Blister… and then some

Two and a half weeks ago, I decided to try out my Vibram Five Fingers for the first time. Since I’ve never worn a “barefoot” shoe before, I thought it would be best to use the treadmill at the gym and to keep my run on the shorter side. I brought a pair of regular shoes with me as well, so that I could change if the Vibrams were bothering me. I wiggled my toes into their compartments and did up my Velcro closures. I was ready to run.

I started to get used to the shoes and the run was going well, but I started to feel a “hot spot” on the side of the arch of my left foot. Crap.. I was probably going to get a blister. I was about 2 miles into my 4 mile run. I briefly thought about my shoes that were in the locker room, but it seemed like a pain to get off the treadmill, go change shoes, then come back and continue my run. At this point I was also thinking that it was inevitable that I’d get a blister, so it didn’t matter what shoes I wore. I continued on, finishing the 4 miles. I should have followed my own rules and changed shoes because my foot did worse than just get a blister, it had gone past that point… it bled. I had an open wound on the left foot and a fairly large blister on the right (as well as a couple of smaller blisters on my toes).

The blister/wound site has caused me pain ever since that day, but it has finally started to heal this week and I’m getting new skin. Today was the first run without pain. I haven’t tried the Vibrams again, but plan to shortly after my feet are fully healed and perhaps with some strategically placed Band-Aids.

Today’s Run:
Distance: 26 km
Time: 2 hours, 37 minutes
Weather: –1C at start of run, +1C at finish, wind NE 7km/h