Losing toenails

I’ve been promising a great entry on toenails for quite a while.  I know that you’ve all been waiting with bated breath.  Exhale my friends, for it is time!


When I first started running, lots of magazines and running forums talked about black toenails. When I started racing, there were all sorts of "inspirational" signs saying stuff like, "Toenails are for sissies!" For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out what this meant.  I really liked having toenails.  They are good for pedicures and making your feet look normal.  And for the longest time, I really didn’t encounter any problems indicating that losing them might be my fate as well

Of course, the more I read about the topic, the more I wanted it to happen.  Losing a toenail means that you are a hard core runner.  It means that you run so much that your toenails bump against your shoes (no matter how well they fit) and the blood builds up behind your nail and bruises and essentially the toenail dies.  It turns black because there’s bloody buildup back there.  It’s quite similar to what happens when you slam your finger in a car door, only it happens over time and is considerably more badass. 


So for the past 6-8 months, I’ve been cultivating my own black toenail.  For the last few marathons, I’ve noticed that my toes actually hurt while I’m running.  Luckily, it was a minor enough pain (comparable to the other pain that you feel while running a marathon) that I barely paid any attention to it.  I kept my toenails covered in bright pink lacquer and ran through the pain. 
 

I didn’t even realize it was happening until I went to get a pedicure one day and they took the polish off my big toe and revealed….grossness.  As much as I like feeling tough, I have to admit that it’s pretty gross.  And it’s taking forever to grow out.  However, I’ve been told by many friends and online resources that it actually doesn’t hurt to lose the nail.  Mostly you just look kind of mutant until the new one grows in. 


I am fully anticipating losing this toenail and if you’re EXTREMELY lucky I will post a picture.  Running the 24 hour Lone Ranger marathon in July may speed up the process, however I’m having trouble deciding if I really want to commit to that.  I’m signed up, but do I really want to spend more time in Philly around that same 8 mile loop for another 6+ laps?  Whenever I think I’ve decided NO, something tugs at my heart and I can’t commit to saying no either…what to do??  Better go run to think this through…

Next up - underwater running and the Runner's World Challenge.