Keeping feet Warm in Winter Conditions
After experiencing frost-bitten toes this past December at the Hellgate 100K I was apprehensive about running in the snow at the 2010 Holliday Lake 50k.
Fortunately, Jonathan Savage reminded me of something I knew and practised but had forgotten: coating Vaseline on your feet to keep them warmer in Winter conditions. In fact, Jonathan has an entire page of cold-weather running tips.
In my early ultrarunning career I used to put Vaseline all over my toes and heels to prevent blisters. As my feet toughened I stopped this practice. Now I’m doing it again, not to prevent blisters, but to prevent frostbite.
Yes, I slathered Bag Balm all over my feet before Holiday Lake. It worked well enough to keep my feet warm. I did have some pain in my frostbitten toe early in the race and after the race, but otherwise OK.
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Tags: ncultra, Trail Running, Ultra Marathon, ultrarunning
Thanks for bringing up the Vaseline issue. Back in my marathon days and when clothing was more of an issue than it is today, I use to put Vaseline on my legs when I was running in cold and wet conditions. The Vaseline gave my legs a thin layer of protection against the wet cold. Thanks for pointing out that it will do the same thing for your feet. I like you don’t really do much for my feet any more, but the Vaseline would certainly help in cold wet conditions. Thanks for the tip. Rick