Let’s go all out when it comes to running shoes, with membranes, without membranes; with plates, without plates; high drop or low drop, a highly breathable upper… We buy technical socks, with fabrics that evaporate sweat and moisture… Okay, all that is fine, but the most important thing is to take care of our feet directly, they are the foundation (no pun intended) of everything. With our family doctor we visit the podiatrist, a practice we routinely repeat roughly once a month. Pay attention. Take notes and put “feet to work”.
It’s summer, which is the season for races and training in places that are unusual for most people; longer runs, more mountainous outings, more uphill climbs, and also downhill sections… Moreover, the heat of summer makes our feet swell more and sweat more; all of this favors the appearance of blisters, fungi, chafing and black nails.
Are you more of the blister kind or the black-nail type? I’m the black-nail sort. No matter how careful I am, there isn’t a race over 50 kilometers where I don’t lose one or more nails. Still, I admire those people who, after finishing the races, wear flip-flops with perfectly pristine nails.
Well then, what care should we take of our feet to avoid all these problems?
I pick up the phone and dial 63……. And I hope that Iñaki Berrueta, my trusted podiatrist (and a regular collaborator in some ultrarunning events), is available. I have to meet with him because in a few days I’ll be racing in the Val d’Aran and I need a check-up, yes or yes. So, in passing, I grill him and tell you what the main foot-care steps we should take for our dear feet are.
GENERAL CARE
CARE BEFORE RACES
AFTER THE RACE
Honestly, my feet are already in good shape, so I hope not to lose any nails this year in all the mountain races that lie ahead, and I look forward to seeing you there.