Toenails are for Sissies...

Remember how I bought a shirt at the Baltimore race expo that says "Toenails are for sissies."?

I did so because I have a continual, maybe chronic, toenail issue. When I started training for my half marathon last fall, one or two toenails began to hurt a little and eventually fell off. I saw this exact shirt at the expo for that race and thought it was funny. I kinda knew I needed it but didn't want to fork over the money at the time. I've thought about it many times since and, when I saw it hanging in Baltimore on Friday, it wasn't even an option for me not to buy it.

Because in the seven months since that first expo, the situation has gotten worse. Instead of just falling off and then growing back, my toenails develop bad blood blisters under them. Most of the time, I can't pop these because the nail is in the way. So things just build up under the nail and they never fall off. Or they half fall off because I cut them down but the new nail trying to grow underneath, if there even is one, isn't a normal nail. They often hurt right after a long run but otherwise they don't bother me. I'm self-conscious that they'll bother other people because of how gross they look. This is one reason that I'm very glad summer is over and the days of open-toed shoes are no more.

I will spare you a picture of my pretty feet. I do, in fact, have pictures of them at their worst but I don't think any of you really want to see that. I mostly just take pictures of the grossness and text them to my best friend Ingrid. Partly to gross her out and partly because she's one of the few people that knows me well enough not to judge.

After my race on Saturday, one of these problem toes was more gross and painful than ever. It had a ginormous blood blister under the "nail" and it hurt to walk on for days. I considered whether or not I should see a pediatrist (or some other dr) to be like "WTF is going on here?" and "can I ever get a pedicure again?!?" Because, believe me, a professional foot massage and pedicure would be really nice after the beast that was Baltimore. But I wouldn't force these rotting feet on anyone. Except maybe a doctor.

But I avoid going to the doctor when I can. And I read some Runner's World forums about toenails. Here were some of the interesting takeaways:

• Soak your feet in milk after a long run to give the nails calcium.
• Wear silicone toe covers.
• Second toe longer than big toe is called "Morton's Toe". I have that.
• By cutting the nails down/off yourself, it is possible to kill the nail bed and have the nails never grow back.
• Your feet swell up to 10% while running. Buy bigger shoes. Pinch the tip of your socks so your feet have room to bloat.
• Don't wear cotton socks.
• This happens to very many runners. I am not alone. And I ain't no sissy.

Let's be honest, I'm never going to soak my feet in milk. That would cost a lot of money. I can't do anything about my so-called Morton's Toe. So, what I've really taken away from this is: Go to Potomac Running and spend $100 on some new shoes. Maybe throw some non-cotton socks in the bag, too. It's about time I do that anyway. And let's hope that my sales person isn't too grossed out about all my questions about how each of the shoes will affect my nail-less toes and blood blisters. Or I could just go on living my life with six toenails and call myself the opposite of a sissy.

Make me feel better: Do you have toenail problems? Even better: Do you have a cure?!

Baltimore Half Marathon Pre-Race Activities!

I woke up at 7am on Friday and it felt like Christmas Eve. Half Marathon Eve, I will call it. I was really excited and racing 26 hours later was all I could think about. So I went to work for three hours and did some needed administrative work that didn't take too much brain power. My desk was full of running excitement.

Nikki picked me up at 11 and we headed to Baltimore for the expo. It was raining and it only got worse. At one point we could see only a few yards in front of us and couldn't have been going more than 20 mph. It was scary and I felt powerless to help make this situation more comfortable for the driver next to me.

But we were in great spirits talking about everything from running, food, and race fears to friends, families, and birthday stuff. Nikki would be running the full Baltimore marathon on her 26th birthday, then doing whatever her mind and body were capable of to celebrate that night.

When we finally got to Baltimore, the rain had died down but hadn't stopped completely. So, instead of using the free parking 10 minutes from the Baltimore Convention Center, we paid $19 to park across the street and stumble into the expo.

We split up to pick up our respective bibs and under armour shirts. I realized I should have run the marathon just so I could have the sweet long sleeve blue shirt that the marathon runners got. But short sleeve orange would have to do. We asked a woman to take our picture and she was the cutest random stranger photographer ever. She led us around the room looking for a good place to take it. We told her one of us was running the full and one the half so she found a spot in front of the bib pick-up where you could see both signs. Then she offered to take multiple shots. This must really be the charm city.

With the necessary business done, it was time to distract ourselves from the next day's challenge with some retail therapy. We strategically walked around to all of the booths, decided what was worth spending money on, and then went back to spend money. We were too busy to take pictures at the convention center but here are all the stylish things that I brought home with me.

And the most stylish of all......

This shirt is especially meaningful after the race. Because I ain't no sissy and I definitely apparently don't need toenails. I can't wait to sweat in all these new things as soon as my legs recover.

Before leaving the expo, we signed up for info on Disney races and walked away with some sweet princess crowns. We're wearing them in the picture below. We're also standing in front of a Baltimore Running Festival street lamp sign. But it is basically impossible to see either in the photo.

Having eaten only yogurt parfaits, which cost an astounding $5 at the convention center, for lunch, we drove by Starbucks and created quite the controversy as I fumbled with my stuff trying to jump out of the car. Apparently not all of Charm City's drivers are charming. I ran in and bought us two multi-grain bagels. I'm not sure if I paid for two or one but I got back to the car and learned that the guy had given me only one. We split it and decided half would suffice for the [half] marathon eve carbo-load lunch.

The sun was finally out and we had a nice drive back to DC. I had an hour to pack up my things and I was terrified of forgetting something important. So I raced around, re-checking my stuff a million times. Not wanting to throw my stomach into even more turmoil, I resisted the urge to eat the oat bars or banana chocolate bites that people made me. It was very hard. I read over the thoughtful notes and e-mails people wrote me and felt so grateful for all the love and encouragement.

I went to my parent's house where I'd be spending the night before driving north the next morning. I was in good company with Joshua and my friends Hadley and Sarah, who were riding up with us to cheer for Nikki (and me). We teamed up to make the ultimate combination of protein and carbs, which turned out to be the perfect pre-race meal- one I plan to eat before all important races going forward. It was nothing more than Vace's spinach and tomato fettucini, basil tomato sauce, and very much ground turkey meat. It was so delicious and filling.

With nothing left to do, I went upstairs to bed at 10 pm. Unable to think of anything but what I was attempting to run the next morning, I tossed and turned for approximately two and a half hours. And then I fell into a deep, five hour sleep.

About the next morning, I'll tell you this much: I ran 13.1 miles in 1:58:43. I used every ounce of everything I had to achieve my goal and run a half marathon in under two hours. Check back tomorrow for much more detail on how I made that happen.