On Saturday morning Phil and I held the second KAEM
workshop, the presentation wasn't videotaped but we opted, instead, to take a few photos.
What follows are the highlights in summary format:
Foot Strapping:
Phil uses Fixomull Stretch for taping and I use Hypafix,
both tapes are 5cm’s wide. Both of these tapes are similar and it simply comes down to personal preference.
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Fixomull
Stretch
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Hypafix
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It is an adhesive non-woven fabric bandage. Commonly used under rigid
strapping tape.
Fixomull Stretch is a wide area adhesive tape, especially suitable for
use on frequently mobile and highly contoured parts of the body. It is made
from a white, stretchable, non-woven polyester dressing sheet coated with
skin-friendly polyacrylate adhesive on quick-release backing paper. The adhesive
ensures the dressing is firmly secured on all sides and cannot slip or become
detached.
Fixomull Stretch is permeable to moisture and air, reducing the risk
of maceration
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It is an adhesive fabric bandage. Low allergy extensible dressing
retention sheet.
Hypafix is a self-adhesive, non-woven fabric sheet for secure and
rapid fixation. It is made from white polyester material and coated with
hypoallergenic adhesive on quick-release backing paper. Hypafix also provides
complete coverage of the entire dressing, thus reducing the risk of
contamination. Its excellent conformability simplifies shaping around joints
and awkward body contours to allow the patient greater freedom of movement.
The tape is permeable to both air and moisture, helping to reduce the
risk of maceration.
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Phil continued to demonstrate how he straps; the following
photos will provide a brief overview.
Tape
over the toe nail. The plaster must reach across the entire toe and cover all
surfaces that will be in-contact with the innersole of the shoe. For wider toes
a second plaster can be applied over the first to ensure that the entire skin
area is covered. It is very important to note that if you decide to tape
(strap) one toe, you have to tape all your toes. This is to ensure that
friction between the adjacent toes and the plaster doesn't cause additional
blisters on the untapped toes.
It is very important to trim all edges of the tape to ensure
that no uneven areas remain as this will cause irritation and possibly friction
that will lead to blisters.
When
taping the ball of your feet it is essential to (a) ensure that all uneven
areas and/or folds are trimmed away and (b) that the tape allows for complete
mobility. Note that Phil trims the tape in such a way to allow his toes to move
freely.
As can be seen from the photo of Phil taken during the 2012
KAEM, he uses strapping to pad his shoulders as well. Below that strapping are two sponge shoulder pads that Phil had taped down.
I, on the other hand, don’t strap at all. The photo below is
of my feet at the end of the second last day of the 2012 KAEM (225km’s already
completed). My preferred way to deal with my feet is to do continuous
maintenance. I air my feet at every checkpoint, replace socks if it is needed
and use cotton that are needled through the blister if a blister develops. By
leaving the cotton in any fluid build-up is automatically drained. If the
cotton has a possibility to tear the skin, I tape the cotton down.
During the 2013 Marathon des Sables I had minor blisters to
be treated as can be seen from the accompanying photo.
Unfortunately running with full gaiters (due to the fine
dune sand at the MdS) the skin between my toes started to disintegrate due to
the excessive moisture build-up. Although this may look uncomfortable it did
not result in any discomfort or pain. But as with any skin cut, puncture or
blister, foot hygiene is essential. Keep your feet clean by using foot wipes
and some anti-bacterial / anti-septic ointment or liquid to ensure that no
infection sets in.
The key is to deal with potential problems immediately!
Nutrition:
I will publish my entire race pack content including a
detailed breakdown of my food within the next week, however, a question that
keeps on popping up, is about sodium intake. Let me start by saying that I have
never taken any sodium tablets prior, during or after an event, but we are all different.
What is important, however, is to know how much sodium your body needs and how
much you put into it.
According to the American College of Sport Medicine it is
recommended that a runner should take between 500 and 700mg of sodium per 946ml
of water consumption. Sweat loss based research indicates that a runner should
consume between 460 and 1,540mg of sodium per litre of sweat loss while,
performance based research conducted indicates that the optimal level is
between 80 and 300mg per hour during endurance activities. In all of these
cases the endurance activity type, environmental factors like the temperature
etc. plays a role.
Taking the various research recommendations into
consideration results in a predictable sodium requirement of between 1,330 and
6,023mg per day. Although this may seem very high a normative value is
somewhere between these two extremes. If we therefore, assumes an average of
3,500mg of sodium per day then packing the correct food will provide more than
sufficient sodium. For example, 100g of 2min Noodles contains around 1,400mg of
sodium, salami around 1,460mg per 100g’s and biltong 2,962mg per 100g’s. With a little though one
can easily consume your sodium requirement through the food you pack, without
the need for additional sodium supplements.
Thank you for reading my blog,
Genis
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