Multi-day tips part 6: dealing with Shin Splints

Shin splint is a very common injury among ultra runners. At the beginning it may be only recognizable through pain and a slight red spot, mostly starting from the ankle and moving slowly up the shin-bone. However, as it develops the intensity of the pain as well as the coloring increases. In an advanced state also a swelling of the area arises.

In my running career I myself had the pleasure to enjoy a shin splint twice. Especially at a multi-day race, you have to react quickly once you detect the first signs, otherwise there will be no next running day: very soon, the skin gets irritated, separates further from the bone and fluid enters between bone and skin. Then the bone is unprotected and a exhaustion fracture can take place.

The following measures have proved to be good for me and many friends of mine.

Changing your running style If the irritation is still very new, start immediately to change the running style, so as to change the stress on the foot. In every case, shin splints are connected to an overload of the shin-bone muscle.
Implement backward walking Walking backwards from time to time stretches the shin-bone muscle and helps to relax the stressed muscle.
Bioplasma A combination of "Schüssler" salts, that contain important information for the cells.
White cabbage Now you will probably smile, but many people swear by white cabbage to prevent inflammations. It can be eaten or also be applied directly on the affected area. To apply on the area, take one or two leaves of the white cabbage and flatten them (A rolling pin is good if you have it, to help the cells break up a bit), then you place the leaves on the spot and bandage it. Change the leaves every 6 hours. When I had a shin splint during a 3100 mile race, I put this method successfully to work and after 4 days I could run normally again.
One possible way to tape the shins

Taping If the shin splint gets worse, it is advisable to tape it, so that the ankle will be limited in its movement and the stress will be reduced.
Inflammation inhibiting lotions
Massage the liquid out If there is already an accumulation of liquid, then it must be massaged out regularly, or the skin cannot grow on the bone.
Socks The band of the socks should not be to narrow, otherwise the liquid can stall.andage/tape

Cross-posted from at.srichinmoyraces.org

Multi-day running tips - more articles

Smarana Puntigam has been running multiday races for over 20 years, including the 3100 mile race eight times. This is the first of a series of articles on dealing with common issues that crop up during multiday races...

How to avoid blisters? - that is a big one for a multiday runner. If you do shorter races, blisters are inconvenient, but easy to deal with because you do not have to run on them the next day. However, once you have blisters in a multiday event they can really influence your performance a great deal. Depending on the area the blisters appear in, and whether they get inflamed, the range of pain goes from hardly-felt to “I think I have to stop, I just can not take the pain.“ So, the best thing is always to prevent blisters in the first place.

Here are the main issues to deal with:

1. Wet feet

One of the most important things is to keep your feet dry - if there is a lot of moisture, the skin gets very sensitive and prone to blisters.

Powdering your feet several times a day with foot powder or baby powder can help you to reduce the friction in the shoes and to keep your feet dry. There are also excellent crèmes that keep the feet soft, elastic and reduce also the friction. Vaseline is not so good, because it does not allow the feet to breathe and I always feel that my feet are sliding around too much inside the shoes. However from my experience if the race is longer than a day, powder is the way to go.
There are runners whose feet simply sweat more than others, and who will always have wet feet. Many runners cut open their shoes to let the steam and heat out of their shoes.
Rain makes the skin on your feet 'crumple' and become much more blister-prone. Our article on rainy weather has a whole section on this...

2. Choose your socks wisely

The big variety of socks is sometimes confusing - there is such a big selection of socks, each promising their own special feature.
Don't use cotton socks - they get soaked with sweat and moisture, which does not go away. This was one of my main problems when I started ultra-running and that is why I got a lot of blisters. Dipali Cunningham, one of the leading female multi-day runners, was shocked when she saw me showing up for my first 700 miles race with cotton socks, and gave me valuable information in this regard.
Use socks that are not too thick and are made of a fabric that does not store water (i.e. coolmax). For example Nirbhasa Magee, who ran the 3100 Mile race in 2015 and 2017, is very fond of WrightSocks, a thin sock with a double layer - this means the layers of the scok rub against each other rather than the skin.

3. Ill-fitting and narrow shoes

Cutting to avoid an upcoming blister on the side of the foot, just below the toe

Don't take new shoes for marathons or long distances; it takes some time for the shoes to get the right shape for your feet. They have to get used to one another. The shoe size should be at least one number bigger than the size of your foot, with plenty of room in the toebox so your toes don't rub against the front.
When you are running ultra distances your feet keep swelling, and you may need extra wide shoes. The first day you can still run in your usual running shoe, but as the race progresses, your feet keep changing. A shoe that perfectly fits on the morning of the third day of a multi-day rice, might not fit any more in the evening.
Also you may need a different insole, or to cut the one you have. The insoles that come with the shoes are not flat in the heel area, but have edges that bend upwards. As your foot swells, the heel doesn't fit any more into the area of the insole and the edges of the insole can cut into the heel and sides of the foot, creating blisters.
Blisters or potential blisters on the toes or sides of the feet might be alleviated by cutting away the part of the shoe that is rubbing against it, as long as it does not affect the shoe's stability. You will probably need to cut down all the way to where the top of the shoe joins the sole to remove the friction.

4. Hot feet

Where there is friction, there is heat.

Some use creams to reduce the friction, but on the long run from my experience powder is the way to go, since it keeps the feet dry and reduces the friction.
Again, cutting your shoes reduces heat as well as friction.
There are creams that help to cool down your feet. The skin absorbs the cream, so that you can take powder after some time.
During breaks, you can put your feet into a plastic bag and put them into ice water to cool them down and reduce the swelling.
Changing your socks and shoes frequently will help to air the feet and get rid of moisture and heat.

5. Taping 'hot spots' and callouses

As a runner you most probably know your 'hot spots' - areas of the feet that very easily turn hot or red during a run. If you don't know them yet, check your feet after a longer run and try to locate them. Once you do know them tape them before ultra runs. You can use paper tape or very thin tape, but do not use kinesiology tape - it creates a lot of heat and you will get blisters right there.
If there is a callous - very often in the heel section - take it away with simple sand paper or special tools from the drug store. When the feet start to swell during multi-day runs, the normal skin is elastic and can expand, while the callous cannot. Spots like that are predestined for blisters.

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This is the second in a series of articles from Smarana Puntigam, a 20-year veteran of multidays, on dealing with the many challenges that a multi-day race can throw up...

Rainy weather is a real challenge for a multiday runner. The rain can soak through and make you cold and miserable, and also lead to chafing and blisters. Keep an eye on the weather reports and try and anticipate what the rain is going to be like, and plan accordingly.

1. Keeping dry

There are multiple options that one can choose from, depending on the type of rain and your physical strength at the time.

Rain solutions, from left: 1. Ponchos, 2. Small umbrella and O2 jacket, 3. Large umbrella, 4. O2 jacket and trousers

A cheap plastic raincoat is very efficient and keeps the rain out. However, if used for a long time, it may lead to overheating. After a while, you also get wet from inside because it is not breathable.
Even with breathable jackets, overheating and sweating is an issue, particularly with heavy Gore-tex jackets and trousers. There are paper thin rain coats and trousers on the market, for example those from H2, that are breathable and also quite inexpensive. Some runners cut the legs of their trousers short to allow more breathing.
Running with an umbrella has the advantage of not sweating as much, and also keeping the rain off your feet for a while. But in the course of time it needs extra energy to carry. Smaller umbrellas are better for running; for walking and shorter periods of time bigger umbrellas keep the feet dry for longer.
Ponchos keep the rain off and allow the air to circulate inside, however they can be troublesome in windy conditions.
For short spells of rain, you can also try and time your breaks to coincide with the rain. Some areas (such as NY) are more difficult to predict the exact arrival of weather than others due to competing weather systems, however usually the forecasting models 'converge' an hour or two before the rain starts and you should be able to plan with plus or minus 15 minutes accuracy.

2. Chafing

As soon as there is moisture and friction, the danger of chafing is very high.

It might be possible to tape areas that are likely to chafe.
Before you get a problem you can also apply petroleum or other creams that help to reduce the friction - in the long run, however, it is better to keep these areas dry. Corn starch is a very efficient solution, as is talcum powder with zinc, or powder with essential oils.
Compression shirts and compression tights can be a big help in rainy weather to prevent chafing.

3. Blisters

The most important thing for a runner is to keep his/her feet dry. If your feet are wet, the likelihood of blisters multiply exponentially.

If the rain is scheduled only as short and heavy rain, try to run with a large umbrella to keep the rain off your feet.
Some runners apply coconut oil or olive oil to their feet, before it rains, so that the feet do not absorb water and crumple up the skin.
Change shoes and socks as soon as the rain is over, and apply powder to your feet for faster drying.
During longer spells of rain, you should not run for too long without changing your shoes and socks - a good rule of thumb is 90 minutes, although you may have to change sooner if your feet are more sensitive. A prepared runner will pack enough socks to last a long spell of rain. It is obviously more difficult to have as many shoes, but you should have at least 2 pairs on standby in addition to the pair you are running in. If it looks like the rain will last longer than a few hours, you can dry your shoes by stuffing them with tightly-rolled newspaper, which will absorb the water. A good helper saves you a lot of time here, especially because you may have to replace the newspaper after 90 minutes or so if the shoe got completely soaked. However if the rain persists and you need to use the shoe again after 3 hours, it should be dry or almost dry.
When the sun is back out, remove the insoles and leave shoes and insoles to dry in the sun.

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