Battle wounds

So it's been a few days since my epic weekend at Battlefrog, and I'm finally feeling less sore! Still enjoying the post race sense of accomplishment and reliving the day with my teammates on Facebook. However, I have a slight problem.

Remember the new trail shoes I got recently? The Inov8 Trailroc 226?

I love the shoes. They are comfy and work well on the trails. When I first got them I had the sneaking suspicion they were slightly too small. But I did a few runs in them and they seemed ok.


At about mile 3 of Battlefrog we had just finished a very long trek through a stream. I noticed my shoes were full of some very sandy/gritty dirt and it was creating mounds in my shoes. I've dealt with this type of dirt before and it's never caused me problems. I really should have stopped to empty them out. I guess at the time I didn't think it was a big deal. But as the race went on every step was becoming agonizing. All the hill climbing in the last half of the race made it hurt even more.


Warning - nasty pic ahead!!!

Yeah. This is freaking painful. Worst blisters I've ever had by far.

I am returning the shoes. Luckily the place I bought them from accepts used returns, so I cleaned them up real good and will ship them back asap. I want to get the same shoe in a larger size. I really do like the shoes, they performed excellently and were comfy aside from the blister thing. I am just convinced it's a sizing issue. I also think that hiking the race made it worse. I never blister while running, but in the past I have wound up with some pretty nasty blisters after long walks and hikes. My toenails also took a beating - another sign of a sizing issue

Nasty post-mud run feet

I was pretty sure I was gonna lose this toenail. I lost one a few years back and it turned this ugly reddish purple color, so I was pretty sure this one was a goner. But it's looking much better now and it no longer hurts.

Wish I could say the same for the blisters. They're still incredibly painful and itchy. I don't think I'll be able to run for at least a week. It sucks, but what can you do. I'm actually kind of glad for this experience, because I have learned never to settle for a shoe you think might be too small, and I also learned that sometimes it's best just to stop and get the crud out of your shoes to save yourself alot of pain. 

Guess I'll see how things feel in a few days, then hit it hard as soon as I can!