By

Lisa Butler

                                                Don’t Rush a Wax Job
Vanity drives me.  Each time I pass a mirror or window as I am training or simply passing by, I examine or briefly glance at the reflection of choices I have made (my form if I am training) and brutally pass critical judgment on the image looking back at me.  However, I have never been a “glamour gal” – I don’t have manicures, pedicures, facials, or all of the latest fashions (unless they say Timex, Blue Seventy, Trek, Spenco, Rudy Project, Headsweats, or FuelBelt).  My “make-up bag” is non-existent.  I wear mascara and sometimes Chapstik.  I know there must be a “glamour gal” looming inside of me, because I do experience times where I long to be fashionable, trendy, and actually consider the need for wearing make-up. On these occasions, I decide to don something other than Timex or Ironman logo wear, board shorts, and flip-flops, transforming into a woman “walking” in heels – for me, this act requires the same characteristics of an Ironman or marathon: focus, concentration, patience, training, and endurance.   

A few evenings ago Steve and I were watching the NFL football game, and I went to the bathroom.  As I typically began meticulously examining my reflection, OCD or ADD kicked in, I got a wild hair (or actually saw a few wild hairs) and decided I needed to wax my eyebrows.  No big deal.  I’m no “glamour gal”, but I have waxed my eyebrows (once before) and knew waxing would only take a few minutes – nuke it, smear it, and rip it.  

So, I proceeded to nuke the wax in the microwave.  While returning to the bathroom, though I realized I had “ditched my date” to “wax my brows”, the obsession to “fix my flaw” was overtaking all of my focus.  Besides, I simply rationalized that all I had left to do was “smear it and rip it” and I was done – flaw fixed and back to my date.

Quickly, I opened the jar and stirred the wax.  The temperature was seemingly perfect – the word “ready” was legible on the dipper.  I hurriedly made a few swipes of the wax just below my right brow line.  Then it happened.  My “flaw” became a FLAW!

It was a catastrophe!  As I scooped up a glob, and brought the stick to my eyebrow, Steve startled me and the glob dropped on the inner section of my eyelashes.  I told him I would be right there and began trying to get the wax out of my lashes.  The more I tried, the more matted my lashes became – the wax temperature had been perfect.  The only recourse I had was to “rip it”.  So I did, and pulled out an index finger’s width section of my top and bottom eyelashes. 

My emotions went from shock to fear to anger to acceptance to hysterical laughter.  I have always been complemented on my eyes and “long beautiful” eyelashes, and now my face looks like a before and after photo of a meth user.  The good news is it’s hair and it will grow back – it will just take longer because I waxed.

FLAWED,

Lisa

“The Guinness Challenge”

By Lisa Butler

I never thought my developed beer-chugging ability would ever become a resource for income. However, I “cashed-in” this past weekend!  I participated in the McNellie’s Pub Run and entered a distinct category called “The Guinness Challenge”.  The pub run is a creative invention to boost community participation in running, seeking to appeal to the college-days-beer-chugger in all of us, awarding a $300 beer tab to the overall male and female, $150 for second and $50 for third, with proceeds going to Catholic Ministries. This year, the run was a 3.5-mile hilly run through downtown Tulsa at 3 PM on Saturday, November 10^th (to maximize participation and allow for those Friday night partiers to wake up and get to the start line). Those runners participating in “The Guinness Challenge” were required to drink three pints (36 ounces) of Guinness before crossing the finish line – stopping at three designated “Guinness Beer Tables” to drink a pint of Guinness before a group of “judges” to assure you consumed the entire pint. These judges meant business.  I witnessed them digging an unfinished cup out of the trash and making the drinker finish before proceeding!  Also, “no hurling allowed” was strictly enforced – you had to keep all 36 ounces down to be deemed worthy of the title Guinness Male/Female.

Though I was a late bloomer in the beer-chugging scene (late twenties, when I attended my first Tulsa Hash House Harriers run whose club motto is “a drinking club with a running problem”), I believed I had been properly honed for the challenge.  The catch was, it was the Friday after IM Florida, I hadn’t run a step since the marathon, and the pub run was the next day.  So, I decided to put my body through a 4-mile test run on Friday.  Whew!  Little stiff, to say the least!  I genuinely didn’t know how I was going to do it, but decided it was worth the challenge – $300 tab, you kidding me?

Pre-race preparation was a little different than IM Florida.  With no transition or special needs bags to analytically prepare, no bike to prepare for check-in, no wetsuit to squeeze into, being a runner seemed like much less of a hassle!  I did stay with my meditation-CD-feet-up-the-wall relaxation time and shower-and-shave.

At the starting line, looking at the college students toeing the line, I got the retro-feel of what it was like to run during the Prefontaine era.  These guys had on striped knee socks, sweatbands in long hair, facial hair that was begging for washing and clippers, and a distinct group wearing t-shirts with “CREAMERS” across their chests.  Checking out my female competition was really a bust because my test-run gave me no confidence.  However, I didn’t see many women that I deemed were capable of out-chugging me.  So, I resolved that this would be what it would be, and I would run a tactical race – go out as hard as I could, just hang on and hope I could out-chug my competition.

When the race started, I don’t know what came over me!  My body took off!  I was somehow running a 6:23 mile, when the day before I could barely break 10:00!  I was leading for the first quarter of a mile until this long-legged college chick (I’ll call “Legs”) I hadn’t seen at the start, caught me and passed me.   I went with her and just tried to stay within 100 yards of her the entire race.  After the first mile mark, we encountered the first huge overpass we had to climb and I remember thinking “where’s the beer stop” because at the crest of the hill, it was nowhere in sight and more than the beer, I needed to stop for air!  Down the hill and nearly two blocks later, I encountered the first stop.  “Legs” easily beat me to the beer stop by ten seconds and was already drinking.  I selected my cup, quickly trying to choose the one with the least amount (never thought I’d say that) and was astounded at how huge 12 ounces seemed!  I was only halfway through mine when “Legs” was off and running – strongly! 

The turn-around cone was a welcome sight, until I realized the course retraced the entire course I had just run, including the overpass after a huge cup of Guinness!  So, in light of the “no hurling” rule, I decided to scale back through the crest of the overpass, assess the damages “Legs” had put into my race, and then push through to the end.  Well, to my surprise when I re-engaged to race mode, “Legs” was within a block of me and we were nearing the second beer stop.  Though “Legs” was in and out of the beer stop before me, I had a feeling her Guinness went down a little harder than mine, and I knew it was time to close the gap.  My instinct was validated when our eyes met as “Legs” was turning the last corner into the finish area, knowing we had one more beer to chug less than 10 yards from the finish line.  Like both other stops, “Legs” arrived first; however, I was only seconds behind her.  I selected my cup ($300 tab!), choked down my last Guinness, and dashed to the finish line.  I waited at the finish line to congratulate “Legs” as she finished, as well as the other female finishers.

Cooling down, I retraced much of the course in conversation with a four-time Ironman finisher and now Guinness Male.  We contemplated the appeal and possibility to adding this form of carb-replacement during an IM race and believe there could be great potential!

Chugs,

Lisa

By Lisa Butler

Ironman.
Fears.  Haunting Memories.  Regret.
Focus.  This Moment. Joyful Bliss. Resilience.

After a year filled with a surgery, nagging knee and foot issues, and fears associated with failing, IM Florida on November 3^rd was my first race of the year.  Though reluctant to complete this personal commitment I had made (I could easily find multiple excuses not to “toe the line”), the $450 bucks of entry fee got my bootie movin’ and was my motivation.  Sure, I would like to brag of personally invested hours upon hours of training, sacrifices I had made over the course of this past year, and how staunchly driven I had been, but that would be hypocritical – no blatant lies.  Truth is, I drove into Panama City Beach with my longest swim of 2500 yards (and hadn’t swum in over two weeks), my longest bike of 68 miles, and my longest run of 10 miles – needless to say, I was a “tad” under-trained. 

I firmly believe that through the strength of positive thinking, experiencing “the moment”, and a commitment to resiliency, any goal I set out to achieve is attainable.  So, my “game-plan” was this – seek to experience gratitude for the opportunity to compete, “joyful bliss” in each moment of the race, remain calm and patient through adversities, and never doubt my capacity for achievement as a result of my commitment to resilience. 

Leading up to race day, I did the usual morning training swims, during which I actually put my Blue Seventy Helix on for the first time.  Whoa!  The last time I was in a wetsuit had been over sixteen months at IM CDA, and I had forgotten how buoyant I become in the water!  Just a side note, I discovered that I end up walking pigeon-toed if I don’t get the “Helix” adjusted just right, because the suit stays true to its supportive structure – correctly aligned or not.  At the end of Friday morning’s training swim, I had the good fortune to run into Danny Dreyer, the author of Chi Running, giving a lecture and demonstration on the beach that was very informative and a great reminder of the importance of focusing on running form or “technique” – great information I used during the IM marathon.

The night before the race I listened to my meditation CD, and after merely a few hours of sleep, I was wide awake.  I picked up the book The Artist’s Way and began reading the introduction and beginning of chapter one.  Great stuff!  I ate a peanut butter sandwich, drank some water, and went back to bed.

Race morning, I showered, ate, finished preparing all of my special needs bags, and packing miscellaneous stuff in my backpack to totally prepare my transition bags and finish setting up my bike – most importantly the black Sharpie to write “This Moment!” (with a smiley face) and “Joyful Bliss” on my aero bottle, T1 and T2 bags, and my running hat.  Walking to the special needs drop boxes, the energy in the air nearly gave me goose-bumps until the sound of the first exploding race tire startled me back to a smile.  I began repeating to myself the words “this moment”…”joyful bliss”…”resilience”.

Staging myself next to Steve and on the far right of the mass, I smiled to notice the famous age grouper Joe Bonness just a few feet away, obviously not a fan of the “mauling” that occurs in the middle of the pack and nearest the buoy-line.  After laying in the water to “get used to the coolness” and experiencing the warming of my own body’s nervous release, I was ready to begin this Ironman journey.  

As the cannon sounded, I began “running” through the water and performing my version of dolphin-diving.  I’m sure it was quite hilarious.  My first lap went better than I expected – very few people swam over me and I only choked down a few mouthfuls of saltwater.  To my surprise after a few moments of calculating (subtracting ten minutes from the clock time for the pro start) I had a thirty-eight minute first loop which was pretty good for me.  This exuberant feeling was short-lived as I re-entered the water for the worst IM mass swim mauling I’ve encountered!  At one point I decided to get away from everyone and swim totally by myself.  However, this is where I encountered the punch in my face that knocked my goggles deeply into my eye socket, left me seeing stars, and realizing I must have encountered the 250-pound-virgin-Ironman-from-hell who had heard about the “horror of the mass swim”.  This man was obviously prepared for “an attack” beginning with a stout left hook and furiously flailing feet that barely missed kicking me as I sat up to re-adjust my goggles and re-gain my bearings.

Out of the water, through the wetsuit stripping, the shower, and into T1 – all I could think was “Whoa!  Glad that’s over…do I have a black eye?”!  I drank my Red Bull, changed, thanked my volunteer, and was off to get my bike.  Oops!  I decided to stop get some sunscreen on my shoulders, and ended up with it on my sunglasses.  Anyway, I boarded my pretty blue Trek bike and immediately read my words “This Moment” and “Joyful Bliss” on my aero bottle.  I was stoked!

The bike was pretty uneventful – I passed a few wrecks, but assistance had already arrived, and each time I asked someone with mechanical problems if they were okay they said they “had it”.  The most entertaining occurrence was when I came upon a rider whose race bib was “Rodehorst”, but at first glance it appeared to be “Rodehorny” – this was less than halfway through the bike in a section of false-flat into a headwind, so it was definitely humoring!  As I passed him I was laughing and told him what I had thought.  He too laughed and obviously appreciated the break in the monotonous moment.  At my special needs I got my baked potato and Red Bull, and realized I had really mucked up my bike nutrition.  So, I went with just getting a gel at each ensuing aid station to try to get in some more calories.

Off the bike, out of my stinky shoes, and into T2 – all I could think was “Goodnight!  Thankfully that things out of my crotch”!     My volunteer was AWESOME!  Beginning with, “tell me what you want”, she had my bag digging through and calling out “hat…shoes…socks…Red Bull…what’s this…GPS…do you want water…you’re set”, and I was off and running.  Surprisingly, I felt great!  I had a difficult time holding back and ended up running 7:04, 7:18, and 7:24 for the first three miles, and then my fountain of “joyful bliss” seemingly dried up!  I ended up bargaining with myself to just run from aid station to aid station, which became increasingly difficult through the second loop of the run course.  So, I used my tactic of counting my left footsteps to occupy my mind and as the finish line neared and Riley’s voice rang through the sunset calling in the Ironman athletes of the day, my “joyful bliss” returned and I was able to quiet my DNF demons from 2005 and became a 2007 Florida Ironman, and ironically experienced a PR by over 17 minutes.

Thanks to all of Team Timex sponsors and a special thanks to Ben and Doug for taking care of all 13 of the Team Timex athletes racing IM Florida…you guys are awesome!!!

Train safely,

Lisa

The details of this incident bring back personal memories of shock, horror, and shear terror residual from the Fort Gibson, Oklahoma school shooting which occurred during the time I was a teacher and coach at my Alma matter.  Further, the awful Sunday afternoon that my uncle “flaked off”, exhibited threatening behavior toward himself, immediate family (wife and two children), extended family (my aunt, my parents, and me), and local authorities, resulting in witnessing/hearing gunfire that ring through my memories to this very moment, though this happened over 12 years ago.

Today, April 19, 2007, marks the “anniversary” date of a very life changing moment for my home state of Oklahoma and this nation (9:02 AM marks the 12^th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City – my thoughts are extended to all the victims, their families, and all the firefighters, medical personnel, police, and other countless individuals who were involved with this terrible attack), as well as another more personal “anniversary” date for someone extremely special to me. 
Last year, around 6:45 PM my boyfriend was struck by a van while we were doing a training ride for the Coeur d’Alene IM.  Again, my mind cannot help but to “relive” the entire day leading up to the moment, and the events that followed – through the rest of the evening, the night, and days that followed.  Initially, he was sent home following a diagnosis of a few broken bones in his shoulder However, (following going to work… Yes!…I said WORK! – at 8 AM – remember, the man was hit by a VAN less than 12 hours prior and didn’t make it home from the Emergency Room until after 1 AM),  we went to his personal physician and, following more X-Rays, discovered he had broken his scapula in three places (“shoulder blade” which is one of the most difficult bones in your body to break – the force to break it is equivalent to someone taking a baseball bat directly to it), his clavicle (collar bone), at least 6 ribs (couldn’t really determine exactly how many from the X-ray), and a bone in his right foot.  

Four days following the accident…following two additional trips back and forth to the Emergency Room…a CT Scan was done of his abdomen and the “trauma team” finally diagnosed that sometime within the past few days following the accident his spleen had ruptured and he had lost over half the blood volume in his body!  (Okay…so, now we knew why he was feeling so crappy!  The man nearly died!)  Finally, an emergency surgery was performed to remove his spleen and stop his internal bleeding. 

Fortunately the man is an anomaly…a “freak of nature”…an IRONMAN triathlete…and survived without any residual, major mal-functions!  Every physician, nurse and anybody who knew anything regarding a traumatic experience of this nature could not believe that not only was he alive and had survived, but he was released from the hospital 4 days after having such an invasive surgery – and that he was hacked off that he wasn’t released sooner!!!!! 

He has fully recovered.  Yes, the moments, minutes, hours, days and first few months following the accident were tough.  However, to this day, he will tell you that it was/is his experience of Ironman training and racing that he drew upon to assist in his resilience and ability to recover (he  is also quick to respond anytime and (without fail) EVERY time I ask, “are you alright?” with “NOOOOOOOO, ‘Hon’!!!  I was hit by a van!” 

To date, he is training for this year’s Coeur d’Alene IM and I am confident his reliance will see him through the finish line to once again hear Riley call him “an Ironman”!!!

Peace and IM resilience be with you today and always,

lisa

My 2^nd ART visit was…painful.  Holy mother of bologna – did I say bologna?  You know when I was growing up fried bologna was a staple, with catsup or is it ketchup – FOCUS – sorry, I think it’s the residual aftershock of yesterday’s ART treatment!

ANYWAY!

After my catastrophic 1.5 mile “run” on Thursday, I called Dr. Flournoy, and gave him the detailed report.  He told me he would he was booked for Friday, but would somehow get me in – what an incredible doctor!!!  He said, “We’ve got to get you running!”  He spoke the words that I was longing to hear!!

So, I show up for my appointment.  We exchanged some small talk about the crappy weather – thunderstorms, record low temps, and just overall conditions that make you want to crank up the heat and crawl into bed under the down comforter and SLEEP!  Then, I gave him another short synopsis of what I had experienced during Thursday’s run, and he instructed me to lay face up on the massage bench. 

As we continued a great conversation, he began working the problematic area.  At first, the conversation and his brilliant personality were enough to balance out the enormous pain I was undergoing.  However, at one point, he went so deep into my tightened IT Band and the pain became so intense I saw WHITE!  Holy Mother of Bologna!  CRI-MIN-EEEEEEE!  WHOOOOO!

Anyway…the saying, “No Pain, No Gain” is one that truly applies to ART therapy.  Although I underwent some major discomfort (which I totally believe was more tolerable because of Dr. Flournoy’s brilliant personality and capacity to hold a conversation with me while he was performing his seemingly torturous therapy), I can honestly say I left Dr. Flournoy’s office with no pain.  Did it hurt?  Without a doubt – HECK YES!  Was it worth it?  Without a doubt – HECK YES!

Once again, I left the treatment knowing I could once again run…and I did.

Keep running and Keep Triathaloning,

lisa

I went to my first Active Release Therapy (ART) on Wednesday.  For those of you who are not familiar with ART, ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART.  (I got that statement off of their website, and you can visit it at http://www.activerelease.com/.)
 

It really worked!  For the first time in over a week, I had no pain and I told Dr. Brian Flournoy, my ART practitioner/physician/therapist (I don’t really know his ”title”), that for the first time in over a week, I felt like I could RUN!  Unlike the expected response, he instructed me to!!  WOW!
 

So, on my way to the car, I tested it out.  Sure enough, I was able to run – to my car – pain free!  (Oh, it’s the little things in life!)  However, by the time I made it home, it had tightened back up and I decided to get on the TPQuadballer (before my first “real” trial run). 
 

That loosened it back up, but by the time I was ready to run, Mother Nature delivered 25+ mph winds and a severe thunderstorm!
 

Fast forward to yesterday…
 

I took my TPQuadballer to school, and used it off and on throughout the day – my students were enamored by the site of it, and many just had to get on the floor and “try it”!  It was quite hilarious!  Anyway, after school, I geared up for my first run in over 9 days.  My goal was to run 5K or a little over 3 miles – easy. 
 

Starting out, I was surprised at my initial feeling of not missing a beat!  My “belly” breathing was good, turnover was normal (96 steps a minute), and my perceived effort was surprisingly right on!  This lasted for about the first half mile, when I seriously thought to myself, “I should turn back”.  I was noticing a decreased range of motion or “tug” in my left hamstring, followed by a dull ache that started to appear below my knee in the outer part of my left calf.  Once again, my ego and stubborn pride refused to stop at just 1 mile!  Man!  How humiliating, to not even be able to run 3 miles!  I ran on…
 

I was approaching a few runners on the trail that stopped to walk right before I reached them.  As I passed, I told them, “great job!”  They laughed, almost as if to respond, “yeah right!”  I looked at them as I passed and said, “No, really…GREAT job!”
 

It made me wonder what was going through their minds…they did not know me, and seemingly couldn’t accept someone running “past them” with a compliment as they were shutting their run down to walk. 
 

Which led me to the next point I pondered…why do you stop running or why do you keep running?
 

Yesterday, though my body was telling me I should’ve turned around at the ½ mile marker, I had a goal.  I would keep running to attain my goal of running 3 miles, and I was determined to get to the 1½ mile marker so my goal could be realized and logged. However, the dull ache had turned into a stabbing pain, and it was all I could do to get to the 1 ½ mile marker…leading to the reason I would stop running.   
 

I was faced with the reality, my ego would take a backseat to my body – it had done all it could do.  So, I began my walk back home. 
 

The two runners from earlier passed me – they were running.  I again tried to run – three steps, and I was back walking.  I walked on. 
 

Then, a larger, male runner passed me.  Again, I just had to try again.  Nope.  I walked on.
 

I then just started soaking in the beauty of the day, and really observing everything around me – the squirrels, the geese, the ducks, the rabbit, the beautiful sky, the spirit of spring, and the other runners and walkers. 
 

Once again, I pondered what makes a person stop running or what is the motivation to keep plodding along? 
 

I witnessed three different runners simply stop – between markers!  What was their goal?  They hadn’t reached the next ½ mile marker, they just stopped!  Were they injured, too?  Had they reached their goal between the markers?!  Was the discomfort they were experiencing too much?  Had they taken more running steps than before?  Regardless, I was glad to see others out exercising.
 

Keep running.
lisa

After having a final lunch with a few fellow Team members and Tristan (one of our incredible Team mechanics), I headed to my gate. Pretty uneventful flight, until we began to approach the Dallas Airport and a HUGE thunderstorm put us in a holding pattern for quite awhile — got a little nervous when the Captain came over the intercom and announced we would be diverting to Abilene for “refueling”!! Hark! Refueling…what if… “Don’t panic”, I told myself.

After hours of delay and looking at my watch to realize it was 10:45 PM, we finally landed in Dallas and the “race” to the ticket counter was on!! I knew my options would be pretty limited so I knew I needed to get to the counter ASAP!

Opting for 2nd in line at one counter over 5th at a different, I became increasingly irritated when the other counter’s line helped all of those that were in the other line and I was still standing. *%#@!! Once I gave my ticket to the lady, she informed me I had been rebooked for a flight out to Tulsa for 11:30 AM the next morning, and there were no other flights out to Tulsa tonight. GASP!

I had to get back to work — my students were taking standardized benchmark exams in two days, and I needed to be back to answer any unanswered questions — at least ONE day prior to the exam! So, I inquired about flights into Oklahoma City. Although this would put me about 2 1/2 hours from home, I would at least be within the state and I could rent a car to drive home. Luckily, there was a flight that had been delayed and was still holding — I could make it! My only other option was to remain in Dallas, get a “discounted” hotel rate at the Super8, get put on standby for an earlier flight, and just hope I could make it to at least review one of my classes of students!

Well, I decided I should call my “knight in shining armor” to inform him of my “brilliant” plan to rent the car and drive home. He would have nothing of it! Instead, he chose to make the 5 hour round-trip drive, starting at 11PM. Yep. I’m a lucky gal ;)!! So, I then scurried to the gate and made the flight. Again, uneventful until arrival in OKC…

No luggage. No new wetsuit. No new BodyLink. No new uniform. No new NOTHING!!! %$^#%(#&*@!!!!! Worse, my “Knight’s” new wetsuit was in the luggage, too! Double ^&%#(&^#^&!! I thought I would have at least ONE “brownie point” for his major sacrifice he was making — NOPE! Denied!!

I just knew I was going to be up “crap creek without a paddle”, but there is something to be said for the saying absence makes the “heart” grow fonder ;)!  Anyway, I just got in another line, filled out my paperwork for lost luggage, and hoped it would be found — and delivered to me!

After my “rescue”, my knight drove home and listened to my blabbering about the incredible Timex Team Camp – all the incredible athletes, Ben, Keith, Tom, Doug, Tristan, working out, and ALL the new information I learned about the products we have from our sponsors. We finally made it home around 4 AM. Quite a long day!

So, I am back to the “grind”. Though my eyes were red and I was feeling tired, my heart was warmed when my students were seemingly thrilled I was back and appreciated my “knight’s” (and night’s) efforts to get me back to them!

When I got home, I checked the weather channel for the direction of the wind and temperature, and changed into my brand new bike shorts and gear. After the normal pre-ride routine and strapping on my Bodylink, I carried my bike downstairs and was officially back in the saddle, again!

Initially, the entire “feel” of my bike was somewhat awkward. I use PowerCranks, and was surprised at how quickly I adapted to riding in my aeorbars – last season it seemingly took me a week to be able to ride in the aero position for more than 5 minutes! Though the wind was awful (there were gusts up to 40 mph and we were under a “red flag alert”!) and being pelted by the residual sand (from all the ice and snow we have experienced) was a little obnoxious, I was excited about the opportunity to be on my bike and getting my bike legs back.

SPENCO to the rescue…

Before I left for my long run today, I decided to use my Blister Kit from Spenco. I used the second skin (ooooh, so cooling and refreshing!) and the flesh colored adhesive strips that could effectively “glue” your butt cheeks together!

I began my run without incident…but, about 2 miles into my long run, I could tell I was developing a new blister on the “arch” (a word I loosely use since my feet are FLAT) of my right foot. DARN IT! So I stopped, took off my shoe, and assessed the damage. It seemed to be okay, so I continued. About a half mile later, I decided my best course of action would be to peel the Spenco bandage from my heal, and place it on the new blister area. Honestly, I was reluctant and seriously expected the “butt-cheek” adhesive to fail within a mile!

I was wrong! That dern bandage lasted the duration of my run and prevented further development of a blister on my “arch”. WOW!

So, I have found yet another “must have” for running…Spenco Blister Kits!

Cheers!

Lisa