The Thrill of Victory and the Smell of Da Feet

November 28th, 2008 Posted in Training

One of the side benefits of running ultras is you never have to trim your big toe nails….they just fall off.  See for yourself - these are my feet prior to beginning Western training.  Notice I still have both toe nails, but they’re looking pretty “abnormal”.  As the training on trails intensifies, especially in the hills and mountains, what I have left of these toe nails will turn a lovely shade of dark brown, then black and simple fall off.  Then begins the never ending cycle of partial regrowth, hang nails, re-damage, slow death and fall off.  If lucky, infection only intervenes every three cycles or so.  Oh, and the odor all this “natural evolution” omits…..helps relegate my running shoes to the mud room, hermetically sealed to protect the neighborhood from a bio-hazard event.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on this developing story - with a live web cam - as the months progress.