As I mentioned in my marathon recap, I somehow managed to get three black toenails in the St. Louis marathon. I can't seem to shake that race. It keeps finding ways to get me back! Anyway, I figured I would explain the process of the black toenail to anyone who hasn't experienced it before.
Cause
They say that ill-fitting shoes or running downhill alot in a race can cause black toenails. I have seen that to be true in the Mountain Mist 50K when I am wearing my stiffer trail shoes and also running quite a bit of downhill segments for longer than normal. But in St. Louis, I wasn't wearing different shoes (I was in my usual Nikes). I was wearing new shoes and socks, but I don't remember this bothering me before. It could also have been caused by all the water. I ran through sprinklers and had a ton of water poured over me, plus I was sweating alot more than in the colder races too.
Symptoms
Strangely enough, a black toenail is not the first sign of a black toenail! Neither is pain in your toes during the race! I first discovered mine when I removed my shoes, and three toes on my right foot just felt the tiniest bit sore. When I pressed on them, they hurt. But I knew from experience that they would turn black. Sure enough, they began to get very sore over the next few days. Even having the bedsheets on them hurt alot one night last week. Then after a week, they began turning black (or really more like dark purple).
Over time they will actually separate from the nail bed, causing the nail to look translucent. Sometimes they will fall off. A new nail will grow from the bottom up. This is a pretty slow process. So...just in time for sandals season I have these three beauties to show off!
The Cookie Dash 5K run was held this morning. Rick and I volunteered. I was a course sentry, and Rick worked the finish line and took pictures. See the start of the run below.
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| 3 Black Toenails |
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Cookie Dash 5K Run |
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