Trim new running shoe insole or toughen up?

August 3, 2020 1:08 PM

I got a new pair of running shoes and they're fine except for a hotspot in the right inner heel where it's rubbing. Should I trim the insole or just tough it out?

The insole seems to go a little too high around my heel and rubs and give me a blister. So the logical thing to do would be to trim the insole to lower it a bit. But I'm worried that that might make it worse and then I'm totally hosed with a ruined insole. Did you ever trim the stock insole in your running shoes? Did it help?

posted by GuyZero to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

When I get these hotspots till my feet adjust I often switch out socks to see if that makes a difference or apply some k-tape to the area to see if that helps my feet and shoes adjust vs just trimming them up. Occasionally when I have trimmed the insole I've caused other problems.
posted by iamabot at 1:31 PM on August 3, 2020

Neither. Get a stick of body glide and call it a day!
posted by floweredfish at 1:33 PM on August 3, 2020

I've never used Body Glide, so this might be the scrappy hiker's substitute, but: put duct tape on your heel/ankle where the shoe rubs. It'll bear the brunt of the rub, and distribute any friction over the entire surface of the tape, leaving you blister-free. (I've used this on big swaths of hipjoints, too, where my backpack straps rubbed, and it works that way also.)
posted by tapir-whorf at 3:07 PM on August 3, 2020

Try the duct tape (or moleskin!) on the affected area of your foot - the hotspot might wear in.
posted by porpoise at 3:22 PM on August 3, 2020