5/22/07 - Blister #4

I am not even joking about this... I have another. It's small, though, so the picture above is actually a picture of Blister #1 as it looks today... which is 100X better than before!

I think the arches on my "Superfeet" inserts are rubbing on my feet wrong and hence the blisters on the inside arches of my feet. This new one is a mirror of blister #3 and also not bad. After walking outside on a hot day like today, though, it's a little irritated. The blister pads I bought actually "melted" to my feet. Honest. I will try to get a picture of that next time.

And rest assured, there will be a next time. Did I not say this would be a blistery summer?

5/19/07 - Blister #3

In an effort to protect my healing Blister #2, I put a band-aid over it, followed by an ace bandage... unfortunately the ace bandage led to blister #3 above.

It's small in comparison to the first two and not yet painful. The worst part of it is that I brought it on myself by protecting blister #2!

Time to buy some Epson Salts...

On the plus side, while walking with D.S. and L.M. on the towpath we spotted some bald eagle nests and even one eagle perched in a tree. So not only am I raising money for a great cause but I am also discovering nature at it's finest in little ol' Cleveland, Ohio!

5/17/07 - Blister #2

I got new shoes and they are great... and evil. In trying to find "good" shoes for my feet I learned that I have one foot larger than the other, which isn't uncommon. But what it means for me is either one shoe is tight or one shoe is loose. I decided to go with a smaller pair but my right foot still slips a little.

Hence this post... and blister #2. This one was a oozy doozy! You're lucky I don't have pictures of it at it's peak. Above is a picture of it healing nicely.

I decided to walk through the pain on this one. Unlike the first one, this popped and it was the healing/scabbing that was an issue. But I knew I needed to Cowboy-Up and walk through the pain...

April 29th - Blister #1

As you must be aware of (since you found this blog by going to my 3 Day website), I am walking in the Cleveland 3 Day, 60 mile walk for Breast Cancer this August. By registering for this weekend event I have agreed to raise at least $2,200 AND train all summer long to ensure I don't die somewhere in Cleveland as thousands of men and women gently step over me to continue their journey.

Already walking 16-20 miles a week before I signed up for this I really thought that "training" would be no big deal. 20 miles a week... 20 miles a day... no problem!! But my mind and my body don't always get along.

I officially started training on April 22nd. That first week I walked almost 26 miles!! And I felt ... well, to be honest, I felt REALLY sore.

So the next week I kept it simpler and got in 17.5 miles.

Then came the first week of my physical stumbling blocks. And for those of you who know me, I don't mean the literal ones I actually stumble over. At this point I am actually referring to my first blister... hence the reason this Blister Blog has been formed.

On April 29th I met my good friend D.R. on the towpath bright and early. I had my German Shepherd with me and the three of us walked at a nice clip through the beautiful greenery. I felt the rub early on but decided to forge through it...

Little did I realize that by Monday my small little rub would be one mammoth blister. Putting a CALLOUS medicated pad on it and continuing my lunch-hour walks didn't help... By Wednesday and Thursday I had people running for the hills with one look at my foot. (See photo above.) The blister had doubled in size and was surrounded by a nice ticked off red ring.

I did what my smart sister taught me to do Thursday night and circled the red, irritated skin with a ball point pen. The "infection" didn't spread so I thought I was fine... skipped some more walks and also my doctor's appointment (Sorry, Hudson Podiatry!!) and it is heeling (get it?) well.

That one blister inspired me to get new shoes and socks (Thank you Fleet Feet!) but unfortunately I think my heel inspired jealousy amoung my feet. Other blisters are popping up... I have a feeling this will be one blistery summer. I will keep you posted.