Summer is heating up and boy have my legs been feeling it on my runs! Yesterday when I got back from my run my legs felt like lead and my feet literally felt like they were on fire!
I walked in the door, ripped off my shoes and socks and immediately went over to the wall, laid down and put my legs up the wall to help alleviate the pressure and reverse the blood flow.
When Jason came home I was telling him how frustrating the “hot, heavy feet” feeling on my runs was and without missing a beat he said, “you had Disney feet.”
Yes! Disney feet!
That is EXACTLY what I had! You know, that feeling when it’s 90 degrees out and you got to the parks at rope drop and it’s now almost time for fireworks and you’re wondering when your sneakers that were light and comfortable this morning turned to lead furnaces!?!
I don’t know about you, but when the weather starts to heat up, I start getting Disney feet on my runs and it’s even less fun than when it happens at Disney (you know…cause you’re not at Disney!).
So, I thought I’d share some of the ways I alleviate Disney Feet after a run (and in the parks!).
Socks Matter!
Summer running calls for light, breathable socks! My personal favorites are the Swiftwick Aspire and Vibe, they’re nice and thin, but still have little bit of compression around the arch that I like (you can read my post about Swiftwick socks HERE!).
Compression socks are also a great way to decrease foot and lower leg swelling!
Park Appropriate: Wear light but supportive socks and sneakers when you’ll be on your feet all day! (Or disregard what you know is “good” for your feet and wear flip flops all day like I do…oops.)
Feet Up the Wall
It’s as easy as it sounds! Lie down next to a wall and swing your legs up so that your feet are elevated above your head to help reverse the blood flow (see photos above and below).
Park Appropriate: Well you may not exactly want to stop, drop and lie with your legs up a wall in the middle of Disney, but you can sure do this simple restorative yoga pose when you get back to your hotel like Jenn and I did after the Wine & Dine Half Marathon!
Even getting off your feet and sitting down for a bit will help though (you know, in one of those long running attractions with comfy seats and air conditioning…you know which ones I’m talking about!).
**In case you missed it you can check out my guest post on “Legs Up the Wall” on Running at Disney!**
Chill Out
Sometimes a cool shower or ice bath is just the thing to “re-set” my legs. Even just putting my feet in a few inches of cool water in the tub feels great after a hot run!
Park Appropriate: There’s water everywhere in Disney, kick off those shoes and jump on in! Just kidding! But even taking a break in an air conditioned building (especially if that air conditioned building happens to have some seats…) can really help to refresh your legs to keep you going from rope drop to fireworks!
Any other tips to relieve heavy legs after a run?
Park Appropriate:
Favorite “get off your feet” attraction at Disney?
I’m just realizing that apparently I like to write about feet!
Check out some of my other feet related posts:
Live, Run, Grow 
Compression sleeves might be better than compression socks in the summer just so that you can wear your cool socks & not the heavy, thick feet of normal compression socks
Ooh, yes, great point! I don’t own any compression sleeves but I keep thinking I should get some! : )
YOU TOO?! I was running yesterday and kept thinking, “why does my legs feel like 10 ton bricks?”
Oh my goodness, some days I swear someone put weights in my sneakers! It was brutal!
There are a few get off your feet attractions at Disney. When I couldn’t really walk after the half, I got to rest at the Lights, Motor Action and the Great Movie Ride. EPCOT’s got the French film, and MK has The Carousel of Progress and the People Mover.
Carousel of Progress and People Mover are two of my favorites for a quick break! Universe of Energy is great too since it’s soooooo long! : )
People mover is my favorite since we usually can put our feet up on the opposite seat! I wear the same socks year round, Thorlo Experia and I love them. They do get soaking wet in the summer on long runs, but I have never had a blister! 🙂
Haha, yes any place you can kick your feet up in the parks is plus!
Love this! I need to do more inversion poses. thanks for reminding me about this pose that I ‘should’ be doing often!
I forget to do it too until my legs feel like they’re going to fall off! Then I can’t get enough of it!
Holy crap, I cringed through this entire thing…I HATE feet! Yeah, me, the RUNNER??? Ugh!
Love Legs Up the Wall Pose. I think it would help except for the fact that Wonder Mutt thinks it’s way too cool to plop all 43 of her pounds on mom’s gut while she trying to breathe. I suggested she join me in the pose and was answered with a slobber face. Oh yum….
Haha, Madison always thinks me lying on the floor is play time! I somehow manage to throw her toy and play fetch while lying there otherwise she just starts grabbing all her toys and throwing them at me!
Haha – Disney Feet. That’s funny (the term, not actually having them). I love compression sleeves myself. For some reason, I can’t seem to stand the socks much, though I am trying. As most people above have answered: People Mover and Carousel of Progress are great rides to rest the feet/legs. They’re lengthier than most other rides, so it actually feels like you’ve gotten to take a break. I also enjoy taking short lunch and snack breaks to get off my feet. At Disneyland I enjoyed the Canal Boats. Great tips!
I think I need to get myself a pair of compression sleeves to test out!
I am 100% going to try feet up on the wall…great idea that I had never heard of before!
I disregard what I know is good most of the time and wear flip flops all day at the parks. This is an especially bad decision as I usually have a 5 year old permanently mounted to my shoulders…I should really start packing old running shoes.
Oh my goodness, legs up the wall is AMAZING after a long day on your feet – let me know what you think! : )
Headed down to Disney soon, hope I have Disney fun feet and avoid the dreaded “Disney feet” .
OMG my legs have been DYING. I mean I’m pretty sure my legs developed a mouth and just flat out said “no” one day when I tried to use them.
Ha! Mine too! They’ve felt like lead recently!
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Ha! LOVE this post. I know exactly what you mean…I suffer from “Disney feet” every single time I go, and there have been a few races (especially Wine and Dine, for some reason), where all the park walking totally KILLED me during the race. These are awesome ideas, thanks for the tips!
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