07/08/2011 After the success of last years run, we look forward to another day of our Podiatry antics at the 2011 City to Bay fun run on the 18th of September. With just over a month to go "Superfoot" has begun his training and shares with us a few tips on preparing for the day.

- Start your training early. This will give your body more time to prepare for the distance.
- Buy and test your running shoes in advance. After all, 12km is a long run in the wrong shoes.
- Trial your blister preparations in advance and work to prevent them where possible.
- Dont over do it. Train slowly and dont push your self too far over your own limit or you may end up with an overuse injury such as Achilles tendinitis.

For many of us who are diagnosed with an injury during winter, the though of applying ice as part of the RICER principal is not a pleasant thought. After all, its cold enough as it is outside without applying ice to your already cold feet.
The trouble is, there are some really good scientific reasons as to why it is suggested. I dont blame anyone who is reluctant to apply ice to their feet in winter. So we suggest the following solutions to make your life more bearable this winter:
- If it is a small area of injury, apply a wheat bag above and below the area, only keeping ice on the area that is injured.
- If the thought of ice on your feet is too much, try considering taking your shoe off the sore foot and resting it on the cold floor to cool it down.
- If your feet are naturally cold, avoid hot bath or shower water on the feet- avoiding heat on a new injury is almost as important as keeping the area cool in the first place, especially if your feet are cold already.

This years city to bay was a cracker! Perched at the finish line we massaged, kneaded, and even got to touch celebrity tooshy! (even if it was just to change his stitches dressing, we still thought it was pretty good!). In addition to massaging runners and patching up A-Lister's, we found ourselves dealing with a sea of blisters. Small blisters, large blisters, deep and shallow, we saw them all. This got us thinking..... Many of the runners had spent hours upon hours training for the city to bay, yet only a few had preparing their feet for the run. So we've decided to write a list of some of the simple ways you can prepare your feet for the race.

1. Make sure your feet are nice and dry- in some cases Antiperspirant agents can be used.
   
2. Wear good shoes - make sure you also check for seems and areas that could rub
3. Neoprene insoles will reduce the likely hood of blisters on the soles of your feet
4. Wear silicon toe covers if you've had blisters between your toes before
   
5. Wear acrylic-based socks that reduce the drag on your feet
6. Pack some antiseptic and band-aids for the finish line just in case.

For more tips feel free to visit our section on blisters

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