coaching feet --ooowww

[miraclegro]

I am not sure what to do about my newest foot  (or feet) issue....

It might be because i am coaching a little more than normal, but i just think something has changed.

I have custom Harlicks, which i love, but sometimes at the end of the day, i feel like my feet grew just enough to make my toenails jam into the tips of my skates.  And i have cut my toenails as much as i can!  One of the big toenails is now not even curving on the side like it's supposed to....it looks kind of like the work my hubby had done to kill the nerve on his ingrown toenail to where it doesn't grow up from the side.   I know that sounds weird, and when i skate just for me, it isn't that bad....   I just don't want to ruin my feet.  So...any suggestions???

[phoenix]

Maybe it's time for roomier skates! I know some coaches who wear Softecs for some teaching, which are fine as long as you don't have to demonstrate anything too complicated. When I have a long session of coaching, I'll often pull the skates & teach for 1/2 hour or an hour from the boards if I don't really HAVE to be on the ice for that student on that day. It can really help.

But yeah, in the long run, it's probably time for new skates.

[Isk8NYC]

It doesn't sound wierd that skating for yourself doesn't cause the problem if you skate in the morning.  Teaching in the afternoons and evenings will always result in tighter skates because your feet swell a little towards the end of the day.  (That's why you should never buy shoes after work.  )

When you coach, especially the beginners, you're not moving around enough to keep your blood flowing, so your feet will swell a little and make the skates feel tight.  When I teach a low-level lesson, I often find my toes have fallen asleep inside my skate, so I really look forward to moving onto a freestyle lesson.  Nothing like trying to demonstrate with your feet half asleep.

IIRC, you wear bungapads, right?  Maybe you don't need them to teach, or you could wear thinner socks to give your feet some breathing room.  You can also try getting the skates stretched by the pro shop to buy a little extra room if your skates are still in good shape.

[icefrog]

Thats interesting to hear that feet swell during the day. I usually skate for a few hours in the afternoon and take a break then teach and when I go to teach putting on my old skates was really really painful it really felt like my foot was wider, but then I got new skates and they are comfy all day long!

[Isk8NYC]

I've noticed it more as I've gotten older.  I'll skate in the morning and find that my skates are always loose or feel too big, then they fit fine later on when I come back to teach.  I used to work for a "fashion retailer" (their buzzword, not mine) that always suggested trying on shoes at lunchtime because shoes bought at night would turn out to be too big in the morning when you put them on.

If your skates are a little snug, they'll feel too tight by evening.  Standing around (which we all do with tots) makes it worse.

[miraclegro]

Well, the first session of the Mice on Ice is always awful, because i seem to have my toepicks jammed into the ice anyway because most of them are hanging on me and i never get up! 

Even my calve and leg muscles were so sore last night i didn't sleep.  I've gotta make a better plan for this issue, in order to survive.  I work out, but I have to find some kind of vitamin supplement as well.

As for the boots, i may try my Klingbeils that never really worked out because they were just a bit too big!  They are bigger in the toe box just a bit more too. 

I'd trade up just once for a higher level, not because i love the wee ones less, but just for giving my body a break!  lol

[Query]

This probably won't give you enough space in the right directions, but you could try removing your insoles. Easy, fast, free.

A good boot technician may have tools to stretch the toe box a little, in length and width - maybe half a size, as that is perhaps the hardest place to stretch.

You can order shoe stretchers yourself, like these though some might not be strong enough to stretch skates. Cheaper ones are available on eBay by looking for bunion stretcher, or shoe stretcher.

I stretched my toe boxes - but only vertically and in width - by using a ball and ring pliers, which are only designed for spot stretches - so I had to stretch many different spots, over several days. which you see on eBay under "bunion stretcher", as something like a "hoke and ball stretcher".

But based on your skatingforums name, you will keep growing, and will soon need new boots anyway.

BTW, I guess this is completely unrelated, but some coaches find that they should fit boots for standing on inside edges, cuz that is what they do all day. So if you do foot impressions, stand on both feet at once. That will make outside edges and crossovers a little harder to do, but many coaches do it anyway.

Oh. I got it! Keep your feet elevated all day. On your desk.  

Hope that helps.

[AgnesNitt]

I've posted to miraclgro privately, but I wanted to share a couple of comments. I also have Harlicks, and have the exact same problem. Mine is much worse as it occurs after a half hour on the ice. I had the toe punched out, removed the insole, nothing worked.

What it felt like was that even with my foot tapped well back in the boot, that the boot was pressing down on the nail.  The longer I was in the boot the worse it got. The only thing miraclgro and I seem to have in common is that we have narrow heels compared to the forefoot. Our boot size is different, and mine were custom (I think hers were stock? not sure)