Iron Pol

Steve, of Steve in a Speedo?! Gross is well known for his foot issues.  He is equally well known for posting pictures of his battered feet.  Since I very rarely get blisters, I had to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Steve and his blistered self.

This little beauty snuck up on me, and I'm not entirely sure it didn't start, get worse, and bust open in nearly one fell swoop.  I ran at the YMCA Tuesday morning without any noteable heal pain.  It was, in fact, a very mundane run off a modest swim.

After my workout, the kids wanted to go sledding, so I loaded up the gear and we headed to the hill.  It was during the walks up the hill that I noticed the stabbing pain on the back of my heel.  My first thought was something in the shoe (or perhaps a bunched up sock).  I pulled the boot off right there on the hill and adjusted everything.  That did little to relieve the pain, so I spent a lot of time walking backward up the hill, thinking there was something wrong with my boot.

It wasn't until we got back to the car and I switched to street shoes that I realized the blister was there.  I have the distinct impression it was the result of old socks, my boots, and the uphill walks.  I wore very poor socks to make sure my feet would get cold before the kids' feet.  Normally, I wear much better hiking socks.

I've run marathons with no socks, and don't wear socks in triathlons except for Ironman distance races.  I very rarely get blisters, so this surprised me.

The dry skin on the feet is pretty common, though.  And they're always that ugly.

My plan for the day included a 40 minute run.  I put my running shoes on, and decided it was a bad idea.  I replaced it with a two hour ride on the trainer.  Though the band-aid and the socks I wore to prevent further damage made my shoes pretty tight, I figured it was better to be on the trainer with the option to stop than out on the road if the blister started bothering me.

Luckily, the snow should be melting, soon, and sledding won't be much of an option for the rest of the season.  And if the blister doesn't heal quickly enough, I'll have to break out the super-glue...

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