How To Prevent Black Toenails Besides Bigger Shoes

If you’re a long distance runner, you know black toenails are common. We all joke about it.

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black-toenails

But hey, it happens.

My mom has suffered from black toenails/toenails falling off since we started training for longer races. No matter what, it would happen. She tried sizing up in shoes…and sizing up again. But nothing helped.

Then we went to the local shoe store, and a new guy was working who gave us THE ANSWER!

Do you get black toenails? Here's a tip for stopping that from happening!

The sneaker store employee told her to rub BodyGlide or Vaseline on her toes and toenails before the run.

She has been doing that since, and has not had throbbing toenails or black toenails. He told us that sometimes black toenails happen because of the friction between your toes and socks. It is similar to getting blisters.

So now you know…

Other tips for preventing black toenails include:

  • Trying a bigger shoesize. You should have about a thumb’s width space in the front of the shoe (from your biggest toe).
  • Trim your toenails regularly.
  • Wear wicking socks so your feet are dry. Wet socks (as with any wet clothing on your body) can cause chafing and blistering.
  • And a tip for your feet in general: don’t get rid of your callouses! I hate that part of pedicures anyway so I have no problem asking them not to do it. But yes…leave your callouses alone. You need those to prevent blisters
    :)

Continue reading here: 5 Ways Spinning Can Help Your Running

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