A painful blister can completely sideline your running progress, in fact blisters can even interrupt the careers of top athletes. While they aren’t as serious as breaks and sprains, blisters shouldn’t be ignored as they can affect your concentration and performance. The best practice for any athlete is to avoid getting blisters in the first place and your choice of shoe is where the prevention starts.
Make sure you have enough room in the toe. There should be roughly one thumb width between the end of your foot and the end of the shoe. Your foot should be centered on the shoe platform with the shoe wrapped comfortably around your foot, not tight and not sloppy.
After you found a good fitting pair, try them out. Run on a treadmill or do a few laps around the store to make sure there’s no irritation or slipping in the heel – which could lead to blisters. Also ask at the shop about good running socks – they can make a big difference.
Should I Run with Blisters?
No matter whether you’re running solo or competing in a team sport, when you’re breaking in new shoes, try to have a spare pair on hand. If you feel the hint of a blister coming on, stop and switch shoes immediately. If that isn’t practical, reach for a Compeed blister plaster from your sports bag. That way your run or game won’t be interrupted, and you won’t be letting yourself or your team down. One last rule to prevent blisters – sweaty feet can also create the friction that leads to blisters, so it’s important to keep your feet dry. For this we recommend that you use foot powder and change your socks regularly.
