Do your feet ache after an 8+ mile hike

where does it ache?

are you talking blisters?  I assume not

are you talking plantar fasciitis?

Not blisters and I have had plantar fasciitis in the past but that is more of a sharp pain.  Since then I have incorporated a two minute runners stretch regularly, not just hike days, and that has helped significantly to keep my Achilles and Calf stretched out.  This is just more of a dull ache in the heel mostly.

I’ve had plantar fasciitis also.  It seems like stretching my foot helps.  Or walking around on my toes – put little weight on the heel.  The muscle between heel and big toe gets weak – you have to strengthen it.  Or, as I walk, before lifting foot up, push down at the toe.

Maybe heel pain is plantar fasciitis?

My feet ache a little when I get in range of 18+ miles from all the rocks and roots on trail,  climbing up and down hills and mountains.. hopping on rocks to cross streams and or having wet feet at times.  I think if you keep hiking long miles slowly but surely your feet will get used to longer mile days.. ie.. 10- 15+.   If you dont normally hike long miles,  you need to condition those feet. Im no hiking or foot guru.. this is just what I assume?  Unless you need different hiking shoes?  Thats something you need to figure out too.

My feet don’t usually ache much, but maybe they do and I just don’t feel it because the rest of my body aches 24/7! Hips, thumb joints, lower back, this that and the other thing. Seriously though, stretching the Achilles (gently, you can do damage by overstretching) and rolling your feet with a tennis ball can help. Every single day, gently, a bit. I also massage my feet, do feet exercises like the ABCs, calf raises, etc. Check with a PT? And get some better insoles that give a bit of cushion in the heel.

Maybe we are a similar age. Everyone is different but every year gets a little more challenging with all the little niggles that pop up from hard use. It’s an adjustment to just keep paying attention to the body and addressing concerns before they become disabilities. And I have learned from several 100+ mile trips that I need to start slowly. Maybe 8-10 miles day one, and maybe day 3 dial it back to that again, gradually increasing the miles. Take a rest day if you need it.

Good luck on the CT! I’m aiming for the AZT the spring after I retire! With much prep, work, and luck.

Could depend on many things: your footwear, the type of terrain, conditioning your feet. But TBH, I agree with @AK Granola that aches and pains are probably expected with long hikes. As long as you recover from day to day, maybe it’s just one more thing to live with. Obviously, if you’re not recovering or if the pain is serious, that’s a different story.

Maybe get your feet looked at for Achilles tendinitis?  My right heel is now about twice as big as my left heel.  I think my problem wasn’t so much hiking but the walking and running I did for conditioning.  I ignored the pain because it seemed trivial and not at all like plantar fasciitis.  Part of the fix for me is protecting the Achilles tendon by minimizing external pressure on it.  That is, I wear boots where the cuff is high enough on the ankle that it hit muscle or I wear socks with pads on the heel.

Similar age.  I wouldn’t say pain after 8 miles is normal but at this age we’re all getting down to the wear bars somewhere.   It’s probably manageable with some targeted conditioning.  None of us can diagnose you from here, so it’s probably worth visiting a good physio.  It’s helped me a lot with knee issues.

Here’s a new video with a really nice overview on conditioning for long trails. He gets into feet around 12:50

Thanks for the link to that Video.  Very good video.  First time I have seen such a focused video specifically addressing all aspects of physical preparation for a thru hike.

One other short video I saw earlier today highlighted the importance of allowing time for adaptation of joints/tendons/bones to longer miles.  We all focus a lot of cardiovascular performance which adapts pretty quickly but the joints/tendons/bones need a longer lead time of preparation.  Jumping straight into longer miles will result in the overuse injuries that end most people’s thru hike.

My feet feel tired around 12 or 14 miles. I hike on rocky terrain. That’s wearing Brooks Cascadias. I haven’t found another shoe that gives me comfort for that long other than ten years ago I was wearing Salomon XA Primes (I think that’s the name).in all the other shoes I have tried over the years my feet get tired in half that many miles.

The Cascadias have a rock plate. The Salomons were just stiff overall.

YMMV but for me on the terrain I hike on, I believe some stiffness in the sole helps my feet stay comfortable.

I wear Merrill MOAB’s.  I have bad feet.  This past summer, I had to have the left foot large toe fused.  Seems sticking a hatchet in it down to the bone when I was about 13 (67 now), wasn’t a great long-term plan.  I’ve had facietis.  I keep track of when I started using my current MOAB’s.  I keep that on my phone, but can get on REI and look up when I purchased them.  I actually keep a spare pare in the box so when I suddenly wake up and look and say “it’s time for new MOAB’s” I just open the box.  I use Darn Tough socks all the time and replace them when they are “wearing down”.  I usually opt for the more cushioned one’s, even if they are hotter.   On my 10 mile hikes, I proactively put on Lukeio Tape on both heals.   I put MoleSKIN in the heal cups, to keep from wearing out the fabric in the heals.  That is a sheet of SKIN in each shoe.

When my shoes are 4 to 5 months old, they are downgraded to “mowing the lawn and washing the cars” status and I get a new pair.

I have doctor built orthopedics in both shoes.  I’ve been in those for 30+ years.  I was born with some leg/feet deformities so the orthopedics assist with dealing with that.

There are many factors in play and many solutions for any issue.  What works for one of us, won’t work for someone else.  With all these things that work for me, I can hike 10 miles and just be tired.  No major pain.  Once I get a decent night sleep, I’m fine.

My feet are a dog’s breakfast of multiple tears, breaks, torn facia, fasciitis etc.  A rock plate is mandatory for me do long days.  The Moabs are heavy but the only shoe I’ve found outside some Lowa boots that let my feet do long days on the rooted lunar landscapes that pass for trails out here.  I can walk all day on roads with my Hokas but not on heavy trails.

Randy, I liked the physio’s message in that video how calorie deficits do wreckage to bone density.  I often wonder how triple crowners do it without destroying their bodies.

Rock plates helped me, too, especially on lumpy terrain (rocks and/or roots). I now consider them mandatory.

check out the book, “Fixing Your Feet” injury prevention and treatments for ATHLETES.

Wilderness Press, 5th edition by John Vonhof.