More duct tape

While running this AM thought of a couple details I should have included in previous post. Thinking while running is almost like the magical time as you're just going to sleep or waking up. Surprising insights--sometimes wondrous--then there are the OOPS! moments when you suddenly remember what you should have done or said.

It would be nice if you could just cut the tape to fit the wear pattern--BUT the shear forces generated by your foot strike require a certain area of adhesive to keep the tape from peeling off. Obviously, before you stick the tape down the rubber needs to be clean and dry. I usually stick it down and then take a sharp rounded object--edge of spoon or ? and really press hard, running the edge across the whole surface--you apply lots of lbs per square inch to the tape this way. After that I trim with some sharp scissors. I'm pretty casual about trimming the inner edges--heel configuration are diverse and often there's a concave area near the middle-overlapping tape isn't a big deal there, but you can trim if you're a neatness fan.

The Gorilla product has some fiberglass in it and while it wears well it will NOT give you the traction on wet surfaces that the rubber did. That's usually OK because your foot strike problem will have less effect if there is some slip at the instant of contact. You'll find that wet weather doesn't seem of cause problems for the adhesive if you stick the tape down well.

I've done beach runs and had no peeling issues with the tape. There's very little wear on the sand either. Nonetheless, I am not a big beach run fan these days. I ran on the beach for several years when I lived in Cayucos--easy on the impact, but some downsides too, those I'll save for later post.

You can also use duct tape to repair the tops of your shoes, if your toes start to come though or if you want to keep sand out of the toes while you're walking down to the moist beach. The trend toward lots of  mesh in the tops is great for ventilation, but sand gets right through. Trail shoes don't have that problem, but you don't need trail shoes on the beach. There are some minimalist trail shoes now that are probably a solution, but how many pairs of shoes do most runners want to purchase?