QUOTE FROM MY BOOK:
“I finished in spite of the pain, which earned me a spot in the 2023 World Half Ironman Championships in Finland. There were only 17 of those coveted slots for a field of 3,000 athletes and I got one by finishing first in my age-group. “Luck of the devil,” some say. “I finished in spite of the pain,” I reply. The next morning I found several small corns on the ball of my right foot. One near my big toe and two near the little one.”
“ Corns and calluses are thick, hardened layers of skin that develop when the skin tries to protect itself against friction or pressure. They often form on feet and toes or hands and fingers. For most people, simply removing the source of the friction or pressure makes corns and calluses disappear.” ― Mayo Clinic“”
— How to Fight The Crippling Pain of Peripheral Arterial Disease by Kevin Thomas Morgan
The key phrase from the Mayo clinic: “… simply removing the source of the friction or pressure …”
I tried every trick in my body-movement training history, which did reduce the severity of the two corns on the medial (inside) edge of my right foot, but the one that hurt the most, while walking and running, on the lateral (outside) edge of the sole, remained stubbornly present.
It hurt like crap to run!!!!
LUCKY DISCOVERY: Due to running in storm, and later riding in a storm, all my socks (and running shoes) were soaking wet. We socks feel horrible, so I decided to try my next run without socks. It felt really good, corns or no corns. So I stuck to this, even on the bike, and to my surprise – the corns were gone within less than a week, after months of trying to get rid of them.
It was apparently due friction from my socks combined with poor foot mechanics.
I’d tested multiple sock types and material, to no avail.
All’s well that ends well!
That said, why? When I run with no socks I’ve noticed that the soles of my feet stick gently to the shoe insert (mild arch support in the ones I use, to reduce strain of my claudicating calves) so there is no more friction between the soles of my feet and the inserts in my shoes.
Worked, anyway.
I’m not saying this will work for you, but you never know your luck, if you are trying to run with PAD, and best of luck with that, too!
Cheers,
The winning procedure: detassel defeat!