in the two years since I started running seriously, I've completed four 5k's, three half marathons, and two marathons. last may, I ran my last long run before the seattle rock n' roll marathon: 20 miles in jamestown, rhode island. I ran in worn-down, broken shoes that were too tight, and the swelling of my feet from the deadly combo of heat (it was over 80 degrees that day) and mileage (20 is a lot of miles, yo), caused this to happen. and then the second toenail on my left foot fell off. since those initial injuries, my poor piggies haven't been right.
during the marathon last june, the big toe on my left foot became bruised. not on the nail itself, but deep within the nailbed. I had a black bruise on the toe, and when I pressed on it pain radiated up through the nail. it was gross. when the nail grew out, it was partially healthy. big toenails are big. the right side grew out like normal. but the left side, near the bruised part, grew out but wasn't connected to anything underneath. eventually, I lost my whole big toenail.
how gross is this getting? I know. I'm sorry.
so last summer, I spent days poolside and beaching and whatnot, all while proudly rocking 8.5 toenails (the left second toe was re-injured in the marathon) and hoping no one would notice my frankenstein feet.
flash forward to THIS summer when I was finally able to get my first pedicure in over a year. maybe in 18 months, maybe in two years. I don't remember my last pedicure. yes, the loss of my hard-earned callouses on the bottom of my feet means I now get blisters when I run. but LOOK! I have TEN toenails, all of them healthy.
happy piggies
if this post weirds you out, I'm sorry. I know the toenail injuries are an inevitable part of marathon training, and I'll probably lose one again in the coming months of training and racing. I just had to document them while they were all there and so pretty.
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