From reading a lot of journals of people hiking the AT this year it seems that many are having problems with blisters and such from their footwear. I found a couple of sites, one for shoes and one for boots, that give some very good info on alternate lacing techniques.
For boots, http://www.backcountryedge.com/video-lacing-techniques-for-better-boot-fit.aspx
and for shoes, http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/locklacing.htm
Hope these are helpful.