My Poor, Aching (and Ugly) Feet

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I was in Philly for a work conference earlier this week and had a great 7-mile run along the Ben Franklin Pkwy and path along the river. If you're ever in Philly, I highly recommend making the time for a run or walk along the river path.

Moving on to feet. Thankfully, I have not yet lost a toenail, though I think I got as close as possible without. The bruised nail on my right big toe has slowly grown out to the point where very little of it is discolored. There is a pronounced ridge separating new nail growth from old bruised nail so that the new nail appears to be considerably thinner than what was there before.  See bruised toe as of today:

There are also the blisters and calluses. It's no surprise with the abuse a runner's foot takes both on impact and pushing off that blisters are a serial problem. Having bunions like I do has contributed to the problem, since it seems that the point at which my foot is widest is where the blisters tend to form.  See blisters and calluses as of today:

Checklist of a few hings to help avoid foot problems of a runner:

• Properly fitting shoes (I attribute my bruised toenail to shoes and will never make that mistake again)
• Shoes appropriate for your running technique
• Timely replacement of worn-out shoes
• High-tech synthetic socks that control moisture
• Toe nails trimmed, not too short or too long, not too curved (to avoid ingrown toenail)
• Cross training or occasionally switching running surfaces (concrete=worst, smooth, packed dirt=best)