Longer runs = blisters - what to do

Body glide has always worked for me but it sounds like you've already tried that. 

I'm in the same boat as you right now, training for Disney.  And I'm getting ridiculous blisters during anything longer than 10 miles.  I ought to buy stock in SC Johnson & Co for the number of Bandaids I'm going through.  The other thing I've tried recently are those funny socks that look like gloves for your toes.  Alot of my blisters were from my toes rubbing together, and these socks seem to help with that.

X2. Going a 1/2 size larger in my shoe worked for me as well.

I'd go with a size larger shoe and keep using BodyGlide.  Perhaps spray on some Tri-Slide on your socks before putting them on?  I like the antiperspirant idea.  I remember using Tri-slide by itself a couple times and it failed after about 4 miles during the run segment of an Oly I raced this year.  Burning blistery feet galore! >.<

Yeah, that's what those things are called.  They've worked pretty well for me so far.

Some things to consider:

• Make sure you are sized correctly. I am a full-size longer in my running shoes than my dress shoes (7.5 trainers, 6.5 pumps/loafers/sandals)
• Make sure you wear running socks - i.e. no cotton
• If your feet sweat a lot, consider using a running sock that has silver in them; they are noticeably drier and will conduct heat away from your foot
• Make sure you are in the right type of shoe. If you are bearing your weight disproportionately across the ball of your foot, you are going to chafe where you might not normally chafe or callous.

I started running 6 years ago. The only time I've ever gotten blisters while running was during a marathon race during which it rained for the first 8 miles of my race. My feet were wet and the skin softened and wrinkled; by mile 13, I got blisters where the wrinkles appeared. Hit it with some petroleum jelly and went on my way.

If you're getting blisters, something is amiss.

Thanks for all the hints!  I do some of them - feet get a good coating of Body Glide whether or not I am wearing the Mizunos with socks or the Zoots without - so far that has worked for up to 10mi (although I didn't have any trouble with my 1/2 mary in the Zoots).

I went to The Running Lab in OC early this year and had my foot/gait analyzed and my feet sized (this was post stress fracture, so felt it was doubly important to protect my poor feet).  They are the ones who put me in the Mizunos and got me back on my feet so to speak.  I really actually prefer the minimalist Zoots.

I wear Thorlos socks when I do wear socks - I think I will give the Injinji a try.

I wear a 9.5 "dress" shoe and an 11 or 12 running shoe depending on the brand.

I like the deodorant idea - will try that with the Body Glide.  It doesn't feel like my feet get too sweaty (not like when I was a kid), but dry feet would be the best.

I think I'll wrap the #4 toes with bandaids and put a couple in my water carrier just in case.  The weird thing was I didn't even know I had blisters until I took my shoes off after the race.

X3.

My wife on the other hand had to resort to taping her feet with Kineseo tape.  It worked wonders for her.  She got some great information from the book "Fixing your feet".

Bodyglide will help. But you should also investigate other types of shoes - although it is fairly late in the season.

After your Jan marathon, if blisters are still limiting, consider running in a barefoot/minimalist shoe, no kidding. Once you're shod of the shoe, blisters are rare. You'd think you'd callus the bottom of your foot but it doesn't happen either - stays soft and supple like leather - in fact, if you have any calluses to begin with, they'll get worn down (like a pumice stone treatment!)

I think the people who really know about blisters are people in the ultra running community. There are a number of web sites out there that you can check out with great prevention and care advice. I've included one good starting place below. If you search on "ultra running blister" you'll find a bunch more. After you're on your feet for a couple hours, things start to swell and change shape, so it's pretty common to have these issues just on long runs......especially if you're running in warm or really humid conditions.

http://www.ultramarathonrunning.com/training/

Shoe sizes (lengths and widths) may be something you really want to look into. Do your blister areas correspond to seams or any unusual stitching or features on your shoes or insoles? A lot of ultra runners have good success with two very thin socks. You see a lot of people who go this route wear a toe-sock base layer followed by another thin sock on top. Lacing of your shoes cna also change the way they fit and the amount of slip your foot experiences, especially going down hills.

Personally, I've had a few shoes in the last five years that have given me blisters on runs/races of a few hours but were just fine on shorter runs. I concluded that these were not the right shoes for me. Changed brands / models and no longer have this problem. This may be something to talk to some of the shoe guru's about and have them really take a look at the size and features of your foot.

Taping can certainly be effective, both as a preventative technique and after a blister has formed. Lots of different tapes are available, so I'd suggest trying several different types. I think you'll have a lot better results with tape than with bandaids.

There are lots of different things to try. I'd suggest working you way through different tips / techniques to find what works for you. If you keep experimenting, you'll find the right combination for you.