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Foot Care 101

Why is foot care important for runners? How can you take care of your feet so you can run farther?

Shelby Farrell

July 11th, 2024

14 min read

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Ultrarunning starts with your feet, which is somehow easy to forget until it’s too late. We’re talking blisters, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, warts, calluses, ingrown toenails, there are a lot of foot ailments that can creep up and derail your running progress, and also be destructive to your daily life. If you think grocery shopping on a normal day is annoying, try doing it on crutches. This article aims to help prevent you from wincing with every step.

Bonus: Are you still searching for answers after reading this article? Leave a question for Dr. Jeffrey Hammond in the comments! We’ll pick the best for him to answer on the September 3rd episode of the Trailhead podcast PLUS you will get a chance to win a gift card to Sidas and UltraSignup!


What should you do if you injure your foot on a run?

All jokes aside, foot care is important. Runners often think it is about “ignoring the pain” in our feet to endure long trail challenges; however, the thought really should be, “how can we prevent the pain” in our feet during these grand endeavors and the training leading up to them.

Our friends at Sidas, your ultrarunning foot company, known for their innovative socks, performance insoles and more, introduced us to a doctor they have partnered with to get the full scoop on what “footcare” really means.

Footcare (fŏŏt′kâr′), adj. of or pertaining to the care of one’s feet.

Meet Dr. Jeffrey Hammond of Hammond Foot and Ankle

Dr. Hammond is a board-certified podiatric doctor offering direct care podiatry treating sports medicine injuries, surgical pathologies, medical safe pedicures (🙋‍♀️), and custom orthotics. Located in Provo, Utah, Dr. Hammond offers patients a transparent and personalized approach to healthcare by allowing them to pay their physician directly for services.

Beyond being a foot specialist who is worth making a pilgrimage to Utah for if you’re a runner struggling with challenging foot issues, Dr. Hammond is a runner and outdoor enthusiast. He was preparing for a Ragnar relay when we interviewed him for this article. He understands and lives the endurance lifestyle– which is an important consideration to make if you are an ultrarunner seeking treatment for your feet.

Working with a doctor who clearly understands what it takes to get back to healthy long-distance running is crucial when it comes to not only your trust in the recovery process, but also in helping prevent reinjury.

Here is proof that we picked the right guy to interview. 👇

Where to begin with foot care?

If you’ve ever worked in the ski industry the conversations of foot care seem to be much more prevalent than in running (besides basic blister talk). If you take ski instructing seriously, you’ll have custom footbeds and know someone with bunions. (Which is why it is not surprising that Sidas was established by three ski instructors looking for ways to make skiers’ feet more comfortable). Where do you even start with foot care though? It’s a pretty vague phrase.

👟 Shoes

Dr. Hammond boiled “foot care” down for us quickly: At its most basic level, you need shoes that protect your feet. Simple concept right? Glass, cigarettes, needles, sea urchins, fungus, these are things we definitely don’t want in or around our foot. For this reason, it is crucial to keep your feet covered and protected.

🧼 Clean Feet

The next basic need: Clean feet. We’re not accusing you of not showering, but think about what happens when you stand in the shower. All of that trail dirt and grime, plus soap, drips down to your feet, do you wash your feet off separately after or just assume they’re all gouda? Wash your feet.

🦶 Orthotics

Other sports have been using shoe inserts regularly, skiing for example. Running is slowly adapting. The focus in running has been on different shoes for different alignment needs. We have zero drop Altras to 12mm drop Asics. However, heel-toe drop and fancy rubber pieces aimed to help guide the foot strike aren’t going to be the game changing puzzle piece. We need to direct our focus to the arch of our foot. An insert supports the arch, if you can support the arch and not wear it out, you can go farther longer.

People think orthotics are altering your foot, trying to force it into a position. Sidas custom insoles are actually putting your foot into a neutral position. It’s not only helping your foot, it is helping your whole lower body even your back. It’s all about proper positioning and alignment.

The process of making custom orthotics requires visiting a specialist like Dr. Hammond. It requires futuristic bean bags, mirrors, pumps, cooking vacuums– these are not your Grandma’s Dr. Scholl’s. Sidas custom inserts take into account cushion and bounce, and the activity you’re using them for because different activities require a different amount of give to compliment body mechanics and power. Once you dig into the details it really becomes a no brainer for ultra endurance athletes to use some kind of insoles. Look at the garbage thin piece of foam that comes in your $160 running shoes… it’s time to throw that out.

Why is foot care important for runners?

When you are running you are putting 3-4 times your body weight on every step. This is why you need the support! Let’s do the math: if you’re 200 pounds, you’re now putting 600 pounds into each step. This compares to about 2 times your body weight while walking. That being said, our feet are taking an insane amount of load every time we hit start on our GPS watches.

Because of this load, your shoes are going to wear out and need to be replaced. Your shoe will last 350-500 miles. These miles add up fast… if you’re averaging 60-mile weeks, you’ll hit these numbers in less than two months. So, if you’re looking for an excuse to buy new shoes… you’re welcome.

Bacteria growth is a concern with running shoes that we often neglect. Explore using anti-fungal shoe sprays, or Sidas makes cedar wood dryer bags that help absorb the moisture keeping your shoes fresh smelling while helping prevent bacteria growth. Ultimately, this is aiming to reduce the risk of infections.

Studies have found that shoes can quickly become contaminated with all sorts of dangerous bacteria. One microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona discovered that within just two weeks of wearing a new shoe, it was contaminated with 440,000 units of bacteria.

(Dr. Kotula, 2024)

Having the right sock with non-wicking properties is also going to help keep the moisture out of your shoe. Another thing to think about is the grip of your socks. If you can prevent your foot from sliding around in your shoe, you’re going to have less risk of bruised toenails and blisters. Additionally, Dr. Hammond confirms that compression socks can help with swelling.

Can we guarantee perfect feet after your next ultra? No. Using your feet for long distances on variable terrain is inevitably going to cause friction and rubbing. However, if you’re observing your feet during your training, you’ll know where your problem spots are. Once those are identified, you can use moleskin, or other anti-friction accessories like the Sidas gel toe sleeves, to help avoid those spots from flaring up.

Proper foot care means more running shoes!

What are some common foot issues that runners face?

Calluses, blisters, warts, toenails… At first, they might not bother you, but you could start compensating to the opposite side, which can lead to stress fractures and other injuries. You want to try to prevent these things.

Calluses

Should you get the pedicurist to shave it off? Nope. A callus is a positive feedback mechanism, your body is rubbing, getting sore, and then it is building up tissue to protect itself. The issue is, this increases pressure on the specific point. So you do want to attend to your calluses. Urea, 30% or higher (medical grade is 40-42%) will help break down the callus tissue. More importantly, it won’t make it raw and sore in the process.

Damaged Toenails

Losing a toenail is a badge of honor in running, but we can do things to help save our little toenails from taking the hit for the team. You want to keep your toenails maintained. Keep them trimmed; avoid the length where your toenail is constantly binging against your shoe. A lot of people think that a thick toenail is fungus, but it is really micro-damage causing the toenail to grow thick. What we’re hearing here is a wonderful justification to getting more pedicures. Making sure you have the correct shoe size can help thicc boi toenails too. You want room in your shoe. You’ve probably heard it before, but going a size to two sizes bigger is very common practice when buying running shoes. If you’re getting an ingrown toenail get it taken care of by a professional ASAP and don’t let it get worse.

Plantar Fasciitis

Let’s leave it to Dr. Hammond to explain this one:

Blisters

Honestly, blisters are so common when it comes to ultrarunning that we didn’t spend that much time discussing them. If you’re getting blisters regularly, that should be telling you that maybe you’re not in the right shoe. If your blisters pop and your shoe is a petri dish of bacteria, then you risk infection. The name of the game with blisters is prevention. There are so many neat products you can use to get ahead of blisters, such as toe caps and friction bandages.

What foot care can we do to make our feet healthier?

First thing, if you’re looking to transition to barefoot running go really slow—like a block a week slow. You risk calf injuries because our bodies are conditioned to having a heel-toe drop from our first pair of Nike kicks as a toddler. There is no problem going back and forth from a high to low heel-toe drop. It comes down to how you do it. It needs to be slowly in one direction. You won’t see as much issue from a minimalist shoe to one with more of a heel. If you’re going back and forth on a consistent basis you’re going to be fine. It is important to note that orthotics don’t change your heel-toe drop. Your shoe has the same drop, you’re just giving yourself more support in said shoe.

Stretching your calf muscles is crucial. Strengthen your calves and quads, they really help keep you aligned and stabilized. Coupled with an insert, and everything is stronger and more under control.

The conclusion: keeping your feet maintained and your body strong through life, training, and racing, is going to go a long way in preventing foot complications and unnecessary pain. Take the time to do the stretches your PT assigns you, and get familiar with your feet so you can get ahead of unnecessary friction.

Let’s not play the game of “how can we ignore pain in our feet,” let’s do what we can to prevent the pain in the first place.

Thank you Dr. Hammond for sharing your knowledge with us.

A note from the author:

I (Shelby Farrell) broke my foot during Black Canyon 100K. It has been 5 months and I am still not cleared to even think about running. Two weeks prior to leaving for a work trip that would involve standing on very hard surfaces all day for many days in a row, I was given permission to wear two shoes. (Truly exciting times, but I was nervous about how my broken 5th metatarsal would handle it.) On day one of a three-day activation I was fortunate to come across a pair of Sidas insoles. Specifically, the 3D RUN model. I can say with confidence that both my feet were significantly happier. Immediately, my feet felt like my they were being held in place, which is important not only for technical trails, but also when you’re trying to prevent reinjury from sloppy footsteps thanks to atrophied muscles. I can’t believe I haven’t put insoles in my running shoes sooner. It was extremely satisfying chucking the nasty foam inserts that originally came with my shoes in the trash. Thank you Sidas!

References:

Dr. Jeffrey Hammond from Hammond Foot and Ankle

Dr. Kotula, Rudolf 2024, Your Shoes May Be Making You Sick, Methodist Physicians Clinic, accessed 10 July 2026, <https://bestcare.org/news/your-shoes-may-be-making-you-sick>.

6 thoughts on "Foot Care 101"

  1. Salley says:

    Where can we get the Sida’s inserts if we do not live one Utah?

    1. Ben Yardley says:

      Hi Salley! You can get them online! And if you use the code “TRAILHEAD20” you can save 20%.

  2. Patrick Arbtin says:

    Coming from someone who loves to run really far and has foot issues this sounds great but being a single parent I could not afford to pursue this.

  3. Ben Yardley says:

    Hi Dr. Jeffrey Hammond!

    I’ve heard a lot of talk about “Toe Yoga”… Does this actually help us runners? If so, how? And lastly, if it is all the rage, how often should we do it? Here is what I am talking about.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfYSEFwJMDA

  4. Shelby Farrell says:

    I’m coming back from a broken 5th metatarsal and honestly both feet feel really strange after basically not being used for 6 months. How do I know what pain is “normal” returning-to-running pain caused by weak feet and what pain is pain that I should be concerned about? How long is it going to take to make my feet strong again?

  5. I’m a 67 year old recreational marathon/ultra runner. My transverse arch (under the distal metatarsals) is “collapsed” and I have some pain under the middle metatarsal heads. Otherwise, my only other foot issue is sometimes kicking rocks on the trails. I use metatarsal pads, but wonder if there is anything else to do…

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