Foot care for me, is something that I have always done, but in the past year I've started going to see a professional to help me out and what a difference it has made. My feet are very good at giving me a warning that they are not happy during a run, and in the past I have ignored it, and pushed through, only to have to deal with the mess at the end of the race. I make no secret of the fact that I have a love/hate relationship with running. I like getting the bling!
Here are a few tips that I have picked up recently, some of them from the Osteopath I work next to, Daniel, who is a running geek.
f you are a planning a run longer than you are used to, for example, 10K to Half Marathon: consider buying your next pair of shoes a half size bigger to give your foot room to swell, and your toes to splay out and not scrunch up against one another. Black toe nails may be the badge of honour amongst runners but think about the fact that the bed of the nail is getting badly damaged by this..
Get proper running rocks with no seams (winner)
Learn to lace up your shoes so that that foot is locked down, but the toes still have room to splay out when pushing off into your next stride...
This is a good one too, Lube up! Runners love Vaseline, put it everywhere that material may chaff and rub against, and yes, all over your feet too. Don't save this one for the big day, use it in training too, and don't ignore those little hot spot messages that your feet may give you!
Hope this is useful for you!
Elizabeth