I’m having issues with black toenails! I’ve tried half a size bigger, a whole size bigger and I don’t know which is better. I’m going to try locking laces to stop my heel slipping but not sure which size to go for. They both seems fine. Tbh my issue has been with my trailies not road shoes and I’ve just got new ones so we’ll see how they go.
So do you buy the same size, half a size up or a whole size up?
Well, I await the other answers with interest! I have half a size up, plenty of room in the toebox and use lock laces...but still got a black toenail on my 10 mile run last week! I'm sure I once read that you're not a proper runner until you lose a toenail!😉 Sorry, not much help!🙂
I just buy for fit. Not many shoes are the same shape as my feet.
For me it depends on the shoe. My latest pair are half a size up (Nike Pegasus) with no issues but my previous ones were Saucony and they were a full size up. When I was thinking about buying these new ones I was also considering Brooks Glycerin but they would also have been a full size up. I ended up doing a run around the shop in both pairs before deciding. I prefer having too much room than too little as I have ended up with cramps when shoes have been too tight which was really unpleasant.
Lace lock does help to stop your feet from sliding forwards in the shoe ( and your toes striking the inside front of the shoe) . Before you tie the lace make sure your foot is as far back in the shoe as you can get it
I have this problem too. Only one toenail. It started with a pair of Asics trail shoes and a long, hilly trail run. Asics are narrow so I ditched them. Same thing with my 15k run along the river in April, same toe. My On shoes are a size up from my normal shoes fit perfectly and cause no problems till after 14/15k, then the tips of my toes feel as if they are pressing down and hurt (I do have slightly hammer toes) and the shoes feel too narrow across the big toe joint (the bit that gets bunions). However, the issue for me isn't toes prsing the end of the shoe. I would like to say it's only trail runs that cause the problem, but my 17k (ish) run last Sunday was totally road and I have a black nail again. It was a hot day, and I guess my feet swelled.
This is a massive problem and doesn't bode well for my HM in October. I tried men's in Cloudflyer (my go to shoe), as they are broader, but they are also deeper and cut under my ankle bones. I tried the new Cloudswift in men's, but they had to go back: they were causing knee and hip pain and felt like running in flippers.
I'm hoping I've solved the problem by having back my On Cloudsurfers from my partner, who doesn't like the colour anyway. I had to go a half size smaller because of the wide toe box, and they still have over a thumb's width between my toes and the end of the shoe - but I'm hoping this will be a good thing on a very long run, so am trialling them. A pair of double skin socks has solved the wideness in other parts of the shoe.
I can't use heel lock lacing because it gives me achilles pain.
So I'm wondering if shoe size is sometimes an issue of width and having ample room for toes. But I think you've said elsewhere that you wear men's shoes anyway.
Saucony sizes are smaller than most. I'm a 4.5 street shoe and take 5.5 in Brooks and 6 in Saucony trailies and Hoka.
Try measuring both your feet, stand on a piece of a4 paper and make a mark behind each heel and in front of each longest toe. Measure in cms from the toe line to heel, it will be a slight angle due to foot shape. Add .5 cm to this and that's at least the size you want to look at. Check online with the manufacturer's size guide, the Japanese size is in cms, plus most shoe boxes state size in cms too so double check your current shoe box to see what actual length you've got.
I got one black toenail but only because I'd bought 5.5 in Saucony. They were fine for flat and runs of less than an hour but an hour and 20 did for the nail.
I can't help, I am afraid... and weirdly your post comes at the right time because yesterday for the first time ever, I felt a tightness over the end of my big toe on my right foot! Like the shoe was too tight.. I shall watch replies with interest...I have had no issues at all...no black toenails and no blisters... I think my socks help ..
I wear Asics and am up 2 sizes......(makes me sound like hobbit feet!) I tend to make sure the mid foot laces are very secure, as well as the heel , which I have found helps stop black toe nails/toe bruising - although dependant on the terrain/conditions, e,g very steep downhills - which make you naturally ‘claw’ , very occasionally, on longer distances, I still get a bit of soreness on my toes.
Shoe brands can be very different in sizing too....foot box, width etc.,
Good fitting, good quality socks help too, my faves are Hilly and 1000 Mile....
Trial and error really, but , never mind the technical side of it, my main go to is comfort! They have to feel like slippers.....☺️
Mx
Toe socks help me! I find that regular socks can pull against my toes, causing irritation that leads to blisters and black nails.
I was recommended to go 2 sizes up in my running shoes. I’ve not had any toe nail issues yet 🤞
Size 5 in my everyday shoes and size 7 in my Brooks Ghost and my Hoka One Ones.
I wanted to use the extra hole when I got my running shoes so do lace lock.
I have clown feet when I walk in my running shoes but no trouble when running in them.
Interesting post and thread Tasha! I have had no major problem, but had noticed a while ago that the nails on the middle toe on both feet were not black, but “raised” and whitish. They didn’t hurt at all and didn’t seem to be getting any worse, instead the affected bit of the nail was just gradually getting higher as my nails grew. In fact just last night one of them finally came off altogether, but it had grown to the point where that was not painful.
So I guess that happened a good while ago (I did a HM in March), but I really don’t know which run or which shoe. Am currently building up to my next HM in October, so will be watching carefully for any recurrency of that problem, as the mileage increases.
Re shoes, most of my runs are in Nike Vomero size 9.5, a half size more than my shoe size. But I also have Asics trail shoes, Nike Apollo and have recently bought Saucony Triumph, all also in size 9.5. Interested in the comments on here re Saucony coming up small, did a 17k run in mine last week with no problems so hopefully OK. If anything they feel bigger than my Nike’s (especially around the toe box), rather than smaller.
Tried lock laces for a while last year, but as my weak spot seems to be my Achilles I decided not to continue doing that.
Good luck, hope you get it sorted 😀
It depends on the shoe. There’s no hard and fast rule
I’ve got Torins a full size bigger but usually go half size up You have to try them on If you do a lot of running and/or racing I don’t know how you avoid nail issues. We can do all the right things in the hope of minimising them
I am currently nursing a huge blister next to my recently removed big toenail 🤨. Long run yesterday 🤷♀️
🤣 the things we put ourselves through! Luckily I’ve never had a blister 👌🏽 I like my injinji socks 👍🏽
When I first ran HMs 25 years ago I never had any problems with black toenails or blisters and I ran in a cheap pair of trainers for the market that I also used for other things. I only ran for about 3 /4 years then and then life got in the way.
Fast forward to now and 25+ years later.. in the meantime my arches have now dropped, I have extremely flat feet, bunions and arthritis (worse in my left foot) and I used to rub awful blisters underneath my big toe, where the second toe pressed on it as I walk. I really didn’t think I would be able to run at all and padded my toes up with plasters etc the first couple of times as we did C25k....
Then my daughter bought me a pair of Injinji toe socks as a trial and I haven’t looked back. I now have 7 or 8 pairs and 2 Karrimor pairs and I even wear them on non running days. I’ve only run 18k as a longest distance so far but I have not had one blister or black toenail in the last 18 months( since I started running again )....even in the heatwave.
Don’t know if they would help you? But I’d highly recommend them
No black toes yet but definitely feels sore if toe on my left foot. I had to switch from my favourite brooks hybrid trail shoes to Saucony trail shoes. I believe I am a half size bigger and choose a wide shoe width if possible due to a pesky bunion. I’ve struggled a bit with the Saucs though because they seem too wide and even with a heel lock my foot seems to slide forward a bit. I thought the sauce were known for being really narrow and they don’t seem any wider than my brooks were but it has been a struggle. Oh well. I’m not sure what I’ll do for next year’s trail shoes but will use these ones for now. At 16k, no black nail but will see what happens after today’s 18k
I've not had a black toenail since Abi suggested the injinji socks, and I used to get one on each foot without fail any time I went over 15k. I've done three half marathons events now plus various longer training runs and although after the first one my toenail fell off (rain plus horribly damaged nailbed from previous runs! It just soaked off 😂) my feet now look nice and healthy again. I realise you say you have some toesocks, but they're an absolute game changer for me so I'd recommend using them in conjuction with whatever other changes you make! Sorry former favourite Hilly socks, it's Injinji all the way for me now. No more toenail blisters or gingerly hobbling about the week after a half marathon! Lovely!
Hmm. I’ll carry on wearing them but they’ve not stopped the issue. I think it might’ve been my old trailies and not fastening them tightly enough. Hope my new trailies help with locking laces 🤞🏽
You might be able to deduce the issue by the placement of the blister that causes the black nail, and the toe itself in relation to your running motion. For me, I found that although my foot shape is very pointy and I do find it a bit tricky getting shoes to fit, it wasn't my big toe getting bruised but the one next to it—so I knew it wasn't from hitting the front of my shoe. The blister often formed right on the end of my toe though, so it did suggest it was hitting something... I tried to figure out the motion of my feet as I ran and discovered my toes splay out not only when they hit the ground, but also when they stride forward and that seemed to be where I was getting pain. They were being pressed against the taut sock, with my second toe reaching up and doing the most pressing, and that repeated motion would make them sore, then blister beneath the nail, then blacken as the blister matured (ew). Next time you do get a blister (if you're not able to fix it right away) try to do a bit of running and deduce specifically when it hurts and precisely what your foot is doing at the time. It'll be ouchy, but it might help you narrow down the problem long term!
Yes I think mine do the same - same toes. So what do I do now?
🤔 I think experimenting with locking your laces and the way you distribute the lacing across your foot is definitely a good start, locking might help the sock being pulled so tight if your foot slipping is the issue. The solution will be out there for sure, it's just a case of trial and error to find it! And you will 🙂 I lock my laces, and tie them very tight at the ankle end, and keep them loose at the toe end (if that makes sense). I've always done it that way, every since my roller skating days. That's a combo that seems to work for me, and with the injinji socks too I've been problem free in the toes all year now. That, plus a strip of leukotape on the right arch, and my feet are pretty happy! I'm sure that will change as I ramp up to marathon next year though 😂😬
Ok I’ll try it. I like the idea of loose on the toes and tight by the ankle. Thank you 👌🏽
Well, tight by the ankle angered my Achilles at one stage. All that lack of free movement.... Try, by all means, what doesn't work for one does work for another!
I can’t bear the ankle rub on Achilles. Previously qI’ve cut down the back seam of my shoes to stop it. I now choose shoes with no heel counter
Running a fast downhill section in a race in May did for my big toe, which has taken til now to lift itself mostly free of the nail bed
All was fine with me until the last quarter of marathon training and the 42k run itself. That last week saw me cover over 90k in five days, the toe nails called it a day. My shoes were fine, training was fine, whatever... l sometimes think that mere nature of my runs (running, no walking at all hence constant impact) had lots to do with it. I ran/walked only the final marathon stage when l was tripping trough death zone, but not more than 30sec per KM which must have busted my nails. Now I'm on a beach holiday in ludicrously hot Croatia and my toes look grotesque. Do l care? 
Shoe mileage?
Does jeffing count?
Shoe porn
