The Mister says my toes now look like Chiclets, and he’s right. Rachel and I discussed this on Twitter last week, and we both agree this is an infrequently discussed side effect of daily, medium-long distance walking or running. Your feet, they won’t look cute. Your toes, they’ll look even worse.
These days it’s popular to have toenails that aren’t long but, you know, aren’t super short and rounded, either. It’s also popular to have smooth feet devoid of blisters and scars and callouses. That’s what is popular, but those of you who walk or run regularly know it’s just not going to happen. Or maybe it can, but it can’t happen for me.
After years of DIY (budget), this summer I started getting monthly pedicures (benefit to all that traveling). It was great until it wasn’t. Those pretty, squared off nails hit the front of your sneakers if you are walking downhill and if you walk fast/jog they can cut you and you will bleed. Ask me how I know.
If I had to choose between vanity and health, of course I’m going to choose health. Ugly feet be damned, and it’s not like I was turning away foot modeling opportunities prior to my daily walks. My feet have always been the solid, dependable kind that cross countrysides versus the graceful kind that float across a stage and stops en pointe.
I had another pedicure last week and asked the woman to cut my nails so they would be comfortable in sneakers during long walks. Normally you don’t pay someone to chop off all your toenails, but my hope was that a professional would cut them and somehow still make them look pretty.
Eh.
My new party line is that I choose health over vanity. In conclusion:
Negatives
I have new callouses, though right now they are very small. I’m sure I’m the only one who notices them. I read on some websites that people use duct-tape to prevent them from growing. My feet are accustomed to sneakers now, so when I wear other shoes I blister easier. I have some blisters scars that I know are permanent. The one on the interior of my left foot, for example.
Positives
I don’t have bunions and I have all my toenails. I don’t even have bruising, which by this point I was expecting. So far, no hammer toes or gnarls or whatever it is they call it when toes look like knobby twigs that have fallen from a tree. I think part of this is because I make sure to buy shoes that fit well and have plenty of room, even if it means buying a bigger size. (I know that sounds like a no-brainer, but I know women who will cram their foot in a small shoe before buying larger size.) My feet are stronger and hurt less than they ever have before if you don’t count the pain I’m experiencing now because it’s time for me to buy new shoes. I can easily stand on my feet all day, or at least I could until my shoes wore out in the last month.
This one isn’t a positive, but it’s something I noticed right away. Gwyneth Paltrow has the same blister scar on the same foot in the same location. That’s where the similarities between me and Gwyneth Paltrow end, by the way.
Song of the Week
The Charlie Daniels Band – The Devil Went Down to Georgia
I find it funny that you state “My feet have always been the solid, dependable kind that cross country sides versus the graceful kind that float across a stage and stops en pointe”… because ballet dancers have THE. WORST. FEET. ON. THE. PLANET. Hammertoes, bunions, blisters, calluses, lost nails, black nails, stress fractures, stretched ligaments, destroyed tendons- you name it, they’ve got it. So, sign me up for the solid, dependable feet that I can still show off in sandals, thankyouverymuch.
Also, I keep my toenails very short (and rounded…even though they’re supposed to be cut straight across), and they look just fine with a little nail polish. I lost a bunch of toenails when I was dancing, and it’s scarred me for life- if I can feel my nails bumping up against the end of my shoe, I HAVE to cut them immediately, lest I damage them and lose them AGAIN. This is why I occasionally leave the house in sandals in October- no toe box, no problem (except for the whole frozen-toes thing).
Yes–notice that I referenced ballerina feet on stage and not off stage in flip flops? Totally intentional. I actually think ballet dancers have far worse feet than runners, as they can suffer structural damage over time.
Rachel and I agreed the key is to keep the toes polished–that makes a words of difference. I had a lot of hiker friends in college, so I was always sensitive to the toe box issue. I saw a lot of lost toe nails (theirs, not mine) so I never was a fan of long nails…but now I’m kind of insane about it.
And this summer I’ve been wearing flip-flops when I’m not in sneakers. Not good for the feet, either. I need to find a healthy (cute) pair of shoes without a toe box!
Well, what do you know, I sometimes get a blister in the same place, only on my right foot. I use Compeeds in the short term. In the longer term I experiment with changing the insoles with an older pair of shoes or with lacing them more tightly in that midsection. Someone should tell Gwyneth this, eh? At 57 I consider my feet, also w.out bunions, corns, etc., one of my best features, so I try to tend them well and wear sandals whenever I can. The downside, as you mentioned, is blisters and I can’t tolerate them for long. I get rid of a lot of shoes for that reason, but I am committed to healthy feet that help me move around. Well done on your walking!
Hi ,
your blog is lovely.
I hate shoes – they all give me blisters , but the ones that I have found best for walking are asics – make sure you get Asics gel for walking – I still got blisters, but not for as long as other shoes and they wear pretty well so you don’t have to buy new pairs as often
I TOTALLY commented on this post earlier and I’ll be darned that I see it didn’t take. hmmm. Anyway, be proud of the callouses that have helped take you & your feet far! * Listening to Devil Went Down To Georgia no less! (is there a more sing-a-longable song than that?? Literally we were just discussing this fact in my office two weeks ago. no lie)
A few months ago I was getting a massage (a gift- YAY) and I was apologizing about my feet. The therapist then said to me, ‘not really calloused, but more puppy paws. Your feet are like puppy paws.’ (not the shape of an actual paw mind you, but the soles have that same feel) After a lifetime of being a barefoot contessa, those puppy paw feet treat me well and she told me not to be embarrassed about them at all. I do still like to have a nice pedicure though to distract the eye. :)