Hi. There are quite a few makes on the market, at the moment I have got Nike XCR which is motion control but also is available in either standard fabric or gortex upper which is great for wet grass. I have also tried Addidas supernova control which were a great trainer but as far as I am aware it doesn't come in a gortex version, but if this doesn't bother you then there are some good deals out there on this particular shoe. Just type it into google for a list of on-line suppliers. Hope this helps!

I have had good results with Sidas Conformable insoles. They take a mould of your foot shape and replicate that in the insole. Primarily aimed at the ski-ing market but seem to work for some walking problems. Cheaper than full blown orthotics, about £50. My problem is high arches which is resulting in Morton's Neuroma. They may not be a long term solution but they have kept me walking for the last year, got me round this year's Hundred OK.

Thank you Rebecca.

Hi Norman - please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong all footwear and physio experts out there, but they're designed to prevent over-pronation (foot excessively rolling inwards upon striking the floor) and are built up slightly on the inside, which holds the foot in a more stable position. Over pronation in my case eventually causes me hip / knee pain. I got so bad with the pain I had to have physio who explain this is due to the illiotibial (I.T.) band of muscle in the leg irritating the knee and hip joint (normally felt when the knee is flexed at 45 degrees).
Walking for a long time on a camber either on a road or a hill side seems to set mine off and then I am in pain for the rest of the walk if I don't have motion control shoes on or orthotics.

You can get them from specialist running shops some of which will analyse your gait for free to see if you do overpronate (avoid high street sports shops) many also have internet shops where last years models can be 33% cheaper, but they tend to be brands such as Nike / addidas which are generally £50 - 80

Rebecca what are the motion control trainers you mentinoed previously? Any makes that you would recommend?

Thanks Norman, I'll try that!

Hi Rebecca, I wear orthotic insoles as well. I managed to get them from the School of Podiatry in Northampton. I had to be recommended by my GP before I could go there though. I most definitely didn't have to pay £100 for them, all I did was give a donation to the school. All the work is done by students under a doctor's supervision. For a list of podiatry schools go to http://www.feetforlife.org/careers/schools.html

Glad it seems to have improved things Elton. I too was pleased that before the Ridgeway i put compeed on the vunerable areas and had no blisters.

I also think biomechanics make a difference. I over-pronate and I am flat footed and there is a lot of rolling motion of my foot, which I think causes hot spots.

I used to wear orthotics and interestingly had no blisters on the Exmoor 100 and chiltern 100 when I wore them. These have now worn out and I just can't bring myself to pay £100 for another pair, but perhaps I need to!

I just use motion control trainers now and although these prevent me getting hip and knee pain, they don't seem to prevent blisters like the orthotics did.

The Dorset Giant was a real wake-up call for me. I was using lightweight trail shoes rather than boots, and had run 20-30 miles on the Thames Path in them without a whisper of foot trouble. Wonderful, I think, I?ve got the blister problem cracked. Come the Dorset Giant, the blisters started at 15 miles. I tried plasters (no good) and then just lathering the blister areas with cocoa butter inside the socks to reduce the friction. I ended with 50p coin size blisters on the inside of the ball of each foot, a blister under the ball of the left foot just behind the junction of the big to and the next toe, and blisters on both sides of both heels. Nothing on the back of the heels, which is what crippled me on the last Hundred.

Obviously it is the unevenness of country trails which is causing the problems. That the blisters are largely on the sides of the feet means that the friction between shoe and foot is occurring vertically on the sides, caused presumably by the foot twisting on side slopes, ruts and ploughed fields . So how to reduce this friction? On the Giant I loosened my shoes after the blisters had occurred, to reduce the pressure. I think this may have resulted in the hot spot under the ball of the foot (caused, I think, by horizontal, back to front, not side to side, movement.). So not a good idea with 40 or more miles to go: because you walk on your soles, sole blisters are more crippling than side of the foot blisters.

A few days ago I walked the route of the Punchbowl Marathon (30 miles) as a foot preparation/repair strategy practise run. Before I started I taped both feet across the ball and over across the top using 50mm wide surgical tape, and under and up the sides of both heels. I put a big dab of an anti-friction gel on each blister spot (now partly healed after the Giant, and stripped of skin.) I also did up the laces a lot more tightly than I had done for the Giant. I found that after 20 miles the gel was no longer effective and the tape was sticking to the blister spot under the ball of the , so I renewed both tape and gel. I think that probably sealing the surgical tape with another small piece of tape (sticky side to sticky side) over the area of potential blistering is a good idea. Anyway this system worked very well (no blisters at all), so I?ll try it for the Hundred. I found woollen walking socks much better for shock absorption. I?m also trying ankle strengthening exercises and balancing on one foot both for strengthening and balance improvement, as recommended here.
http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=634

Thanks for all the advice - I'll put it all to the test on the Oxon. Think the hard ground isn't helping - makes for a fast pace but plays havoc with your feet!

I too get sore balls of feet, but I think it's caused mainly by hard ground hour after hour. The worst my feet have been was on the Chiltern 100, when the ground was very hard. I never get blisters though.

To alleviate the sore balls of feet, I have tried changing socks eg at the halfway point, and using wound dressings with bandages attached to act as padding. I use Thorlos socks which are nice and thick in the important places.

After the Giant, my feet were only slightly sore.

I too get sore balls of feet, but I think it's caused mainly by hard ground hour after hour. The worst my feet have been was on the Chiltern 100, when the ground was very hard. I never get blisters though.

To alleviate the sore balls of feet, I have tried changing socks eg at the halfway point, and using wound dressings with bandages attached to act as padding. I use Thorlos socks which are nice and thick in the important places.

After the Giant, my feet were only slightly sore.

Thanks everyone for the advice and that link Elton - some gory pictures but some very good advice. A little too late to soften my feet considerably but hopefully gives some food for thought to try out at the oxon 40 this weekend.

Good to meet you too, Rebecca.

Good article here with lots of ouch! photos.

http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=634

Have you tried Spenco 2nd Skin Blister kit? They are moist jelly pads that you put on hotspots and cover with sticky tape. They worked like a complete miracle when a fellow walker kindly gave me one a few years ago. Try www.spenco.com for info. Sent for mine on line. Wouldn't go out without them, not that I do really long walks 25/30 is my limit!. Jane

Rebecca - are the hotspots under your feet or on the heel? I find that plenty of badger balm (or vaseline) stops heel blisters, but under-feet ones are more tricky. The zinc oxide tape may work, but compeed tends to rub off and actually make the situation worse if used as a preventative. In desparation I have used compeed held secure by a stretchy ankle bandage, but can't really recommend this except as a last resort.

rebecca try zinc oxide tape ( the white one ) put it on the feet just behind your toes and on the balls of your feet did the dorset gaint this w/e with out a blister hope this helps

Nice to meet you finally at the Giant Elton and glad your calf healed up well.

I know we've had this one on the forum before, but its getting mroe and mroe of a problem for me, and i would be grateful for any advice.

As I was completing the Giant I was aware of Hotspots on my feet, which got increasingly sore. After applying a compede, this seemed to save the day, but I was too late to stop the other foot blistering and developed a nasty blister underthe ball of my foot which was several layers of skin deep.

This happened on the poppyline, which again was really hot, and both of these events I had to pull out at c42m.

I have changed my shoes, tried trainers, experimented with different socks, but still my feet seem to overheat, and blister.

Would anyone recommend the application of Compede on the vunerable areas before even starting walking or wopuld this cause a blister in itself? What about advice for stopping my feet overheating in the first place?

The Three forests was cooler and I completed this back in October with no blisters at all wearing the same shoes so this is really frustrating.

Any ideas?

Thanks all. I wasn't planning on running in the Hundred, and after 4 days, it is much improved. I'll just take it easy. I'll do the Highlang Fling when I've finished - doesn't matter then.

Sympathies on the herniated disc, Ian. That puts a pulled calf into perspective.

You'll be fine - just go steady up hill and down. Don't push yourself - just aim to complete within the alloted time. I pulled a hanstring before the Northumberland 100 - completed in 42 hours, but it didn't matter.

I suffer really badly with calf pulls. This is when running - but I can walk 20 miles o.k when the muscle is pulled (but not run 100 yards). Obviously depends which calf muscle etc. But the main thing is RICE, but also add stretching, a lot of stretching! As you are on a tight schedule to repair it, I would tend to get to a physio asap for advice. If it's a bad pull, I wouldn't count on being running by the 100, could be very close. Matt.

hope you recover elton
just had a MRI scan for a suspect herniated disc luckily i can walk without pain with the right drugs just have trouble twisting and bending, hope there's not a lot of stiles on the hundred

R.I.C.E

Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Put your feet up, wrap an ice pack around the muscle for about 10 minutes. When you remove it the blood will flow to the cold muscle and heal while warming. Repeat as and when. It works for me. Good luck.

I pulled a muscle in my calf this evening while training. I managed to walk (limp) home, and found the pain eased over the 3 miles. Dorset Giant in a week and MidWales in 5 weeks. Any advice for rapid healing? I'll not be doing any more running!