Need advice from fellow long distance cyclists regarding foot pain.

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I'm getting extreme pain on the balls of my feet when doing rides greater than 7 hours.

Around six and half hours, the balls of my feet start to split (the skin is literally tearing). I've tried different socks and am using gold bond foot cream religiously. I’m not getting any blisters, but dead center on the ball of each foot, the skin splits in one place. Once the skins splits, it makes riding any additional time/distance excruciating.

I’m positive that my pedal vs. shoe position is good and am having no other types of pain (no real knee nor foot pain like hot spots, etc.) I have a pair of specialized carbon shoes that I am wearing.

Has anyone else had this happen? Any ideas on what I can try to avoid this condition?


Thanks!

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No one else has had this?

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No one else has had this?
Are your shoes fitting snugly?

You don't want them too tight or too loose.

There really isn't much cushioning at all on the balls of your feet so you might want to invest in either diff shoes or use something like this insole
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=20216&subcategory_ID=2122

or here

http://www.supportsusa.com/ankle/foot/shoe-inserts.htm

How old are your shoes?

If you have never had a fit it might be worth investing in one.

Seven hours? Pain would seem to be natural after that long a ride.

Are your shoes fitting snugly?

You don't want them too tight or too loose.

There really isn't much cushioning at all on the balls of your feet so you might want to invest in either diff shoes or use something like this insole
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=20216&subcategory_ID=2122

or here

http://www.supportsusa.com/ankle/foot/shoe-inserts.htm

How old are your shoes?

If you have never had a fit it might be worth investing in one.
Shoes are a year old now. How often should the shoes be replaced with a new pair?
I'm gonna order the sole inserts as well from Performance.

Incase anyone else runs into this issue, I went the local bike shop for advice. They informed me that with the Specialized Pro Carbon shoes, that the padded inserts should be replace every 1,500 miles (doh!). The replacements are 32 - 50.00 depending on the type you want (doh! doh!).

This probably holds true for most shoes out there.