toenails-help!

How much running do you do? It is actually “normal” for it to fall off. Happens to me from time to time when I do 5-6 miles a day for 4-5 days straight.

Do you feel it rubbing at the tip of your shoe? Maybe you shoes are too small. Or trim them back far enough that they won’t rub.

This only happens to runners whose shoes do not fit properly. In many people, the second toe is the longest toe, and that's the one that hits the end of the shoe. The repeated trauma to the nail bed eventually causes the nail to fall off.

When standing in your running shoes, there should be a full inch between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. Most women have to go up at least one full size from their street shoe size to get the proper fit in a running shoe.

Also helps if you keep your toenails very short.

I've run several half marathons and used to regularly run 25+ miles per week on hilly terrain and never lost a toenail. Never even had a black one. While toenail trauma may be common in runners, it's not "normal".

ETA: Forgot about the blisters. Changing your socks might help with that. You definitely want the sweat-wicking fabrics instead of cotton. Cotton absorbs several times its own weight in water and then expands, moving against your foot and creating blisters and hot spots. What thickness of sock works best for you may take some experimentation. I tend to do best with medium-weight socks that are ribbed around the arch--keeps them in place better.

You may also grip your toes when you run, which creates blisters. You'd probably have them on the bottom of most of your toes though if that were the issue.