This week started out well but ended not so great. If you follow me on Instagram you may have already read about my blister saga. I’ll explain more as I go through the week, but it’s always something, right? Oh, and I also broke the bracket of my Garmin which holds the band in place. I am sending it in for repairs because it’s still under warranty and there is a tiny crack on the screen that would be nice to have fixed. Luckily I still have my old Garmin so I have been using that for now.
I traveled for work from Wednesday to Friday which made things a little trickier. I made sure to get in my two strength training sessions before I left. Even though I packed a lacrosse ball and stick, I felt like I wasn’t able to get in the same quality of mobility work as what I am used to. That paired with sitting in a small conference room all day was not a good combo.
Monday: Soft tissue work, Strength training Week 3 Day 1
I’m still enjoying my strength training routine and feel like I am getting more used to the workouts. It takes a full hour between my warm up and the exercises.
Tuesday: Soft tissue work, 3 miles, static mobility
After Monday was when my week started to get crazy. Monday was my only day in the office all week, and I ended up being there later than planned. Then on Tuesday I was at a conference all day and had to come home, get some work done, and get ready to go away the next morning. I was glad to squeeze in a run before the day started- I really needed it!
Wednesday: Soft tissue work, Strength training Week 3 Day 2
I started out the day by getting in my second strength training session of the week. Then I headed to the Eastern shore for work. (Not the beach part of the shore- there was no water nearby.) It was a productive trip but I felt like it was nonstop between being in meetings all day and then going out to dinner with coworkers.
Thursday: Dynamic mobility, 4.3 miles, some static mobility/soft tissue work
I woke up itching to run. Since the hotel was basically on a highway, I drove down the street to a Panera and parked there while I went running in the nearby town. It was SO humid, but my body felt good and strong. I did an out and back, but went a little too far. At mile 3 I started to feel a blister on my left heel. It got worse and worse as I finished the run. When I got close to my car and stopped to walk I realized it hurt even more to walk than run. I hobbled back to the car, got breakfast and Panera, and got back to the hotel as quickly as possible to take off my running shoes. Luckily the rest of the day was spent in sandals.
After my run I asked Instagram for tips on dealing with a blister. After getting some great suggestions I made a trip to CVS later in the day and stocked up on Second Skin, blister band aids, large band aids, and tape.
That night we drove out to St. Michael’s for dinner, which was on the water, so that was a nice end to the day!
Friday: Dynamic mobility, 3 miles
When I woke up I covered the blistered area with all the products I had purchased the day before. When I put on my running shoes it felt fine! I was hopeful that by protecting the area that I could still run. This time I drove to a different parking lot and did a 3 mile out and pack. Well, 2 miles in and the blister started hurting again, even though it was still covered up. I was mad at myself for making it worse, but honestly I was SO desperate for running those days with being stuck in a conference room all day.
Saturday: Rest
I was exhausted from traveling and had a ton of stuff to do (groceries, cleaning, errands, laundry, etc.) so it worked out to make this a rest day. The blister was starting to heal but was feeling tight when I walked as the area would get stretched out.
Sunday: Rest
My heel was still feeling tender and I didn’t want to aggravate in any more. Rob and I did go for a short walk after breakfast.
Now I need to figure out what to do about shoes. Will I be able to continue wearing these or have to start over? I was able to wear them for a week with no problems before the blister started, but I feel like once it got humid that’s when the blister happened. For now I’m just trying to let it heal and then I’ll figure everything else out.
[Tweet “It feels like there is always something holding me back from running! See this week’s recap for more details via @milebymilerun #weeklywrap”]
Have you ever gotten a really bad blister from running shoes?
Was it really humid this week where you live?
Do you ever have to travel for work? If so, do you go running while you are away?
Linking up with Holly , Tricia, and Zenaida for the Weekly Wrap!
omg. I wonder why that happened! I have zero advice to offer which makes me feel bad. could it be the sock somehow and not the shoe or the sock combined with these shoes? just an idea. ugh.
I’m not sure, I’ve worn the socks a million times but could have been a combo with the shoes! I definitely think the shoes had something to do with it though.
Oh man, well at least compared to everything else, a blister is a small thing to treat. Hopefully it was just a two time thing. Maybe your shoes were a tied a little loose and that let them slip around?
Last night before I fell asleep I checked the weather for this week to see if we would have rain any days and saw that at 11:35pm it was “feels like 90* with 80% humidity.” I think we’re in for an extra steamy summer. It’s been raining a lot already and usually we don’t get to the rainy part of summer until August!
Wow, thats really warm for the middle of the night! I guess if its so hot maybe it will be a little easier to not be running as much.
So sorry about the blister. That sucks when they’re bad enough to make running painful. The only memorable one I had I got running NYCM in a shoe they’d recently changed and was no bueno for me longer than 15 miles. Ouch! It’s been SO cool here since I got back from Vegas. 55 here this morning!
55 degrees sounds nice! I think it will be in the 60s here tomorrow morning.
Funny that you mention your strap for your Garmin breaking. Mine just did the same thing the other day. How long is it under warranty? I got really bad blisters the other wk when I was breaking Converse shoes in for work. They are so darn uncomfortable!
I think the warranty is for a year. Its pretty cheap to buy a replacement band but I figured I would send it back to get the screen fixed too.
Blisters SUCK. Because they just are annoying and so painful. I got blisters from running the marathons, but not too many others. Well, I did get blisters on top of my toes from one pair of shoes. The worst blister I ever had was actually on the arches of my feet from wearing my orthotics (when I very first got them) with stability shoes. I had quarter size gashes in my feet!
I actually think I got a blister on my arch when I started wearing orthotics years ago! It ended up turning into a callous and didnt bother me for too long.
Looks like travel was the theme for this week! So sorry to hear about your blister 🙁 I give you so much credit for going back out to run on Friday despite the blister. I hope that it heels quickly!
Thanks! I was pretty stubborn about it and determined to run but it probably wasn’t the best idea.
I sometimes get a blister on my “bunion area” on my right foot (it’s actually more of a callous that a blister seems to form underneath), but I always seem to get little blisters on the tips of my first two toes (on both feet). I seriously think it’s from the way I grip my toes, because it happens in whatever shoes and whatever socks I wear. Could that blister be from your orthotic…since they’re so new to you? Or are the shoes new?
I think its a combo of the orthotics and shoes. But my first few runs in them went ok. I hope that the orthotics don’t give me issues in other running shoes too!
Ow that sounds so painful! Is it from the shoes or orthotics? I don’t know much about blisters… does the area just need to “toughen up” and then it will be fine?
Im actually not sure. Ive had blisters on other parts of my foot that were able to callous and were ok. But Im not sure about the heel.
Ouch!!!! Hope the blister heals quickly. I got a huge on the bottom of my foot once, still makes me cringe.
Thanks! Im sure the bottom of the foot was a painful spot for a blister too!
Blisters are such a pain! I’m not prone to them and only get them if I run a marathon in the rain. Andrew gets them all the time and I think it’s because his feet sweat. My feet don’t sweat. I don’t even think they have sweat glands anywhere on them. My armpits do all the sweating, even if it’s cold out. I wonder if you used that natural crystal deoderant on your feet before you ran in the heat, that your feet wouldn’t sweat so much and cause blisters? Although if it’s on your heel then it’s probably not a feet sweat thing. Damn! I have no idea, I’m sorry!
Intersting…Im sure my feet sweat but I don’t know if that would be an issue on the heel! I thought about trying body glide but for now Im gone try wearing different shoes and covering it with lots of bandages.
Oh nooo – blisters can be so smalll but so painful and annoying!!
Yes! Im glad its not a “real” injury but its still very frustrating!
Sorry about the blister! I rarely get them but I remember getting a blood blister after the WDW Marathon. I couldn’t stand it and I know I am not supposed to pop it but I did and it didn’t hurt as much anymore. How about some moleskin? I’ve tried it because I get some painful calluses on my right foot near my bunion.
I bought some moleskin but I wasnt sure if I should use it because it says not to put it directly over a blister. Im thinking once it heals I can try it to prevent it from happening again.
Oh no! Blisters are so painful! I used to get them on the balls of my feet near by big toe when I ran in Nikes a long time ago – nasty, big, painful blisters. Maybe it’s from the shoes or orthotics? I hope it heals up and you figure out the cause!
Im pretty sure its from the shoes/orthotics but I had done ok with them for a few runs before. I figure I’ll let it heal and then maybe try one more run in them to see if its still a problem.
I’ve been lucky with my running socks, but I used to get blisters all the time in high school. I didn’t really have a choice and had to run with them all taped up. I hope yours heals, and then makes the area harder to blister.
Thanks, Im hoping that will happen!
Blisters suck for sure and they definitely get worse in humid conditions! I’m very much prone to getting them which is why I wear injinji socks and always grease my feet up with a blister shield gel product. However, I’ve never gotten one on my heel so not sure these products would prevent that. Let it heal and maybe give the shoes another try when it’s not so humid. If it starts rubbing again, I’d ditch those shoes.
I need to find a blister shield gel! I was thinking about trying body glide on that area once it heals to prevent it from happening again.
What is it with Garmin bands? My sister and I (and another friend) have all had ours break too. Fortunately costumer service has been cool about repairs.
I was really happy that Garmin was willing to replace the band for me. Im hoping I get it back soon!
OUCH! I did get a terrible blood blister one time from a brace I was told to wear. It was huge…I could feel the blood sloshing around in it (TMI, sorry). It was the top of my foot. Which shoes are you in now? Are you able to wear your orthotics? I hope it heels up soon! It’s not humid here. It hardly ever gets humid in Colorado…which is great (we do have snow in the winter but our spring/summer/fall can’t be beat…)
I should have said “heals” up soon 🙂 Didn’t mean to be punny!!
Haha! I actually keep mixing up “heal” and “heel” when writing about this:)
Ive been wearing the Altra Intution with the orthotics. I did 3 runs in them with no issues before the blister happened. So Im sure its related to the shoes or the shoe/orthotic combo.
I got a really bad blister on my big toe while running a marathon. It was nasty. And it kept happening after it healed. It turns out it was my new shoes. WHat a pain in the butt! But I’ve never had a blister there again. Good luck!
Thanks! Certain shoes can definitely be the culprit. I have a feeling these will have to be returned.