Badwater Toenail Tip

[ultraladies]

Short of following Marshall’s lead of surgically removing your toenails, I invented the next best thing to prepare my toenails for Badwater.  It’s simple!  Buy several emery boards from your local beauty supply store.  
I prefer the large boards with the sponge center as they are more flexible to work with.  I like to work with both medium and fine grade finishes.  

Several months ahead of the race, begin a routine of gently (gently being the key word) sanding down the thickness of the nail bed, in other words, sand the entire surface of the toenail.  Avoid back and forth friction that creates heat  and can burn the nail bed.  Instead, use the rounded end of the emery board to gently go over the surface of the nail.  I usually do this when I'm watching TV.  

In the beginning, I would recommend performing this routine twice weekly.  After 3-4 weeks, you can begin the routine every-other-night.   At first, the nails may feel a little tender, similar to when you first lose a toenail however soon the toes will toughen up.  As the nail grows, focus attention on the new nail growth to thin it out.   Keep the tip of the nail sanded down to little or no growth line.   People with ingrown toenails should try to sand the corners of the nail thin while keeping them as squared as possible.  As the whole nail becomes thin you will find that it feels less like a toenail and more like a thick layer of skin.  It will give easily to toe pressure from your shoes.   Since performing this ritual on all ten toes, I have not had even one bloody, blackened or lost toenail!

[Marcia]

I've done that to my pinkie-toe nails (which are usually my problem spot.)
It really DOES help.

[TrailTramp]

Anyone,

Would you still recommend wearing the Injinji socks as well?  

Never worn them and wondering what they're like.  Are they comfortable?

Trail Trampler

[Marcia]

YES!
I wore them for my 2005 Solo, and plan to wear them again next time.
They're especially good if you tend to get blisters where your toes rub together. The only problem I had with them is that my 2nd and 3rd toes are partially conjoined. I tried various methods of modifying the socks, but finally ended up cutting the sock between those two toes. For that reason, I only use them for "special occasions"--for me, the sock is only good for one wearing. I trashed two pair during my Solo, and still considered them a worthwhile investment.

Some people complain that they wear out quickly. They're pretty thin, so I wear a thin sock over them as a second layer. In any case, I thought they were comfortable and very helpful. I'd recommend giving them a try.

[Liam]

I agree with Marcia. I love the Injinji Tetra socks but they do wear out really fast.  And like Marcia, I wear a larger pair of thin (Defeet road socks) over them. I also put chamois butter (for cycling) on feet.
http://circlecitybicycles.com/cbutter.htm

[Marcia]

I tape trouble spots with Kinesio Tex tape, and then grease the whole foot with Hydropel. (Thanks to Denise Jones!) THEN put the Injinjis on top of that.
The worst problem I had (blood blisters under the 5th toenails) were because of a taping error, I think.

[Billy]

I generally have no problems with my feet, with respect to blisters anyhow.  For BW 03 I wore a pair of crew Wright Socks that I purchased from Road Runner Sports.  I never changed by socks for the entire race and only changed shoes once.  No blisters.  I have never taped my feet and wasn't about to start at BW.  

Another tip which I found to be very beneficial was to cut a piece of space blanket the size of the insole and put them in the shoe foil side down to reflect heat out of the shoe and keep it away from your feet.  This works and is the same principle as used on home insulation.