Author Topic: First Time Walker ....100km London to Brighton Ultra Challange  (Read 4452 times)

Poppet

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Hello Yorkshiremarv

Thanks for replying, No Cumpulsory kit , just advice on website.
I just need to crack on with the miles and iron out any issues now rather than on the day.
I am going to give the Merrell Moabs a go ( Just arrived ) tonight for a quick 4 miles to see how i get on.
My issue is my feet and toe pain but am confident as i lose weight and get the miles in these will ease ...fingers crossed.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Kind regards
Poppet

Yorkshiremarv

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Wearing different type of socks will also make a difference to the condition of your feet, i tried out a reasonably thick sock the 1st couple o times cos i thought that'd help and make a difference but they seemed more likely to rub and my feet moved about in them making the bottom of my feet sore, i now use thin socks and theyre better. Once i get to about 6/7 miles in, under my toes area starts to hurt, esp my big toe bone. People have said to me to exercise my glutes and posture which will help in me walking/running greater distances and ive also started to eat properly healthy foods in order to maximise my fitness.
"if in doubt, flat out"

Guy

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Also check out the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) website - www.ldwa.org.uk.  They have a list of challenge walks (generally 20+ miles) https://www.ldwa.org.uk/challenge_events/events_list.php?list_type=L&event_type=N
and there will be a local group who probably do weekly social walks of c20 miles.  Both will be good training for a 100km.


I also wouldn't wear boots.  Fit is way more important than brand name.


Good luck!


Poppet

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Thanks for the info Guy , much appreciated.

Strange question anyone , do you wear or should you wear boxers under running tights ??  ;D Or would a pair  of shorts over the running tights to hide the "Jewels" be OK ?

Regards
Poppet

Poppet

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Sorry to be a pain but a couple of questions.

How long should it take to wear my merrell moabs in ?
I walked twice at the weekend and the bottom of my feet killed ...mostly my toe and the pad of my foot , is this because the shoes are not suitable ( feel hard even with my supafeet insoles) or Im not used to walking this distance and have to go through the pain barrier and will ease in time.
After Fridays walk i bought some thin  gel pad supports for under my pad but this did nothing if im honest at the weekend.
I did wonder about trying some really bouncy trainers ( New Balance Foam) as they are really light and great for shock absorbtion.

Any help would be appreciated

Regards
Poppet

ninthace

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Modern walking shoes/boots should not require walking in and should be comfortable from the get go. Two thoughts:
Are you buying shoes without having them fitted by someone who knows what they are doing?
Have you done any "walking" before or spent extended periods on your feet?
Solvitur Ambulando

jimbob

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Supafeet can take a bit of getting used to for some people. When you say the toe was hurting do you mean the bottom of your toe or the toe nail and front of your toe.  If it is the bottom then use something (some people use vaseline, I use olive oil) to lessen any possible friction. If it is the front and or your toenail  that could be one of two things. Worst case is your shoes are too small by at least a half size and your toe is bring squeezed against the front of your shoes when your feet swell up to their post 5 mile walking mode (that's why you should only try on walking shoes in the afternoon after being for a good walk) or quite simply you are not lacing up your shoes in the correct manner. Shoe lacing and tying can stop both toe bang and heel lift which causes blisters and skinning at the back of your heel after a while. Look up YouTube for lacing hints.
Too little, too late, too bad......

Poppet

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Thanks for the reply JimBob

Thanks ninthace ....the answer is no and no i am afraid , I have signed up for the 100km on a whim   :o
I have never walked 13.9 miles ( Saturday) before so maybe this is the issue .....I just want to be confident that its hurting because I'm new to this or is something more ..sorry about this but I'm just worried ...more pressure because i have raised a fair amount for charity so I have to do this , happy to train and work hard but just wanted to know are the Merrel's OK or shall i try some lightweight running trainers with plenty of bounce.

Jimbob
The pain is more on the top of the Toe / Joint and is stinging on the top of the foot and a pain in the pad.

Really sorry for being a pain , I'm sure everyone has better things to be doing that answering a trainnee walker like me  :-[


jimbob

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Merrels should be perfectly good for those distances. As Ninthace said modern fabric mix type walking shoes don't take a lot of breaking in.
Not sure why the top of your toe would be in pain. Again it could be the lacing, or it could be that you need to experiment with your socks. Some of us wear one pair some of us two.

Slather something like vaseline on your toe next time it MAY help. I now use a very thin pair of socks (bamboo) next to my olive oil mix lathered feet and over them a thicker pair of merino walking socks.

Some people use leuchotapee and tape up their toes individually to stop skinning, some use those toe socks, like I say trial and error.

It can take a while to get used to superfeet insoles, hopefully you didn't just plop them on top of the existing inserts? There are plenty on the forum who swear by gel inserts. They can be got with decent arch support.
Too little, too late, too bad......

tonyk

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  Try putting compeed over the ball of the foot and big toe before you start your walk.It sounds like lack of conditioning rather than an injury.

 Also check your foot fall.Try and place your feet like a cat rather than an elephant.This is something my physio picked up on and after following his advice I had far less blisters and foot pain.

Bigfoot_Mike

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My Moab II boots were comfortable from the outset. I have done 10 miles in them with no pain or blisters. My previous boots that had been resurrected after a period away from walking were causing me sever blisters.

Poppet

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Many thanks for the great info and advice , I think i just need to keep walking and get the feet used to the miles , I am 18st.8lb ( elephant) so not light so maybe in time the pain will ease.
I removed the insole and replaced it with the supafeet , it feels weird.... i thought it would be like walking on sponge but not ...maybe will get better as i wear them in.
I will battle on , thanks everyone.

kinkyboots

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A couple of thoughts for you.

Whilst I wish you luck in your self inflicted challenge don't be under any illusions that 100km is a very very long way. The vast majority of what would be termed regular walkers could not and would not contemplate attempting such a long distance in one go in one day and very few would actually be able to complete it successfully. The truth is that ultra distance walkers/runners are specialists.

My advice would be for you to take a reality check, take any 'pressure' you may be feeling off of yourself and make sure any sponsors you manage to obtain are sponsoring you per km and not reliant on you successfully completing it.

The pain is more on the top of the Toe / Joint and is stinging on the top of the foot and a pain in the pad.

Is the pain on top of the toe/joint being caused by the top of your toe contacting or rubbing on inside of the shoe above and on top of your toe?

The stinging on the top of your foot may be being caused by you overtightening the lacing of the shoe. Your feet swell after a mile or two and your lacing probably needs to be adjusted/slackened to compensate for this several times or more during any walk.

There are basically two types of insoles available on the market and your decision as to which to choose should be based on whether you are looking for arch support and correct foot positioning (harder and more supportive like Superfeet, Sidas and Sole) or whether you are looking for softer spongier cushioning for your feet (like Sorbothane Double Strikes). The Superfeet insoles need a break in period (around 1-2 weeks or possibly longer) increasing daily wear time gradually over that period whilst your arches, tendons and muscles adjust to being held in a different and corrective position. Check videos on YouTube re breaking them in.

I think you may have possibly made a mistake in choosing the Superfeet insoles as in your situation I would be looking for as much cushioning as possible such as the Sorbothane Double Strike insoles. You need to be aware that the Sorbothane Double Strike insoles are thicker (around 7mm) than most other insoles on the market and take up significantly more room inside your shoe/boot leaving less room for your feet.

You may even find that switching back to using the insoles supplied with your Merrell Moab reduces the pain you feel.

The main advice I would offer is do not wreck your feet trying to resolve this as healing time can be both very painful and lengthy.

If you cannot resolve the issues yourself be prepared to arrange to visit (and pay if necessary) a professional bootfitter for some advice and depending on where you are based you may need to travel a fair distance to find one. (NB I do not mean your local branch of Millets or Blacks etc but a proper boot fitter)

jimbob

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Up until recently a lady in our local Blacks was a "proper shoe fitter", she displayed her training certificates she also had a Doe gold award. It was clear she knew what she was doing when compared to other shop assistants. So it is worth a phone call to see if a shop of your choice does have a trained fitter. There are a few about in the retail world.

As an aside if shop managers keep getting calls about this matter they may pass the info upwards that may make sensible management realise that they need to do more training in this matter. I have expressed out loud in two shops that I couldn't buy from them as they did not know how to measure feet correctly and that the staff were not knowledgeable of their stock, (widths etc), one being Go Outdoors, Lincoln.
« Last Edit: 20:25:34, 29/01/20 by jimbob »
Too little, too late, too bad......

Bigfoot_Mike

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Many thanks for the great info and advice , I think i just need to keep walking and get the feet used to the miles , I am 18st.8lb ( elephant) so not light so maybe in time the pain will ease.
I removed the insole and replaced it with the supafeet , it feels weird.... i thought it would be like walking on sponge but not ...maybe will get better as i wear them in.
I will battle on , thanks everyone.
I am a similar size to you and found the Moabs comfortable from the outset. I have had some arch problems in recent years and have had former arch supports to help. These definitely take getting used to and can be painful to start with, if you have them in too long. I was advised to start wearing them in slippers indoors for an hours or so per day, gradually building up tolerance due to the realignment of my foot.

 

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