maybe it is how your foot is landing? Are you putting more emphasis on the front of the foot?

Unfortunately, it happens.  It's most likely due to how you land on your foot when you step.  Also, sometimes our feet are just softer and need to build up calluses/hardened skin in certain spots.

For serious runners, it's not uncommon to lose a toenail altogether, especially when first training for marathons.

Hey techdog - I'm no podiatrist, but I think I have an idea what may be causing your "black toe" syndrome.

I'm going to assume that you are one of us many genetic freaks whose second toe is longer than your big toe (we also usually exhibit the genetic trait of hair on our first knuckles of our hand, and sometimes the ability to wiggle our ears due to an extra muscle in our skull - and no, I'm not joking).

I am a mountain climber, and the same "black toe" can manifest in that sport; when your running (or climbing) technique is such that you strike your forefoot hard on the ground when you are striding. The blood is actually a bruise caused by the impact of the ground (or shoe material in the case of climbing boots). I don't advocate heel-to-toe running (totally different topic), but you might want to mess around with your center of gravity to see if you can force your body to lighten up on that toe. If you run with your shoulders forward, you center of gravity is pushed forward - if you pull the shoulders up or back, you force your body to change it's stride dynamics.

Used to see this effect in the Army alot too - when guys went on road marches and leaned forward under the weight of their packs. They'd come up lame with 2, 3 or even all their toes blackened.

Hope it helps, stay safe...

Rb

Happens to me all the time!!!  I lose toenail after toenail.  I asked my doctor why it does that and he said it's the way you land on your foot...my middle toe is the longest of all my toes so that poor little sucker takes all the blunt!  Both of those toes seem to have developed a calus on the nail bed or something...I don't know, but it doesn't hurt anymore...  Oh, the wonderful lovely side effects of being a runner :-P

I have a black toe nail as we speak.  Happened when I switched to an older pair of shoes that is not quite big enough...  Your feet will grow by a full shoe size when running, especially over longer distances, and you could be pushing your toe into your shoe as you land.  This constant pressure can and will end up in a black toe nail.  My bigger shoes never give me this problem.

I'm not really concerned about it, as I have lost toenails before (the last time several years ago after a hike inside of Diamondhead when I was living in Hawaii).  I was just curious why walking on the treadmill would do this and not walking on the track.  I guess that the suggestion about how my foot is landing is probably the answer, since I don't like the treadmill because it makes my stride feel stilted and weird, totally different than when walking the track (although I walk the same pace in both cases).

Anyhow, thanks to all who replied.  And to the person who mentioned having the second toe longer than the big toe (commonly referred to as Morton's toe), both me and my son have that trait although his is more pronounced than mine.  I also have another trait that I have yet to see in anyone else in that my first finger is longer than my ring finger (most people are the opposite) when I extend my hand flat with my fingers together (like you would to do a military hand salute American style).

Hey, I did the flat hand thing and my first(pointer) finger is longer than my ring finger too.  Who knew?!  Certainly not me.

If you look, you will most likely find that very few people share that finger trait I mentioned.  Like I said, I've never met anyone until now who shared it.  I think it is part of what makes me a fast typist (makes those first finger reaches easier).

are we related? I have the same hand and feet- only i hope more girlie :)

Hehe...you guys are funny.  Yes, my second toe is longer than my thumb toe and my first knuckle on all my fingers have hair, and I can wiggle my ears.  My first finger is the same length as my ring finger when flat on a table but not when I hold them up in front of me.

When I really upped my treadmill workouts I also started losing my second toenail on both feet and at first thought it was my shoes so I switched them.  They're still constantly being lost...but, no bruising.  I walk on the treadmill often.  When walking my stride is toe to heel unless I'm trying not to but when I run I do heel to toe.

Yep, my index finger is longer than my ring finger, and my second toe is longer than the others also.  The finger thing is a close call.  I can actually shift my hand and make the ring finger appear longer, but if I just hold them out naturally the index finger is longer. 

On the finger thing, in my case, I'm talking about 1/4 inch longer.  I've known a few people whose first and ring finger were about the same length, but none with a big difference in length like mine.  Perhaps the same genes that result in Morton's toe controls this trait as well.

Original Post by thinthought:

are we related? I have the same hand and feet- only i hope more girlie :)

I wouldn't wish my feet on anyone.  I wear a size 14 shoe (to accommodate my freakish long toes).