Black toes after running??

[MsMarvel]

Just over a week ago now I ran a 10k race, furthest I've ever run. I noticed after it that three of my toes (2 on one foot, 1 on the other) had gone black at the tip. I just assumed a bruise and didnt think much of it.

But they are stil black?! And dont seem to have faded at all either. They look like blood blisters, but im slightly concerned they arent going away! are my toes going to fall off how do I fix this? And whats caused them??

Your running shoes are too small, or the wrong shape, or both. You need to go to a running shoe shop and have a gait analysis done to find the right shoe. Where your foot strikes the ground when you run, your weight is being driven forward into your toes which are jamming up against the shoe, causing the bruising.

Generally speaking for most running shoes you need to size up by half a size in comparison to your normal shoe size. Nikes being the exception.

I found this happened to me a lot when I ran in asics, and has never happened again since I switched to Nike Pegasus.

A lot of people who run distance can be quite evangelical about shoe brand, and it really does make a huge difference.

Its nikes that I have, in my normal size. Should I look at getting a different brand or size? Cant really afford anything too expensive

Go to a running shop, where they can analyse your gait.

Running in badly fitting trainers doesn't just affect your feet. It impacts your knees, hips and back, and lessens your chances of shin splints.

I know it's an expensive outlay, but really, it's worth it.

*increases even. Argh.

They just don't fit you properly - you do need a different brand, style or size. The gait analysis is free, so you well worth doing as otherwise you may just waste money on yet more shoes that don't fit you properly.

What do you mean your normal size? If you mean you got your running shoes in the same size than your normal shoes then they are most likely too small. Most people need to go up at least half a size in running shoes, if not full size - your feet will swell up when running and if you have no room in the shoe for them to expand, you will lose toe nails.

I would go get black toes checked out though.

It's a problem more common in very long distances like marathons because of the sheer amount of impact of the foot within the shoe. To be affected at 10k is unusual. Please get your feet and shoes checked out.

If they are blood blisters they can take several weeks to disappear.

I used to get this all the time when I worked as a bar manager in a large venue on my feet all day (in trainers). You need better fitting shoes. I didn't take my own advice and ended up having both my big toenails removed as they went completely black and then got infected. They did grow back eventually when I left that job but it was awful!