Marathon training Q: How many pairs of shoes do I actually need?

[BuckeyeBama]

My podiatrist (who is also a runner) told me that my black toe nails were from friction to the top of the toe nail affected. The friction iritates the nail bed, which leads to bleeding. He was adamant that it was not from the end of my toes hitting the front of the toe box. He had me change my socks to thinner socks and I have not lost another toe nail.

One other thing that he said was that the length of the run might not be enough, by itself, to cause this. Generally he said that runners might have this problem when running down hill a lot, or if their form goes sideways. Essentially, either can lead to over-striding, which often leads to more foot movement within the shoe, leading to more nail friction. But my thinner socks mean that my toes no longer make contact within the toe box in my shoes (anywhere), so no friction means no lost toenails (for me, anyways).

 

[tigger536]

I haven't lost any, even in ultras or fulls. And I've run a number of each.

 

[MissLiss279]

My podiatrist (who is also a runner) told me that my black toe nails were from friction to the top of the toe nail affected. The friction iritates the nail bed, which leads to bleeding. He was adamant that it was not from the end of my toes hitting the front of the toe box. He had me change my socks to thinner socks and I have not lost another toe nail.

One other thing that he said was that the length of the run might not be enough, by itself, to cause this. Generally he said that runners might have this problem when running down hill a lot, or if their form goes sideways. Essentially, either can lead to over-striding, which often leads to more foot movement within the shoe, leading to more nail friction. But my thinner socks mean that my toes no longer make contact within the toe box in my shoes (anywhere), so no friction means no lost toenails (for me, anyways).

@lhermiston Did you see this? Maybe your toe is rubbing the top of your shoe? Maybe thinner socks would help?

 

[lhermiston]

@lhermiston Did you see this? Maybe your toe is rubbing the top of your shoe? Maybe thinner socks would help?

Interesting! Thanks for the heads up. Time to research running socks.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

This time around, I decided to try training in two entirely different pairs/styles of shoes. I was told it should help drastically reduce my injury risk. So, I picked my top 2 fave shoes from last fitting. As for the toes, I seem to be prone to runner's toe and have one I'm dealing with right now. My shoe fit shouldn't be an issue, since I was fitted by a running shop and I'm up a full size, but I've noticed sock issues. I tried two kinds of Feetures and a pair of Injinji when I started with these shoes. I think it's the Injinji that were the problem...just too tight on the toe in question. The nail is done, but my toe is doing much better now that I've switched into several kinds of Balega socks. I guess it's all just trial and error.

 

[The Expert]

I HATE socks and my feet get hot easily, so I'm in super thin ones. I'll pay more attention to foot movement in the shoe, though. I signed up for a gait analysis at one of the local labs/clinics next month, so we'll see what they say about it too.

 

[YawningDodo]

Glad to see so many people who only have one pair--I have a heck of a time finding shoes that are big enough but don't slip in the heel, so right now I only have one model I'm comfortable running in. I've ended up using the Saucony's I bought before I discovered the Hokka's for my long walks since the heels slipping doesn't bother me so much at a walking pace, but I think because they're not actually meant as walking shoes they're not doing as much as I'd like to cushion my heels.