Tuesday, April 14, 2009

What a Pain!

Lately I've been experiencing pain in my calves, particularly in my right calf for a few months. According to an article in Runner's World, it probably has to do with the hills we've been running. I also noticed the correlation with the amount of hill running we do and the amount of pain I'm in afterwards. The solution: stretch 10 times a day and wear running shoes with chunkier heels. Well, I'll stretch more, but I'm not giving up my Newtons. While I was researching what could be causing my calf pain, I came upon this article about toe nails and why they sometimes turn black and fall off. I heard of this happening to marathoners quite frequently, but I've never had that problem myself. However, my two regular running partners seem to suffer from this condition quite often. We've talked about why they seem to have this problem and I never do even though we pretty much run the same amount of miles. As it turns out, it's not so much mileage, but their shoes. I've been telling them that their shoes are too tight all along. Perhaps this article will convince them before they buy their next pair of shoes!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285--13054-0,00.html

5 comments:

Patty said...

I have read this article before and I do know that some of my toenail problems are caused by my shoes. I have lost two toenails since we ran the half marathon and I am convinced those were caused by the shoes I have now. I have one "black" toenail that the podiatrist told me will not heal unless I stop running because it is on the toe near the big toe and it is a bit longer so it takes the force when I run. I try to keep them shorter and get regular pedicures but that is the best I can do. I am ready for new shoes for sure! I am sure your hike was not good for your calves either. I hope they start to feel better, what about ice?

marathon mom said...

Yeah, I read that I should ice them, but I also read that I should try wrapping them in an ace. Yeah right. Can you see me running around with an ace bandage on my leg? As for your toenails, I didn't realize you lost THAT many since the half. It never made sense to me why you and "C" had that problem and I didn't. As for the one toe next to the big one being longer, mine are too and I still don't have that problem. Try buying a half size bigger, especially asics because they tend to run a little smaller anyways.

Patty said...

I will not buy Asics again! Hopefully that doesn't affect our advertising revenue. Do you think you might consider doing the SCR's Towsley Cyn. run if your calves are feeling better? Get some of that bright pink wrap from Dr. B and you will be quite coordinated on your runs. I had a problem walking out of the office with my feet wrapped so I do hear you on that one, as soon as I hit the car I ripped it off!

marathon mom said...

We are probably now blacklisted by Asics for your previous remarks, so I can publicly say I've never liked Asics. I have never found a pair to fit me right. As for Towsley, I did it one year and it was fun, but really tough especially with the dog. Unfortunately, my #1 son has a game that morning and so now I am torn between watching him play or going running. At least it's not a race that we have to pre-register. We can just show up that morning.

Claire said...

I just bought a pair of Adidas that are so comfy!! Love them! And I guess this is the benefit to my weird, short toes-no toenail problems.

I do the same thing and buy bigger shoes. That way my toes are farther back in the shoe, away from the pointy front. But I just generally have weird feet to begin with, and love running shoes since they hide my feet away from the unsuspecting public.