Hello running people I hope you can help - I’m battling on with my first half marathon training for October and have recently completed 7.5 mile and 10.5 mile long runs. All of a sudden the nails of both my fourth toes are now sore and bruised and a deep red. No doubt they will now go black? Yuk! No other toes seem affected - yet. I’ve recently splashed out on a new pair of ASICS Gel Kayano 25s which I’ve been running in for last few weeks and been very happy with - plus some very expensive new running socks. The Google answers to this are confusing - it just says the shoes’ toe box could be too big/too small. No real answers. It’s very worrying as I don’t want this to develop into something that will stop me doing the half marathon. And if I do need to give my toes extra protection what works? Please help!
Help - fourth toe on BOTH feet badly ... - Fun Beyond 10K & ...
Help - fourth toe on BOTH feet badly bruised after long runs
Asics tend to be narrow. I had a black toenail from a long trail run in a pair of Asics. Annoyingly it’s gone black again twice from other runs. Look to your lacing. I have to be really scrupulous about checking I haven’t laced too tight over the width of my foot behind the toes. Your shoes may be fine on shorter runs, but feet swell over distance, and running downhill doesn’t help, so the shoes that were comfortable over 5k or so may become a problem over 10k or more. For me it’s usually over 12-15k.
Thanks FlickM3 good advice. Yes I’ve read about lacing and hadn’t really appreciated the importance of it. I know black nails are seen as a rite of a runner’s passage and I’m fine with that as long as they don’t become too painful. Do you use any toe protectors?
They're not a "rite of passage" unless its that we make the wrong shoe choices! 🤣🤣 It's a sign of bad footwear, don't kid yourself!
Ive got lots of different shoes and socks but I still get black nails, blisters, bruised nails. I think it must be my feet! Ive got NiKe Pegasus, Saucony Zealot, Saucony Kinvara, Altra Torins, Mizuno's and Peregrines. All good shoes I think the Kinvara is the best of the bunch toe wise, and I seem to get less damage with those, but they're minimalist and I like to keep them for shorter races
Have you looked at Hoka? Their toe box is much more generous...
I got the Altras for the clown-like toe box, and they are a full size bigger than my day shoes. They are the worst for blisters! I think my toes are weird. They have plenty room to splay in the shoe but they don't, they seem to stick together. The Nike's are too narrow in the toe box so I'm not doing much in those. Slow, short runs in them.
I am due for new shoes and I want a marathon shoe in particular. So will be headed to the running shop and am going to try on a world of shoes. Hoka is on my list of ones to try on
🤔 if your toes are sticking/blistering have you tried injinji socks?
I also slather bodyglide on all my toes/ between and along the ball of my foot to avoid any friction...
I use Vaseline I’ve not tried those socks I have tiny toes and I wonder if they’d just be too big. I could get a pair and try them 👍
If you like thin the "liner" socks are great. My toes are very petite but they're fine and I tried them on my pal whose toes are even smaller and she loved them.
Steer clear of the thick ones though. The ankle ones and crew ones are good.
I think bodyglide is better as it's less squidgy...🤣🤣🤣
My toes are really short, like they’re missing a third of their length 🤨 🤷♀️😁. They don’t splay out but seem to bunch together
I need to grow my trainer wardrobe big time!
No, I just make sure my shoes are right. And get them fitted at a specialist running shop. The Asics I bought were online and I regretted them - gave them away to whoever wanted them on a Facebook running group. I wear Hilly mono skin socks and On Running shoes. You need at least a thumbs width between the end of your big toe and the end of the shoe, and make sure the toe box is wide enough but not too wide. I came a cropper on a just short of 17k run on a hot day a couple of weeks ago- I laced too tight and my feet swelled in the heat over that distance - the original black toenail copped it again. The shoes fit properly but I laced the front too tight. You live and learn!
There really is no need for blisters and/or toe nail injury with properly fitted footwear. I was just stupid! 😊
Yes I’m feeling a bit fed up as I went to a proper running shop and had a fitting (although I did say I wanted ASICS). Thanks for all your advice. I’m assuming you can still keep running with black toenails?
Well I do
My shoes are all good as are my socks. Hilly, Mono etc etc but I still get rotten blisters and black nails. I've hardly ever got ten nails
Epsom Salts is your friend Get a sackful! I get mine from the equine shop
In my experience it takes a long time for black toenails to recover to a state of beauty. I'd get on with running! 😀
I’m not bothered about their appearance - I’m more concerned about whether they’re going to drag me down if they become painful. I clearly have a lot to learn about this running lark
Yep, shoe choice/size.
Did you pick these yourself or were you measured in a shop and recommended these?
Measure your feet and check with the size you chose. The box or manufacturer site will give all sizes, Japanese is just cms. Stand on a piece of paper, make a line behind your heels and in front of your longest toe on each foot. Measure from line to line for each foot in cms. Add at least .5cm. This is roughly the size you want but certainly no smaller. Ie. My feet are 24cm, so I need 24.5 which is 5.5 in Brooks and 6 in Saucony. Now I would normally buy street shoes in size 4.5.
More than likely those nails will go black and you will lose them. They will come back in about 3 months.
Many thanks JoJo. Yes I was advised and fitted with these at a proper running shop in Birmingham as I’ve always liked the ASICS brand and wanted to stick with it. This is the first time I’ve tackled such long distances so I suppose this is when these issues start appearing
I have Asics for casual but I couldn't run in them, they're just wrong for my feet.
For you it’s Brooks or Saucony?
Brooks support for road and Saucony for trails. I'm trying a pair of Hokas too for trail but still not sure yet. I would try others but so far these meet my needs best.
I had some Brooks Cascadia trail shoes which I adored. I wore those to death. The model which came after it was too narrow, sadly. They do that don't they, for some reason. The Nike has narrowed off as has the Saucony Kinvara, although I'm told the latest one is better, so will be trying that on for sure
Start fitness still have some cascadia 13 and 14s... 🤔
Scratch that... the 13s are only size 4 🤣
Thanks yes - I think we must have identical sized feet! Just done your measuring. I’m 24cm too. These ASICS are 24.5cm euro 39. I’m also a ‘normal’ 4.5 in street shoes. I think I’ll go back to shop and see what they suggest - without having to resort to paying out for another pair
Are you using heel lock to keep your foot at the back of the shoe?
What do you mean by heel lock?
There's an extra hole at the top of the lacing holes to create a heel lock. Ask the shop to teach you. I felt like I knew nothing when I found this small miracle out. It keeps the shoe in the right place so you n don't slide forward in the shoe. Or Google heel lock lacing. Its hard to explain in words 🤣
Thanks - will do. You’ve been so helpful and informative to this (ancient) ignoramus!
Every day is a school day! I couldn't believe my eyes in the run shop when they redid my laces... felt like I was 6 again learning to tie the rabbit ears! 🤣🤣🤣
It’s all a learning curve. It doesn’t ever come to an end 😊
If they fitted you wrongly you have a case to have them changed. My daughter took some back after three months because they hadn’t fitted them properly, and she got a brand new pair a half size up
I like the sound of that - I think they should at least give a decent discount
I too have returned a pair that ga e me blisters. They were only happy to do that if I bought another pair from them of course.
Is the bruising at the tip of the toes or on top pressing downwards?
I have similar issues. I’ve gone up another half size, wear injinji socks and have started to use locking lace technique (top two holes) so my feet don’t slip. If it doesn’t stop happening soon I’ll be at a loss as to what to do next.
Thanks Tasha99 will educate myself about injinji socks - never heard of them. Are they good?
They’re the finger ones like gloves. Not sure if they help for this issue but I’ll try anything! Definitely try locking laces.
locklaces.com/blogs/resourc...
Thanks - just looked them up. Will invest in a pair. People on here have come up with such brilliant advice. What a great forum. 😄
Be careful, injinji are expensive; they're designed to deal with friction between toes. They're helpful for folks with bunions as it helps separate the toes. I have a small bunion on my right foot and the socks help but my left foot doesn't really get on with them, in fact they squashed my left little toe Sat so much that they (my thicker ones) are relegated to sub 1hr runs only.
Revisit your retailer first and have a go with the heel lock.
If your asics are narrowish you won't have room for a toe separating sock...
I have got no further advice than given by Flick and jojo. Any reputable running shop would want you to go back if you are having problems with your shoes, as they like to put things right.
I haven't been getting black toes in my new brooks GTS19s but have found the back of the shoe is digging into the achilles, even though the shoe is .5 size bigger than my last GTS18s . I bought some heel lifts to see if this helps, but not sure my shins liked them on this morning's run. Thanks to Hidden , I may just need to take out the heel lock lacing which may be keeping my heel too far back. Hopefully that will work for me.
Has the heel cup shape changed from 18s? It's the heel cup which isn't right on Asics shoes for me, completely too high for comfort.
Yes it does sit higher and they’ve changed the cushioning too. Having said that I did the Bristol 10k and other 10ks in them with no problems . I think it may also be due to the fact that I’ve been a bit lazy with exercises lately which may mean the wrong bits are taking the longer miles.
I occasionally get the odd black toenail and they always fall off in time. My only sore one was my little toe when I was running in France this summer. No idea why - it had been fine before, and has been ever since. I do take extra care to keep my toenails short just in case it was that though.
I have Asics trail shoes and I expect they’re to blame for my black nails as I tend to do my long runs in them. 🏃♀️
Top athletes get black nails too, and you can bet their shoes are proper. Mine were measured and recommended during gait analysis visit, but pre marathon training, pre run 92k in five days, then short rest and then the actual 42k made some of my nails go black, and it's only now, three months later that the damned things are falling off. Nothing hurts but nothing looks sexy either. Unlike you, l've never had blisters, that's where gait analysis guys got it spot on. Toes go black simply due to continuous impact.
You can also buy toe guards, a silicone cover to go over your toe. A friend of mine uses them all the time on a problematic toe whereas I switched to injinjie socks. For me the normal socks were pulling tight on that toe which is longer than my big toe, injinjie socks solved my issue.
Thanks am going to order a pair of injinjies and see how I go. Thanks too for silicone cover idea
I had the same problem and found the 'toe pains' lacing in this link helped
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