Monkey Butt‘ here

Silicon Lube

Silicon Lube is great to use if you think your feet are going to be wet for a long period of time during your run. Its important to not use water based lube as it’ll wash off quickly. The cheapest way to get your hands on silicon lube is not to buy it from running stores but to go to the ….ahem…..’intimate bedroom things’ online stores.

If your feet do get wet for a long period of time the quickest way to dry them out fast is to use 90% isopropyl alcohol on them and a spare pair of dry socks to change in to.

Dry Shampoo

Yup….You read this right. Dry Shampoo spray is one of my new favorite things to alleviate tired sore sweaty feet that may be close to getting a blister. Dry Shampoo works by spraying starch onto your skin which absorbs moisture but by spraying from a can you also get a massive cooling effect which helps reduce swelling AND it smells fabulous too ! The starch coating also creates a reduced friction coating too to help prevent a blister. You can get dry shampoo in a small can too so it doesn’t take up much space in your pack.

Tend Skin

This stuff isn’t cheap but its REALLY good. There are two things in Tend Skin that are really effective on feet. Firstly the high alcohol content helps dry skin out and removes the moisture as well as being anti bacterial.

Tend Skin also contains aspirin which when applied to your feet in liquid form helps to reduce swelling and redness on foot.

Hydrocortisone Liquid

This little Cortizone 10 Liquid Roll on stick is also a really great product to alleviate sore feet and help prevent blisters. The Hydrocortisone is a non prescription medicine that reduces swelling and soreness.

This is also a great product to use on your feet after a long run too. It also contains Aloe Vera which is a natural extract that also alleviates swelling and soreness and cools and soothes feet that feel ‘hot’.

How to Treat an Existing Blister

Wherever possible its actually best to leave a blister alone to heal naturally over a few days.

I don’t recommend popping a blister unless it has got very large and painful. If you are on a multi day run or hike its usually best to leave popping or treating a blister until the end of the day when you can rest up your feet and give the treated blister time to dry out and heal a bit overnight.

If you do chose to pop the blister ‘out on the trail’ and intend to carry on walking I suggest you do the following.

• Wash your hands and the blister with soap and warm water or a baby wipe
• Swab the blister with iodine or alcohol wipe.
• Sterilize a clean, sharp needle by wiping it with rubbing alcohol.
• Use the needle to puncture the blister. Aim for several spots near the blister’s edge. Let the fluid drain, but leave the overlying skin in place.
• Apply an ointment such as one I recommend in this blog to the blister and cover it with a nonstick gauze bandage. If a rash appears, stop using the ointment.
• Follow-up care. Check the area every day for infection. After several days, cut away all the dead skin, using a tweezers and scissors sterilized with rubbing alcohol. Apply more ointment and a bandage.

How to stop the pain of a blister

If you do have a blister and you want to reduce the amount of pain from it you have a few choices. Once you have done a ‘patch up’ I actually recommend NOT doing much to take your shoes off and looking at it after that because every time you take your shoes off your feet will expand and then they will be more painful when you put back on again. By putting some Tensoplast tape on it you can stop it rubbing much more but I find a more effective treatment for a blister to reduce the pain ( either after you have popped it or not) is to use Anusol cream on it. Thats right ! Bum cream on your feet !

There are two ingredients in hemorrhoids cream that are perfect for when you have blisters. Anusol contains zinc sulfate monohydrate which acts to reduce the inflammation around your blister and also acts as an astringent. It also contains a
topical anesthetic  which helps reduce the pain in that area. As they recommend you don’t use this on broken skin I would only advise using this on blisters that you haven’t popped yet.

Desitin Cream – Blister Treatment

Desitin cream has zinc oxide in it which acts as an astringent and antiseptic and some research hints that it may help in healing as well. I actually use Desitin a lot on humid summer USA trails as a preventative measure for my feet and its possibly the single most important footcare thing in my day pack because I also use it on legs and …er….other bits to prevent chaffing too.

The thick clay like cream makes a really good waterproof coating over an existing blister and is also good to help sooth tired or sore feet. This is also a popular cream with ultra runners for other areas of your body that get chaffed or sore.

Summing Up – Top Final tips to remember

If you ‘feel’ a ‘hot spot’ its vital you stop and look at your feet before a blister happens. This is the time to put tape on that area or clean and treat the area before a blister happens. A few minutes spent at this time will save you a lot of time and discomfort later.

Don’t fight nature. If you know your feet are likely to get wet for a number of hours use silicon lube and waterproof breathable socks.

If your feet are getting hot and swelling excessively during a long run you can use alternate lacing or even remove the inner sole to gain you some more space. Don’t be afraid to dip your feet in a stream for 5 minutes to cool them down and reduce the swelling.

Your order for blister prevention and care should be as follows

1. Wear the right fitting shoes and decent wicking socks in the first place.
2. lubricate your feet with talc,lube or desitin.
3. Preemptively tape areas you known you can get blisters
4. Always stop to tape and treat a ‘hot spot’ before it becomes a blister
5. Use one of the methods mentioned here to treat a blister, only pop a blister if absolutely necessary
6. Use many of the products mentioned here for aftercare.

So there you go ! You now know as much as I do about the options you have for taking care of your feet when trail running or hiking.