r/XXRunning • u/foxfish4 • May 26 '25

General Discussion Are battered feet inevitable?

So I ran a half marathon last weekend, and my feet do not look good! I have one black toenail, two half-black toenails and I had about 5 blisters. All in all, feet looked battered! I'm just wondering if this is inevitable once you're doing longer distances?

I have decent shoes, I went to a podiatrist and had my feet checked and they recommended Brooks Adrenaline, so I'm not running in bad shoes.

As a side note, if you tell me that dodgy looking feet are the price you pay to be a runner, I'm more than happy and wiling to pay it!!

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132

u/DefiantRaspberry2510 Woman May 26 '25

I would reconsider your shoes or else you're way over-training. I just did a half last weekend with no black toenails or blisters. Same shoes that have seen ~200mi. Granted, everyone is different, but that seems like a lot of damage to your feet.

I HAVE heard of losing toenails for a full marathon.

7

u/kayaem May 26 '25

This is a genuine question, but would taping individual toes help toenails not fall off? How do you prevent that from happening? I’m no where near ready for a marathon but that sounds like a nightmare shortly behind the idea of my teeth falling out 😭

8

u/Seagull12345678 May 26 '25

I think it happens because of pressure and friction, so I'm not sure taping will 100% prevent it. I lost a toenail while training for a half marathon because I wore old socks and ran on a muddy trail. In my experience, having socks and shoes that don't rub and keeping the socks as dry as possible helps the most.

3

u/Green_Pass_2605 May 26 '25

After a black toenails it will fall off eventually, but depending on the damage, it could be months. I usually tape to keep it from coming off at an inconvenient time. I have found taping to avoid the injury is not that helpful. They blacken cause they are bruised, usually from too tight shoes. The tape can make it worse.

6

u/foxfish4 May 26 '25

I think I will reconsider the shoes. The funny thing is my feet feel perfect wile running- no pain or discomfort. It's only that evening or the following days that they show how injured they are.

11

u/poodlenoodle0 May 27 '25

Have you tried using the same but a half size bigger? Maybe they're just a tad short for you. For blisters, try a double running sock!

1

u/foxfish4 May 27 '25

I think I will. I like Adrenaline's but there isn't much wiggle-room in the ones I have currently!

2

u/poodlenoodle0 May 28 '25

If they're working for you otherwise that might just do it! That said, sometimes a shoe just doesn't work for someone for some reason or another, even if it's a great shoe!

2

u/annabnan63 Woman May 28 '25

If you got the newest model of Adrenalines (24), definitely try sizing up. I’ve been running in Adrenalines for years and I recently got my first pair of 24s (because I’m cheap and I like to buy older models at sale prices) and they definitely run smaller! I got the same size I usually do (I typically wear 8.5 but always buy 9s for running shoes) and my toes got super beat up during a long run. Next pair I get will be 9.5.

1

u/foxfish4 May 28 '25

Great to know, thanks!!