Thread: Running without socks

Congrats Spike. Welcome to the naked feet club. What distances are you running? I'll only do 4-6 sans socks. Don't over do it. If you're blistering, build up slowly. Keep those pups happy. They've got to carry you a long way!

On Oly + distance races the few seconds spent putting on socks in T2 is worth it for me. I use Defeet ankle socks (with Ironman logos :)) and have run 20 + in those with no lube at all. Super Glue would work well on hot spots I'm sure but might negate the calousing effect. I'd save that for racing. I have used liquid bandaid before and know it works well.

Remember, if you sweat a lot, are running on damp terrain or in the rain, you run a much greater risk of blistering. This shouldn't be a problem on Sprints though.

Occaisionally, I'll dump water on my head and it makes it way into my shoes. That's the primary reason I wear socks on longer runs. I ALWAYS carry a small tub of vaseline in my Transition bag. When doing Oly +, if there's a chance of wetness, I'll lube my pups in T2.

Now for cycling, I'm naked under 70 miles. I've never blistered on the bike but don't want to risk it either. Can't imagine being 20 from the house and having one starting to grow! The big advantage to cycling naked (feet of course :)) is running in and out of Transition. That can rarely be done with socks.

All that said, I've really only blistered badly one time. That was last years St Croix IM 70.3. I thought I'd grabbed my Defeets but instead grabbed a pair of cotton socks. In T2 I didn't lube. M I S T A K E! Cotton doesn't work! Would have been better off commando! Ended up with a blister between my toes of all places. That was very odd and very painful. Won't make that mistake again :)

Keep up the training. It'll come and you'll wonder why you weren't commando sooner. :)

Nah... Taper is for wusses! :)

Doing a H I L L Y 39/6 brick Sunday. That's it for the bike. Off Mon. Run 6 Tues. Run 3 Wed. 5k race Thurs. Run 3 Fri. Off Sat. 70.3 Sun. Swim 1500-2000 each day except Sun and next Sat with decreasing exertion. That's the plan anyway...

So... I know what you're problem with blistering is... Your feet are in rebellion from the cold! Running sans socks requires temps in the 90-125 degree range! :) Time to move south!

Enjoy your weekend.

Thanks Spike. I appreciate the encouragement. As usual, I have managed to injure myself RIGHT before the race. Every Thursday preceeding the STX 70.3 we run a very hilly 5K (part of the IM 70.3 course). As I'm sure you know by looking at my times, I'm not especially fast but am fiercely competitive so... Last year I ran 7:28s and was determined to set a PR this year. Went out easy, picked up at the right time the blew it on a sharp decline about mile 2. :( My left ham went. OK... back to the competitive part... ----> me talking to myself... "Don't be a wuss! Your're acting like a litte girly girl! Speaking of which... Look at all those girls ahead of you. Run through the pain!" So... I say competitive, you say stupid. Kinda the same to me I guess. The good news is the pain has subsided today and I'm getting a massage at 12:20 when I get of work! (YEAH! :)) At best it's going to affect my gate. At worst, I may be relegated to walking. Not sure how, if at all, it'll affect the bike. I'm riding an easy 6 this evening just to see.

OK... That said, I'm mentally there. The beast is just 8-10 minutes of hell. Hey! If it was easy, they'd call it football! Nutrition plan is down, Gear already packed. Numbers on the bike, helmet and race belt. Bike is ready. I did buy and plan on racing in a new STX IM 70.3 logo'd singlet & tri shorts. (Remember the "nothing new on race day" rule?) Watch it rub the hell out of me!!! If so, you can laugh if I can cuss. Might be a good lesson for me.

As for the competition... We've become really good friends with Tara Norton (www.taranorton.com) and a few other pros. Tara is a real sweetheart, an inspiration and a true champion. Some of these athletes are super (of course some are not). Those will remain nameless. I expect to finish 2/3 down the oveall list and 1/4 down on the VI list - barring a completely trashed run.

That's my pre-race report. Thanks for the good wishes and again for the wonderful support! Please do get down when you can. Put STX in your expedia.com or travelocity.com fare watcher alerts to look for airfair sales. We also have some great sprints here in Sept, Oct (BVIs),Feb (St Maarten), Mar, Apr, June (07), Aug (07) as well as an International (Olympic) in Nov and of course the hardest IM 70.3 in the world (and a Kona qualifier) The St. Croix Ironman 70.3 - Beauty and the Beast.

Perhaps you can join me in Florida in Octover for the Great Floridian - USAT Long Course Championship. Your choice of Iron or Half in a lovely area of Central Florida. The great news is the short sign-up times. No need to sweat the M-Dot 1 year in advance issues.

WOW!!! You're a lucky guy!!! Lets start a new triathlon reality series: Trading "Iron Wifes". My wife would likely be the cause of the flat :)

OK... Spill the beans... What model? Road or Tri geometry? Tri bars or road bars? New pedals? What color? I can't wait to see!

Do think about FL. It's a great venue. It also has a pretty nice race related forum (www.sommersports.com). I got a lot of great tips there.

Transitions were in the bike split. I knew they would be and didn't break them out so can't tell you what they were. Both were fast though. I'd guess less than 1:30 inside the fence.

Thanks Spike. I'm pleased with my time. Though slow in contrast, I bettered last year by 25 minutes. Best of all, I learned many new things about equipment, planning and my body. I'll give you a more detailed race report later (when we chat about you new stallion).

Okay guys....simmer down. Spike, what a wonderful woman you have! A new Trek? I'm so jealous. I keep eyeballing a new tri bike, but just not in the funds right now. Alas...

Scott, how was Sunday? I thought about you out there on Sunday and was a little jealous. You didn't answer Spike's question about the new suit on race day...how was it? My husband would relate with your wife. He says he's an IM widower. Lost his wife to racing. Oh well, it's in my blood and here to stay. I'm jonesn for a race, next month is my first. Few sprints, a half, an olympic and then IM Florida. I get butterflies just thinking about it.

Heather

Heather, you're a REAL woman. Let your husband know that there are lots of us Tri-guys out here that think buff Tri-chicks are the hottest thing around! :)

Sorry for not answering the question... No worries. It was fine. Just to be sure I used about a pound and a half of body glide on every tender spot and every seam. The singlet was tight but felt great and never bothered me. The shorts were perfect. Here's a pic of me coming out of the water with the new duds on. Don't look at me (I look beat!), look at the design. Pretty nice outfit. Louis Garneau Tri gear.

Thanks for thinking about me. Our spouses would be jealous! :) The race was great. The pain's all gone and I'm ready for round 2. Not much in the way of Tri's happening here until September so I put my road bars on last night. I'm going to start racing with the Virgin Islands Cycling Federation again. I know, I'm a Tri traitor! I’ll keep up the Tri training though and will begin working towards the GFT 140.6 in October shortly.

Heather, have you ever done Iron before? I have some neat tricks and an Iron race checklist you may want. Keep us up to date with your training.

Scott,
Nope, this is my first IM. That's why I picked IM Panama City Beach, because I heard that it was an easier course. Flat. Any pointers or checklist that you might have would be fabulous! I did hire a coach but any successful IM that might help me will not be balked at! I have no shame in saying "What the hell was I thinking?!"

I would love to just do a bike race one day (maybe next year) I have found a deep love for the cycling discipline and have found that I'm pretty good. I race the guys on our bike trail and usually win. I've also found that I can get my little 51cm bike going pretty fast, and with that knowledge, I want to go faster. 27 mph is my record, held it for 3 minutes then the pain set in and had to back it off to 22. You have to know that I'm 5'3 1/2" , so the serious cyclists are a little shocked that I can keep up and even beat them! Maybe a new bike...(Spike I'm still jealous!)

40MPH!! Cool! I was actually looking at a Madone a few weeks ago, very smooth bike. Congrats! Can't wait to see the pics. By the way, you have a really awesome wife for doing that.

OK Heather, now we're all really curious. Need a pic of hot Iron Mom and her ride.

FL is mostly flat. I think 110' is the climb profile for IM FL. I'll send you a few race tips & the checklist. Email me at letsdive1@aol.com with your email address.

Anything over 20mph puts you in the top 1% of cyclists nationally (according to the USCF). So... YOU ROCK CHICK! You need one of those t-shirts that says "beaten by a girl" on the back :)

Spike, I'm SOOOO jealous. I can't even get my bride to by me new swim goggles! (She says all those scratches make me look macho :)) As hopped up as you are about your new steed, I bet you were doing 40MPH UP hill! Need pics soon dude!