Runners get the reputation of having the ugliest feet ever.
When a person begins running you have “normal” feet. By normal, I mean that you have 10 toenails and they all are a nice regular toenail color Probably no blisters. If you’re a woman, you probably paint your toenails with polish and maybe get pedicures at regular intervals.
Once a person begins running it is not at all uncommon to be sporting blisters, callouses, and possibly a black toenail (or two).
If you become super serious about your running and by that I mean training for marathon distances (or farther), you will probably be kissing those toenails good-by. Those black toenails will decide they’ve had enough and fall off. The ones that stick around turn black from bruising (usually they eventually bite the dust, too). Most women give up on the pedicures and if they DO paint their toenails, they are painting the skin on the ends of their toes. They are vainly trying to give people the illusion that they actually HAVE toenails where none exist.
Most non-runners find these feet ugly. I think they’re beautiful! Those feet tell stories of dedication. Of hitting the road in the early hours of the day and squeezing in their training miles before heading off to work. They are testimonials of road races, trail races, PR’s, triumphs over personal demons! They are proof that you CAN achieve what others told you was impossible!
Why am I going on and on about runners feet? I thought you’d never ask!
About a year ago, I wrote a blog about a running friend of mine. She’s an amazing woman and I admire her a great deal. I’ll just summarize about her:
My friend just turned 69 years old. She was diagnosed with RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) in her mid 40’s. At that time, she was THE up and coming runner in our area. She was THE person everybody was out to beat. Not just AG (Age Group) awards but Overall winner awards. She was just amazing!
Then the RA struck.
Did she give up? NO! She kept on running.
She saw her finishing times get slower and slower but doggone it, she was still out there pounding the pavement and running races. She always had a kind word of encouragement for everybody out there.
So, at 69 years old, she is still running full marathons (26.2 miles)!
*I had somebody suggest to me, somebody who also has a friend with RA, that my friend doesn’t have a “bad case” of RA. I beg to differ.
My friend is now doing IV treatments every other week to help with her RA. It is about the only option available to her. She goes with a smile on her face and an uplifting word for all at the Dr’s office. She has no cartilage in her ankles, feet or toes. She is always in pain. She accepts this with grace and then goes out and run a few more miles.
She is the first to admit that it gets her down sometimes but she also know that as soon as she stops~as soon as she says, “It’s too much,” she will “lose it.” She knows that to be able to be active, she has to make herself STAY active.
This brings us back to beautiful feet. THESE are the feet of my friend. These are the feet that carry her mile after mile after mile. #MuchRespect #BeautifulFeet
