Ok, I just got some new
Ok, I just got some new blood blisters today (on my 2nd and 4th toes), so I thought I'd chime in. I haven't had any blisters in a long time. Even after running my 1/2 marathon, no blisters. Anyway, today I ran a 10 mile Turkey Trot (or as I've been calling it lately, a Gobbler Gallop), and I did fairly well:
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/kKbBTc9Xvwg. Ran a 1:28:18 which is about a 8:51 min/mile pace. That may be what caused the blisters since I haven't ran any further than about 6 miles barefoot since my 1/2 marathon, and I have never ran that fast for that long since I've been barefoot. I was trying to concentrate on lifting my feet quicker and not pushing off, since I think that is what has been causing "wear spots" on my 5th metatarsal and tenderness on my 1st met. Anyway, I think I did good until the last couple of miles. I noticed that I was running more flat footed as I got tired and my feet got "tender" (although still keeping my knees bent. I don't think I was actually landing completely flat but my heal was making more than normal ground contact). I did try to shift to the grass whenever I could those last couple of miles, but there were stickers in the grass. The stickers really didn't hurt, but I could feel that they were there, and I guess that kinda "bothered" me. I could usually just brush my foot in the taller grass (if there was any since alot of the grass was dying), and that would get rid of most of them (I thought it got rid of them completely until I finished the run and was getting ready to put my VFFs on...there were at least 4-5 stickers on each foot still). Anyway, when I finally went to put my VFFs on, I removed the stickers and brushed the sand/pebbles off of my feet and I did not notice any blisters. After wearing my VFFs and walking around and talking to some people who I conversed with during the run about BFR, I decided to leave. On my way to my car, I noticed that my toes were hurting a little bit, but nothing too bad. I stopped off at a convenience store and grabbed a drink, returned to my car, and decided to take my shoes off to check out why they were so tender and I saw BIG blood blisters. I was actually in shock since I did not notice them when I put my VFFs on. My feet actually felt better immediately following this run than they have on some even shorter runs with no blisters forming. Anyway, I took pics of the blisters before I popped them:
...and after I popped them:
I did not get any while I was popping them since they squirted out in a jet stream, and I didn't want to get in trouble having blood/blister juice all over the place.