May 24, 2012

Who needs toenails?!

I know I said I was going to take a whole week off of running, but I woke up feeling back to normal today. The kids had spent the night at my parents' house last night, so I got the urge to go for an early morning run. I decided that I would just do 2 miles--nice, slow, and easy.

As soon as I stepped outside, I felt the humidity--even at 7:30 in the morning! I was bummed. I miss the cool, crisp air that I was spoiled with all winter. I started running, and was surprised at how good I felt! My legs were a little stiff and sore, and my knee is still an issue, but I took it easy.

When I got a half-mile into the run, I heard, "Mama!" and I saw my boys at the bus stop with my dad. So I ran over to them and stopped for a few minutes to talk. Then I kept going and finished out the run. If I feel good tomorrow, I may go for 3 miles.
When I got home, I made my latest low-calorie breakfast... quick-cooking oats cooked in water with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Normally, I cook use old-fashioned oats and cook them in milk, but when I was at the hotel in Cleveland, I had to make do with the quick oats and water. I actually really liked it that way, so I've been making that the past few days. I only used 28 grams of oats (100 calories), plus a teaspoon of brown sugar (15 calories).
That, plus a glass of chocolate milk made for a very tasty breakfast!



So last night, I noticed something that I'd been hoping to avoid... one of my toenails is turning purple/black :(  I've been running for over two years now, and I've never had to deal with a toenail issue. But it's almost a right of passage to lose for runners to lose a toenail, so I guess it's overdue. I'm going to show you a picture, even though it's gross (I'll make it a small pic at least):
I just cringe at the thought of losing a toenail. Gross! But it's been hurting pretty badly ever since the marathon, and I can't put any pressure on it. I hope it's just bruised.

I took the boys to Noah's soccer practice after dinner, and as I was getting stuff out of the car, Eli stepped on my foot--RIGHT ON my big purple toenail. I actually saw stars for a second. 



Lately, I feel like I'm constantly on the computer--blogging, responding to e-mails, comments on Facebook, Twitter, working on my memoir... so much stuff! Reading blogs has been put on the back burner, and I figured this week would be a good time to catch up since I'm recovering from the race. I about had a heart attack when I saw my Google Reader this morning...
It originally had 608 unread items!! I felt extremely overwhelmed. I went through some of it today, but it's going to take me forever to catch up. I realized that I have no idea what is going on with any bloggers lately, because I haven't been reading. So if I missed something big, please let me know!



Make sure you enter the $500 Under Armour gift card giveaway from yesterday's post, if you haven't already! This is the second sweepstakes, so if you didn't enter yesterday, then you aren't entered for this time around. It doesn't hurt to try...



26 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 24, 2012

    just lost a toenail myself! Hope yours stays on!

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  2. I've lost 2 toenails... My boyfriend is a really big runner, and when we went on our very first day more than a year ago I wore some cute strappy sandals. Except I had 2 black toenails from running and TOTALLY spaces painting them before leaving on our date. Later that night we were in his house, and I happened to have my legs cross, with the nasty toes right there for him to see. I was like "oh my gosh I'm sorry this is so gross", and he responded by saying "it's the sexiest thing I've ever seen" HAHA! Guess they aren't so bad for people who understand what running does to the body ;)

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    Replies
    1. Oops, sorry for the typos :S

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    2. ohhhhh i love that story..true love..meant to be..fate..

      Michelle

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  3. I've only been running since February and I've already lost a nail. It totally grossed me out at first but then I was told it's a badge of honor - kind of like stretchmarks from pregnancy. LOL I don't like those badges of honor much either, but at least my nail will grow back! :) It made me feel like I finally made it to the elite club of runners. :)

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  4. AnonymousMay 24, 2012

    Well, I feel so much better now! I have one that's yuk because I lost it years ago and now it has some kind of toenail fungus thing that makes it thick. As log as we're being gross today. :D

    My problem (I always thought) is that I actually have a size 10.5 foot (yeah, sasquatch runner) but virtually NOBODY makes that size shoe. So I look for 11s that run small, though sometimes 10s are okay. It's nuts.

    I guess there is medication you can go one to get rid of the toenail problem, but the side effect warnings sound scarier than the toenail looks, so I guess I'm going to live with it.

    Joan

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    Replies
    1. Mine has done the same thing. My nail lady is gonna file it down and then put an acrylic on it. She said that eventually it will probably grow out fine.
      Michelle

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  5. My boss is a runner and she has a shirt she wore for her half marathon that reads "toenails are for sissies!" :)

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    Replies
    1. Aww can you find out where she got it..

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  6. Aw, sorry about the toenail. On a different note, I love the oatmeal picture! Very nice food photography. :)

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  7. Can't believe you've been so lucky to not have lost a toenail! I've lost at least 4 or 5. Luckily the new one will probably start growing under that bruised one and you'll never actually be toe nail-less, at least I never was.

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  8. Yikes! Poor toe! Especially with Eli giving it a little love tap! This happened to a friend of mine once, and her husband got out a power drill and drilled a tiny hole in the nail. It let a bunch of blood come out and then it healed good as new. You couldn't pay me to try that though! Me and power tools don't mix, haha!

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  9. I feel your pain! I'm not a runner, but last year had an ingrown nail on my right big toe. Checking out at a grocery store one day, he hit my toe with the shopping cart. I thought I was going to go through the roof it hurt so bad.

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  10. Last year I ran my first half marathon and around mile 8 my toes hurt so badly I thought they were bleeding. I finished the race in a limping run. Turns out I had blisters under the nails on both big toes. I could barely walk the days following & went to a podiatrist who made an incision to drain the blisters. Totally gross but instantly the pain was a lot more bearable. I had black toenails for about 6 months & I had to take some time off running because I couldn't bear to wear anything other than flip flops. My nails never fell off until the new nail grew under & I'm still waiting for one of the nails to fall off (9 months later). If you're in agony go see a podiatrist (I'm against the method of draining the blister yourself). Congrats on finishing the marathon by the way! I consider my toenail problem a war wound that I'm (almost) proud of!

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  11. I only had black toenails once and it was after my HM last year. They turned black but they stayed on for months (until there was a new toenail underneath) and even then I had to peel the dry old toenail off the top (sounds gross but it was fine). Oh and it happened to 5 toenails but not my big toe (I imagine that might be worse?). Definitely a badge of honor!

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  12. Hey Katie, this is random and not sure if someone has told you yet, but on MFP you can measure your food in grams if you'd like. Just go under your settings and there is a place to convert it. I saw you had mentioned it in a comment about not liking that feature, but it's there if you need it. : )

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  13. If you click on the picture you can see it big and in all its glory!!

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  14. AnonymousMay 25, 2012

    So evidently I'm not far enough into my running journey to know about the toenail right of passage! Someone, please share.... Why does it happen? How much/long do you run before you start seeing this issue? Does it just happen over and over and over as long as you're running? Gross and interesting, all at the same time!
    ~~ Aundrea

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  15. "I got the urge to go for an early morning run." I can't wait until the day when I say those words!

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  16. I'm not a runner (yet) but I am a hiker and we lose our toenails too! I have 3/4 of a toenail on each of my big toes. I found out the cause of my issue was ill-fitting shoes that were a full size too small! Whoopsie. Make sure your toes have plenty of room in the toe box to move around. Congrats on your most recent race, it's such an inspiration to read about your adventures!

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  17. I've been way behind on reading blogs too so don't feel too bad!

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  18. AnonymousMay 25, 2012

    Oh I BET you saw stars! I have lost a big toe toenail. It took forever to fall off, but was a relief when it did. Don't pull it even if it hanging just by the cuticle.

    I may have to eat some oats. You always tempt me even though I am sorta anti oat.

    That number on your reader should just be ignored. For sanity!

    Oh and the toenail. When you lose it you can paint over the skin as you develop a new soft nail. They grow weird. My friend got a fake one put on, but that was too weird for me. You lost it in battle, maybe it needs a smiley face painted on. Or a little runner. Or a cookie.

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  19. Welcome to the wonderful world of losing toenails! I'm a seasoned veteran!!! I never knew that hiking could cause toenail loss, but alas it does! After one mountain climbing experience I lost a grand total of 5 toenails and spent the entire summer in shoes instead of flipflops to hide my shame!

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  20. OH MY GOD YOUR TOENAIL! That is scary, I don't want to lose a toenail LOL! It's pretty badass though if you do lose it. Do you think it will hurt evn more when/if it comes off? :/

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  21. I get bruied toenials too and they hurt so bad that I can't stand it.

    Here's how to make them feel better and not lose the nail:

    Heat up a safety pin on the stove until it's red hot.

    Touch it to the area of the nail that's most bruised.

    The hot pin will melt through the nail making a tiny hole to release the fluid. What makes it hurt/makes the nail fall off is the fluid trying to find a way to go and pushing the nail away from the skin. After a few days the fluid seperates the nail from the skin and that's what makes you lose it. The good news is that pocket means you shouldn't hit the skin under the nail so it won't hurt (I've done it four or five times and it's never hurt, it relieves the pressure and I don't lose the nail). After you put the hole in it keep a bandaid wrapped around it with Neosporin for a few days because the fluid will leak out and that will keep it from sealing the hole/ getting an infection.

    Good luck!

    maresy-dotes.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. hi everyone, i used to be a runner and talked with a lot of trainers about shoes, first make sure you are wearing the correct shoes for your foot type. a good place to have this done is running fit stores. also for running shoes, you should be wearing 1/2 to 1 full size larger than your everyday shoes due to swelling.hope this helps with the toes!

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