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Question:

of his FEET.     My running partner keeps getting blisters on the balls of his feet.  These don’t seem to be rubbing blisters but more from pounding and heat?  Kind of a subsurface blister that makes it uncomfortable to run or walk. He runs every other day 4-7 miles each time and is in good shape but keeps suffering from blisters.   His shoes are Asics trainers relatively new and he has tried other brands as well.  He has tried single socks, double socks, "blister proof" socks and "moleskin" to no avail.  Most recently, he tried gel inserts but got blisters with them too. Any ideas?

Response:

His shoes are Asics trainers relatively new and he has tried other brands as well.  He has tried single socks, double socks, "blister proof" socks and "moleskin" to no avail.  Most recently, he tried gel inserts but got blisters with them too. Any ideas?

Is he sure his shoes are the right size?  If he mail orders his shoes, he might try buying just one pair in person, from a store with knowledgeable salespeople, to be sure he gets a good fit. I usually have no problems if I use double layer socks.  If I’m racing or doing a long training run (15-20 miles), I put a little vaseline on the balls of my feet and on my toes to prevent blisters.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My running partner keeps getting blisters on the balls of his feet.  These don’t seem to be rubbing blisters but more from pounding and heat?  Kind of a subsurface blister that makes it uncomfortable to run or walk. He runs every other day 4-7 miles each time and is in good shape but keeps suffering from blisters.   His shoes are Asics trainers relatively new and he has tried other brands as well.  He has tried single socks, double socks, "blister proof" socks and "moleskin" to no avail.  Most recently, he tried gel inserts but got blisters with them too. Any ideas?

Observation.  Blisters on the balls of the feet while they may not seem to be "rubbing blisters" are more than likely just that.  Even a millimeter of rubbing back and forth several thousand times a run will cause heat and then the tearing of one layer of skin away from the other.   I would look at overstride as one of the main causes of blisters.  That is, the shoe with the foot in it, lands several inches or more ahead of the center of gravity of the body.  So each step is a stop.  If the shoe stops and the momentum of the body slides forward only that millimeter each step, there is friction.  Then the foot slides back in the shoe only a millimeter before becoming the lever off of which the body is projected again causing that little bit of friction.   March in place,  notice that when doing so, the ball of the foot hits first and then the heel.  This is what running is about.  The legs lift up and down under the center of gravity.  The lean is from the ankle to the top of the head.  If you started to march in place and then leaned from the ankle only a quarter of an inch, the body would start to move forward.   Running Image:  Running is like being on a bicycle.  The feet are on the pedals scribing a circle.  From the front it looks like the feet are only going up and down.  From the  side one sees that the feet on the pedals are scribing a circle.  The idea is that the foot and the shoe land at the same speed with no stopping. Like Matt Mahoney who does a lot of running barefoot,  I have run for the last 12+ years with no socks.  I tear the guts out of the shoe and put in a pair of Spenco inserts, just the plain vanilla with no arches or heels. After a run or two I just wash the Spencos.  My longest distance has been a 50 miler without socks.  Did get some blisters but I attributed it more to my getting tired and losing my running form. In health and on the run, Ozzie Gontang Maintainer, rec.running FAQ Director, San Diego Marathon Clinic,  est. 1975

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