I'm running the BCS Marathon this weekend. Throughout training I've run my long runs in Brooks Ghost and my shorter runs in either Altras or Brooks Launch. Almost every single long run with the Brooks Ghost ended with blisters. I've tried several brands of socks, always blister in the same spot.

Should I power through the Ghost since I've worn them on all my long runs or should I go with the other brands that I used on my shorter runs that never gave me blisters? I would think the safe bet would be the Brooks Launch since they are fairly similar to the Ghost.

I know the old adage "nothing new on race day"....but I'd be knowingly wearing shoes that are going to give me blisters.

and for my serious reply, the launch isn't that different than the ghost. that would likely be the best "risk."

You still have time to do a medium run in the other shoes. Which Altras do you have?

I regularly swap Ghosts with Launch. Not that it means you won't have issues, but I transition back and forth between those often.

And funny you post this, because I've been through 3 pair of Ghosts, around 900ish miles total, and have never had a single blister until a run this weekend with a broken in pair of Ghosts. Got a blister on not one, but both heels. I'm blaming the socks even though I've had those for a year or two as well.

Just picked up some Glycerin's in the hope that more cushion will let me move from the treadmill to the pavement

I assumed it was understood:

"Nothing new on raceday, unless what you've been doing is really crappy."

True and its pretty solid advice. But if the Ghosts are consistently giving him blisters and the Launchs aren't (and they've been broken in) I'd give them a shot

wangus12 said:

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Just picked up some Glycerin's in the hope that more cushion will let me move from the treadmill to the pavement

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Ghosts could usually get me through a 10k. I tried my first marathon in them. Never hurt that bad in my life. Switched to Glycerins and never looked back.

To the OP, you want comfort however you can get it. If you have a spot prone to blister maybe try a test run with some of that k-tape over it (I did an Ironman with a toe wrapped in it to cover a blister and had no issues). I've heard a smidgen of Vaseline can work wonders. Personally I'd probably go with the Launch.

Best of luck!

Endo Ag said:

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I assumed it was understood:

"Nothing new on raceday, unless what you've been doing is really crappy."

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I'd say blisters qualify

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Ghosts could usually get me through a 10k. I tried my first marathon in them. Never hurt that bad in my life. Switched to Glycerins and never looked back.

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I did my first couple marathons in Nike Frees which was the stupidest decision ever. Switched over to some Mizuno Wave Riders and they were working great until this summer when I started having a lot of knee pain. I could run a few miles on treadmill, but outside is still painful. Working with a PT now and we decided to get more cushion in a neutral shoe as well as addressing my relatively high arches with some insoles. Gonna give them a go tomorrow. Hoping for the best

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I've tried several brands of socks, always blister in the same spot.

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Wear the Ghosts, but slather your feet in vaseline (or at least the spots that blister).

wcb said:

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wangus12 said:

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Just picked up some Glycerin's in the hope that more cushion will let me move from the treadmill to the pavement

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Ghosts could usually get me through a 10k. I tried my first marathon in them. Never hurt that bad in my life. Switched to Glycerins and never looked back.

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same here. trained in ghosts. loved them. ran a half marathon in them and hated them for a while. just did not like them in the run.

i moved to new balance 1080s and skechers go run road ultras for long road runs. ghosts are still solid for anything under 8 to me.

My vote is the Launch. The main difference between the Ghost and the Launch is the cushion. The launch is more like a racing flat, which IMO would be ideal for race day vs a medium cushion shoe which is a tad bit heavier. Anecdotally, I train in Ghosts and race in something lighter, such as the Adidas Adizero Boston.

If you're worried about the cushion, I would suggest a more cushioned sock (one that you've used before and know doesn't cause you blisters).

Additionally, what sizes are your Ghosts and Launch? And which versions? Where are the blisters? (I work at a running specialty store and might be able to give some insight)

aggievic14 said:

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(I work at a running specialty store and might be able to give some insight)

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Good luck to you putting that information out there. You might get overrun by the "tell me what running shoes to buy" requests that happen on this board regularly. They all tend to end up with multiple recommendations to go to a good running store and figure out what works best, so you might have signed up to be the virtual face of that.

So where are you located

This is so weird. Just got some Ghost 11s. Ran in them for the first time yesterday and loved them. It will be interesting to see how they feel come February after some long (halfer) runs.

For what it is worth, I would stick with the Ghosts, and consider:

1. Applying some friction relief gel on the isolated location where you've been noticing the blister.

2. Wear a second sock over your primary sock, but turn the second sock inside out. (If it has any additional fibers on the inside portion of the sock. If not, just wear it over your primary sock.)

3. Do both 1 and 2.