Blister-ing Heat

Here's a good article about blisters from The Washington Post that I read just now. I was going to put a picture of a foot with a blister, but really, it was just too grody. Read this so that you can hopefully avoid such nastiness!

Blisters: How runners can avoid or, if necessary, treat blisters
By Vicky Hallett
Thursday, July 8, 2010

This time of year, the heat in Washington is blistering. Literally.

Because high temperatures and oppressive humidity make you sweat so much more, your feet are likely to get wet when you're walking, jogging or hiking. That moisture isn't just uncomfortable; it's also the source of friction. "That's why it's so hard to take off wet clothes," explains Mary Mundrane-Zweiacher, an athletic trainer from Dover, Del.

There's the rub that can result in blisters. According to an article in the June issue of Podiatry Today, the uncomfortable bumps are the most common sports-related foot ailment. They usually fall in the boo-boo category: Although you whine about them, you're probably not going to seek medical attention.

Even if you are able to use an afflicted foot, a blister can throw off your gait. "You're going to try to avoid pain, so you're going to try to run without putting pressure on that spot," Mundrane-Zweiacher says. Landing differently can mess up your body's natural shock absorption system, creating a domino effect of problems up your leg.

That's why Stephen Pribut, a Washington podiatrist specializing in sports medicine, advises you take it easy a day or two after a nasty blister. A short break is unlikely to destroy your training regimen, and you won't risk having to cool it for a much longer time.

The worst-case scenario, of course, is that your blister gets infected and you don't do anything about it. "Then your foot could get gangrene and fall off," Pribut says. That fate is fairly unlikely, since you'd be in enough pain by then to visit a doctor and get a prescription for oral antibiotics.

But doesn't not getting a blister sound like a preferable course of action? Here's how to keep them at bay.

Prevention

Start by checking your gear. Everyone has probably experienced new-shoe woes at some point: They're stiffer and more likely to rub you the wrong way. Specialty running stores try to ensure you have a proper fit, which will minimize these problems. But even in the perfect pair, you should avoid going too far in your first few runs, says Chris Farley, owner and general manager of Pacers, a local chain.

Sock choice is key as well. "Wearing socks made of cotton with new shoes is a recipe for blisters," Pribut says. Or as Farley puts it: "Cotton is the enemy." Instead of cotton, which captures water and compresses unevenly, go with a wicking fabric such as Coolmax or Smartwool, which makes for a less bumpy ride.

And don't consider going without socks. Farley, an avid racer who has twice cracked the top 10 of the Marine Corps Marathon, can tell you plenty of bloody horror stories.

Trusted, tested footwear can still act up on seriously swampy days, so for those runs, Farley takes extra precautions. His feet get a liberal application of Body Glide anti-chafe balm, and he uses an anti-blister powder to keep his shoes dry. He also recommends toting a spare pair of socks so you can change.

Mundrane-Zweiacher's favorite way to avoid blisters is by monitoring her foot temperature. If she feels excessive heat building up in her shoes, that's a sign to stop. Even though she's a regular runner, the method has kept her blissfully blister-free for years.

Treatment

Most active people are bound to experience the agony of the feet, so it helps to know how to treat the condition correctly. Ideally, that means doing nothing.

Blisters are basically tears between layers of skin that fill with a clear fluid. As long as they're intact, they're not infected. That can change if you get a hankering to pop the blister or stab something into it. And ripping off the top layer of skin, which might seem like the next logical step, is just asking for trouble. "It's acting like a raincoat," Pribut says. Once it's gone, you're much more susceptible to infection. Plus, it'll hurt like crazy.

A better plan is to ice the area, which can reduce the swelling, Mundrane-Zweiacher says. Then give the blister relief by surrounding it in a doughnut-shaped pad or moleskin.

Draining the blister is a last resort that's best performed by a pro. But if you feel you must do it on your own, don't rely on just anything lying around the house. Sterilizing with alcohol or a flame isn't particularly effective, Pribut warns, so your best bet is to get a needle from the drugstore that's sealed in packaging. Try to pierce just the top layer of skin. Going any farther will be painful and possibly cause other damage.

Then keep it clean, put a Second Skin or Duoderm bandage on it, watch for signs of infection (yellow fluid is bad) and hope for the end of summer.

The Heat is On - Winter Style

Winter is my favorite time of year to train. It’s dark and cold out so you aren’t tempted to skip class to go lounge in the park or do some other activity. At 5:00 it looks like nighttime so, for me anyway, training feels like a small detour on the way to bed. But the real joy is that it isn’t hot. Yes, I have made the breakthrough discovery that wintertime is colder than the rest of the year. And even though the giant heaters are often blowing unpleasantly during class, it's still preferable to sweltering 100 degree temperatures outside. Winter means no labored breathing in the nearly solid wall of humidity. Only one uniform required per class. No “Shaolin Showers.” And there is less desperate over-hydrating during the stretching break.

Imagine my astonishment then, when last night, about 30 minutes into class, I went to femininely blot some of the perspiration from my brow (ok, swipe the pouring sweat from my face like the Neanderthal man) only to find there wasn’t a dry spot left on my uniform to absorb it! It wasn’t mid-August, drenched-like-a-rainstorm-soaked, but it was significantly more sweaty than I am accustomed to as of late.

At the water break I unabashedly, and gloriously guzzled my entire bottle of water, without any nauseating consequences for the second half of class. What was going on here? Was it actually Summer and I just blacked out for 7 months? No. It was simply the extra-chi class fueled by the always-exciting N’ou-taught class and the presence of the long-absent Hwalan.

Also, at the beginning when N’ou had me demonstrate caijiao. It took me back to my first L2 class when he had me demonstrate lunbi caijiao and my brain completely froze. It’s nice to know that if nothing else, your basics are developing and strong, and it’s an especially good mindset to have while training.

Another source of inspiration was that even though I was extra sweaty, nothing hurt. I’m sore from training after the lazy-food-fest of last week, but no injuries, no unbearable hip pain or shin splints. No phlegmy flu hampering my lungs; no bad lunch wreaking havoc in my stomach. I was training unhindered and was able to execute my movements, (I felt) with much more chi and much less angst than usual. So even though it wasn’t my typical Winter training session, it is a class like last night’s that makes me excited to roll in again tonight and continue the fun, sweat and all.

Not just hot, hot-ER!

The last week or so has been a welcome break from the heat plaguing me at home and abroad. Unfortunately, in spite of lower temperatures outside, temple had still been stifling hot and the sweat was flying off my soaked robes. Last night, however, the cooler air finally made itself felt in the Temple, and it made a wonderful difference in class.

It’s amazing how much the heat and humidity can really sap your energy, even if you are well hydrated and rested and the rest of it. Being in that oppressive haze of heat makes your breath shallow and your body unresponsive no matter how psychologically you feel the chi. A sudden break of a mere 5 or ten degrees makes you feel like a new person. You can jump higher, kick more times, and explode more in forms.

Watching the weather report this morning, they’re forecasting another heat wave beginning this weekend. I can’t help feeling that the USA Shaolin Temple L.A., or some such place where it’s always 72 degrees, would be a really good idea.

Is there a muscle-milk-melon?

Last night's class was infinitely less tragic than Monday's heat-fest. There was a big group, lots of chi, and 5 people on line doing staff during forms. After class we had watermelon again thanks to Heng Mo, and I must say, it's my new favorite post-training snack. I never used to be much of a fan but after sweating through a hot class it's the only think I want to put in my body except 3 gallons of water. As much fun as I have going to dinner, the inevitable noodles, meat and tea don't really sit well with me after class, especially late at night. The sugar and water of the watermelon are just right. But I also feel like I should be putting protein back into my body for my muscles to rebuild. I know we've covered this before, but what is your ideal post-training meal - specifically for a night class? Extra-specifically in the dog days of summer. I'm curious if other people feel woozy whenever they walk out of Thai Son...

Unexpected Results

For those you who trained Monday night, you know how unbearably hot it was. I wasn't even sure if I was lifting my leg up in caijiao or if I was in a psychedelic dream about to be awoken by an alarm clock. It was my first HOT L2 class. And wooo-boy, the welcome committee sure rolled out the red carpet of steamy hotness. But something unexpected happened. With lack of oxygen and a weakness in my legs, I was able able to land almost all of my tornado kicks. It was as if, the heat stifled my brain over-thinking the move while also giving me extra flexibility by suppressing the stretch reflex. Everyone, myself included, was surprised. Over and over, I twisted, kicked, and landed on one leg. Angular momentum was set. The speed was optimal. My greatest surprise, however, was that I landed it with ease, like a graceful danseur with complete aplomb.

Even though it was a really tough class and everyone was drenched by the end of it, I long for another hot day of psychedelic tornadoes! To be continued...

Heat Wave Level 2

Congratulations to everybody that made it through the class last night! It was tough - not necessarily tiring - but tough even with the fan working, and a few extra walks and water breaks. During the second half of the class, 6 or 7 of us rotated through forms for almost an hour. That was probably the longest hour I've ever had training.

It was so hot and muggy last night, I tried the one-arm-exposed uniform for the first time. I noticed an extraordinary lightness on my right arm doing Erluquan - which contains a lot of right arm movements. Thinking about it, I realized that I got used to training with the sleeves. Without one of them, my arm felt much lighter. Imagine if I'm used to training with other weight. How much more awesome I would be?

Maybe Richu walking around with 2 tons backpack and ankle weights is on to something.

Great Expectations

In spite of Al Roker's predictions to the contrary, I did not think yesterday's weather was as stuffily, scorchingly hot as Sunday. That, combined with taking class in the evening, I thought must lead me to predict a training session less fraught with sweat and heatstroke than the day before. And since Sunday I had a pretty good time in spite of all that, I anticipated a Monday class that was hot, but not unbearable.

After the first half hour I was looking for a place to be privately and violently ill. My final jumping spinning lihetui almost left me on the floor I was so dizzy. If Han had told us to do liyu dating I would have gladly jumped out the window rather than the inevitable throwing-up on the carpet that would have occurred. By the time we hit forms, which we did for an hour - unheard of lately in L2, I was so totally drenched in sweat I was Shaolin Showering everyone in the most unpardonable fashion. There wasn't a single dry spot left on my uniform, my hands were all pruned from being so sweaty. As a result I was uncontrollably chugging water even though I knew it would add to the gurgly feeling in my stomach. I was totally disgusted with myself, literally and figuratively.

Was everyone else feeling this pain? Clearly everyone was hot, but the 12 other people in class were trucking admirably along whilst I wallowed in self-pity. Probably I was suffering under the shattering of my built-up expectations that class wouldn't be so awfully hard. It's summer, best get used to it. Just goes to show you shouldn't ever expect anything; just go train. And if you need to throw up, well, we have two bathrooms for that.

Tropical Heat Wave

I have been blogging rather sporadically of late. Writing posts when I don't have much to say and not posting when something of interest actually happens. I decided this is probably partly a result of getting out of my training rhythm since testing. For some reason after testing my schedule got thrown off a little and it's been hard to fall back in to my 5 days a week routine, which, has seemed to throw off all my other living rhythms and thus my blogging. I've been training about 4 times a week, but never the same days, and me, I like routine. But what with a butt sword, or a messed up neck, or too much work, I end up doing doubles on Fridays just to make up for missing a Wednesday and a Thursday. It feels a little forced.

So in an effort to recapture consistency, I decided to just train as much as my body would let me, until a pattern re-establishes itself. Yesterday, I woke up right at 10 (which is as late as I can wake up and still make class) so I decided to go, even though I hadn't eaten, and even though the weathermen had been telling us all week how it was going to be 96 degrees. Putting on my uniform before class I was already sweating, but I saw that I was probably going to have to lead at least one of the lines so I pushed thoughts of heatstroke out of my mind. Sure enough I was in the front, and too soon, I was in front of the single line Sifu created.

It was HOT. And contrary to recent form, Sifu didn't let us walk until after ceshoufan. I was drenched, but reminded myself that the summer I first began walking breaks didn't exist, and I was way weaker in those days, so by God there's no reason to wimp out now. Still, even after stretching, a change of uniform, and spending the second half of class teaching I was dripping wet all over. I drank three bottles of water, versus my usual 1/2. I was proud of all of us who trained through that hazy day. It was great chi having some other Austrian friends visiting as well and keeping us all inspired. I was really glad I got out of my hot apartment and trained; the last time I was that dripping I was still working on five kicks. It was a good catalyst for evaluation of my progress, and helped recapture the way it felt to train when I first started. Plus, the watermelon after class was the most delicious thing I ever tasted.

'The Wall'

Last night was definitely the hottest day of the year. I don't know about you but my head felt like it was going to explode. One quick word from shifu "Don't wash your head down, only wash your neck and face. Your head is where you lose the heat." Yes shifu... but I feel so woozy and it wants to explode and the water feels sooooooo good!

I left class a little down-trodden. I was nearly pushed to my limit (due to 6 of us doing forms for an hour) but knew that I hadn't reached the proverbial ‘wall’. How close do you think you came to hitting 'the wall' yesterday?

At the end of class I got some special shifu love... "Train Harder". I knew it too… I hadn't taken full advantage of the day. Of course he was right.

Great job to everyone who trained yesterday!