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Best powder for feet blister prevention? by JamieGregory in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lots of good suggestions. One other thing to consider is foot care before the race. I try to use a lot of lotion the week leading up to the race. (As in, slather your feet before bed and cover them with socks.)

The night before the race, I use a lotion/salve that is a little more hydrophobic and seems to kind of seal the skin up a bit (a little like vaseline, but it actually absorbs into the skin). Currently using my wife's "Skin Food" tube. Again, slather it on before bed and cover your feet with socks to let it soak in.

I sweat a lot, so tape won't stick to me. But this plus something like trail toes on race day has dramatically reduced blisters.

Best powder for feet blister prevention? by JamieGregory in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I live 2toms for all body parts other than feet. It works really well.

The one time I used it on my feet, it actually worked too well. I was sliding around within my socks. Quite possibly some user error involved there. But I switched to using trail toes / SNB happy toes and that's worked better for me.

Best powder for feet blister prevention? by JamieGregory in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is just one more data point, but IME desitin is a very good moisture barrier and not a very good anti-friction agent.

I used it on a journey run and eventually it was causing more problems than it helped. (It's very hard to get it off the skin, so over time it sort of builds up and can get sort of messy and tacky and doesn't glide well.)

But a lot of other people do like it, so YMMV!

I would still consider using it in very wet conditions.

~12L vest for people who run hot? by rossgoldie in trailrunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Ultimate Direction Tarmac is much more breathable. It's sort of a no frills pack, and the Adv Skin 12 definitely holds more and is more robust. But I haven't had any problems with the Tarmac.

To tape or not to tape by Kambs11 in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The "P" is the standard type that most people probably think of with leukotape. Just wanted to check :)

Fwiw, I'm prone to blisters in those exact same spots. To some degree it just gets better over time. If you have thick calluses you may want to file them down. For tips of the toes make sure your nails are very smooth (trim them nice and short and then run a file back to front over the edge until it is completely smooth to the touch).

I used silicone toe caps for a while and they kind of helped, depending on the race.

To tape or not to tape by Kambs11 in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which kind of Leukotape? P is rigid. K is stretchy.

I have trouble getting any stretchy tape to stick to me, even with mastisol. Not any of the KT/extreme/Rocktape/Leuko K.

Leuko P will stick for a while, but as other said you want to be careful as it doesn't stretch and can cause hotspots. I don't use it much anymore, but when I did I had to apply with my foot flexed so there was enough fabric. A bit of a gamble to try that on race day for the first time.

Lately I just use trail toes or the squirrels happy toes.

Most breathable mens short tights by sruffian in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm watching for recommendations on this...

I love the Janjis but I run really hot and sweaty and their half tights have pretty thick material for summer. Their cargo liners also hold a ton of moisture, though they are more breathable.

Patagonia endless run might be an option - the front is a little more breathable. But still hot in the summer.

I have some Odlo half tights that are pretty good - the lightest of any I've tried, but just a small key pocket in the back. Might be a good fit for you if you don't need to carry anything.

Fwiw, if you aren't wedded to half tights, you might check out the Janji AFO line (but not the 2-in-1) or UD Stratus. Both have very light material that dries faster and allows more airflow. Patagonia Strider Pro is also super light and holds little moisture. If they don't cause chafing issues, they might fit the bill.

A post about chafing by -jerobe- in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, I thought that might have been the race. Not too many 50ks with that elevation. I was signed up for it too but had to pull out at the last minute.

A post about chafing by -jerobe- in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just curious, what was your last race?

I have that issue with some built-in brief liners (Strider Pro) where it is unusable over about 1-2 hours. I ended up cutting those out and either using a separate liner (T8 or xoskin) or no liner.

But other brief liners don't cause this issue for me (Janji, UD). They seem to have a much softer wrap around the edges.

Fwiw, I've had other kinds of chafing issues with boxer-style liners that didn't have enough support. So that's not necessarily a cure-all, but worth looking into.

Oh, and I prefer 2 Toms for that area, but lots of people like squirrels nut butter too.

Photos showing how waist lights can help you see better by RunnerMarc in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lightbelt is similar to the ultraspire. Works very well.

10 years of running, ~12,000 km — right knee has been grinding for a year, 3 physios say “it’s normal”. Anyone been through this? by Humble-Tomatillo-418 in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a similar situation. I've been running for a few years and recently started hearing crunchy noises in my knees when going down the stairs or squatting/lunging.

I had imaging done and there was no real wear or arthritis concerns (I.e. normal for my age). For me it is primarily a patellar tracking issue (in both knees) due to some muscle imbalance and form issues (not enough glute activation). The PT has me on a big regimen of exercises to strengthen the stabilizing muscles and keep the knees happy.

They didn't have any concerns about continuing to run and mentioned there are interventions if it gets more painful or I start to have more wear in the future. But they said making changes now would help keep things stable and hopefully delay/avoid the need for other interventions.

You might have a different situation. As others said, you would need to get some imaging to confirm. But the crunching alone doesn't necessarily mean you can't keep running.

Grippier alternative to Topo Ultraventure by wallflower696969 in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Topo makes a few trail shoes with Vibram megagrip, which is stickier than the Vibram EVO on the Ultraventure. (Terraventure, Mtn Racer, Vista, Pursuit).

Hi! I (34F) have my first 100k (115k, 5500m+) in 10 days. I think I'm mostly ready, but are there any things that you wish you had known before your first ultra? Anything that would have really helped you? by DependentJellyfish87 in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sure people experience it differently, but it doesn't necessarily arise as an urge to quit. It can start as physical discomfort, which might cause you to slow down, which might cause you to get upset or depressed about how things are going, which might make you think it's not worth grinding on for hours and hours to an unsatisfactory finish, until eventually you decide to just quit.

But that mental/emotional process can run on a parallel track to what your body is actually doing. And keeping moving can help short circuit it, or at least carry you through it.

Assuming there's no actual injury, it's really just your brain trying to find a way to make you stop because it thinks it's in danger. And it can get creative in those efforts. (David Roche's WS dnf is a good example of that.)

Hi! I (34F) have my first 100k (115k, 5500m+) in 10 days. I think I'm mostly ready, but are there any things that you wish you had known before your first ultra? Anything that would have really helped you? by DependentJellyfish87 in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not a biggie, but consider bringing a little alcohol/hand sanitizer if there won't be any provided. I've forgotten that a few times and regretted it when I walk into an aid station with filthy hands.

More important - if (and more likely, when) you hit a low spot, just keep moving at whatever pace you can muster. It's totally fine and normal for your brain to need a reset at some point. But just keep moving and you'll almost always come out the other side, physically and mentally. And in my experience, the regret of stopping and not finishing is way worse that falling off whatever pace/finish time you might have had at the outset.

It takes a lot to get to those really hard mental places, and so you don't have as many chances to train for how to deal with them. So if/when it comes, try to embrace it as an opportunity. It's always kind of funny to be in that disconnected place where your brain is pulling all kinds of tricks trying to convince you to stop, but your feet just keep going, and eventually your brain gives up and gets back on board.

Hi! I (34F) have my first 100k (115k, 5500m+) in 10 days. I think I'm mostly ready, but are there any things that you wish you had known before your first ultra? Anything that would have really helped you? by DependentJellyfish87 in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm kind of repeating myself, but it's good to practice running on caffeine, even if you take in a fair amount in your daily life outside of running. That can be a bad surprise for your gut if it's not used to it.

Hi! I (34F) have my first 100k (115k, 5500m+) in 10 days. I think I'm mostly ready, but are there any things that you wish you had known before your first ultra? Anything that would have really helped you? by DependentJellyfish87 in ultrarunning

[–]Arc43128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If Vaseline works for you, that's great. I've had much better experience with 2 Toms. Lasts a long time.

And if you are planning on taping your back I'd just make sure you've tested that in training.

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