Pay attention to your feet

[SFDonovan]

Stepping is a great way to burn calories.  I routinely get over 500 calories burned during a 50 minute 3.2 mile walk.  I've experienced some pain in my calves but I allocate this to how hard I'm pushing the pace during my walks.  Well, halfway through lastnight's walk I developed a blister on the back of my left heel.  I kept telling myself these ill fitting, run-of-the-mill tennis shoes would be good enough for walking.  

I should have sprung for something better fitting with a little more arch support.  I probably wouldn't be laid up as I am now.  What could I use on my heel for the time being, or should I just give it a rest for a couple days?  Are these Moleskin products any good? 

[bamaredsox]

From my experience, the key to no blisters is not the shoes but the socks that you wear. Especially when walking, you experience a great deal of moisture in your shoes and if you have nothing to allow those puppies to breath then moisture leads to blisters. Get yourself some good socks. Under Armour makes a great no show sock that causes no blisters. https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/speedform-no-show/pid1256249-428

Give em a try.

[WendyB]

Yes shoes are very important. As well as socks

The Blister could of been caused  by your socks.

A good running shoe store will help with both

[SFDonovan]

Strange though I've been walking since Valentines Day when my wife bought me a Fitbit.  Hadn't had a problem till last night.  The blister came up pretty sudden.  I just was not paying attention.

[Gershon]

Merino wool socks are the most comfortable for me. Many backpackers recommend wool socks. If you insist on synthetic, Thorlo socks work well.

I recommend you take a day or two off until the blister heals. 

There is not a lot to be gained by pushing your walking pace. Most people in shape settle down around 3.5 mph for a long time. Then they naturally increase to 3.8 mph or so. If you are walking on hilly trails, the pace will be slower. There is more to gain by increasing your miles if you have the time.

Either way, you will cycle through a litany of minor injuries as you get in better shape. These are different forms of overuse injuries. The treatment is always the same. At the first sign of injury, reduce your miles or take a day or two off. Be especially careful of any pain in the knees or the feet. These can develop into chronic problems. 

If you want to reduce your injuries, explain to your subconscious you want to walk in a way to reduce injuries. Then forget about pace or walking form. You said you were pushing. If you tell your subconscious you want to walk fast, it will tend to ignore injuries and focus on your pace. This can result in more injuries. 

If you want to increase your distance, the most efficient walking speed for most people is near 3.5 mph. Learn to stick to this speed as you increase distance. I recommend not increasing both speed and distance on the same walk. The most efficient stride rate for distance will be somewhere between 115 and about 120.