Who Needs Toenails...

Workouts:
Monday-7.25 miles run/walk emphasis on the walk.  It was about a million degrees out and we were all hurting.
Tuesday-Hi/Low cardio class
Wednesday-3 mile run in 31 minutes, getting the feel of the new shoes.

My feet are seriously suffering from my 20 mile run around the Y track Friday morning.  Not only do I have blisters under about six of my toenails, I had blisters on both big toes and the side of my right foot.  What the heck?  I have a week and a half before the marathon and I felt the need for some serious action.

I went to a local running store, and they put me on the treadmill to analyze my gait.  This is not the usual store that I go to, but I had a good experience with them recently with a return so I thought I'd check out the high tech stuff they offer.  They had me hop on the treadmill barefoot, and run for about a minute.  Then I got to see exactly how my feet react when I run.  I also decided that if I could just run barefoot I'd be very happy, but it was a little weird to be on the treadmill with no shoes on.  Anyway...

They fitted me in the same shoes I have been training in.  Guess my local running store does know their stuff, without all the high tech gadgets. 

I got a new pair of these:

But I also decided to go with a pair of these:

I am hoping that the new insoles will give me the arch support that I need, and will help keep my feet from sliding forward in my shoes.  Apparently, when your feet slide forward in your shoe and hit the inside of your shoe over and over again for 20 miles or so (give or take 10 or 15 miles) that causes blisters, and bruises under your toenails, and it will help you loose your toenails.

I personally don't see the point of toenails, but it is spring time and I do love my flip flops, so I am trying really hard to hang onto them for as long as possible.  Good thing I'm a girl, because I can at least paint my toenails to make them seem half way normal, or I can paint the skin where there once was a toenail to give the illusion that there is still one. 

I did seek some advice from the Brooks Fanatics group on facebook, and it appears that I am not the only one that suffers from this ailment.  Clearly I am the only one in my running group.  Well maybe not, but I guess I'd rather loose toenails than suffer from IT Band issues, or knee issues, or hip issues, or back issues.  So maybe I'm pretty lucky, but my toenails might beg to differ.