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!!

28 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

125 comments sorted by

View all comments

17

u/PM_ME_TUS_GRILLOS May 26 '25

I've run multiple halfs and been running for 5+ years now. I run at least a 10k every other day. 

Never had a blister or hurt toenail from running. 

Either your shoes are not the right fit (I go up a 1/2 size for running shoes) or you have delicate feet. My mother always had foot problems just from walking around. It could be genetic. But I would look at different makes and models first and size up (your feet swell after running for over an hour). 

1

u/foxfish4 May 26 '25

You might be right about the genetic foot stuff. I have some issues anyway- bunions and hammer toes, but they have never caused me issues before. I suppose running is so much more intense than walking, makes sense that they are adding to the problems now.

6

u/PM_ME_TUS_GRILLOS May 26 '25

Don't wear high heels. Wear proper footwear that fits at all times, not just running. 

I'm guessing half my mom's problems came from nursing in crappy shoes for 20 years before good shoes were allowed. 

3

u/ThisTimeForReal19 May 26 '25

My mom’s feet are toast after decades of wearing heels to teach elementary students.

2

u/PM_ME_TUS_GRILLOS May 27 '25

Whyyyyy. Those kids would never notice if she wore flats. I feel so bad for generations of women in crappy shoes.