Any ill-fitted shoes would cause problems one way or another.  Chances are; because the shoes are too big, your feet are moving around in the shoes.

 

I feel my forefeet sliding a bit in most of my shoes, Do I need to get narrower shoes, and not the standard D width?  Never get any blisters or other issues but I feel like I am losing some efficiency by sliding around in the shoe (feel it at push off).

 

I'm sorry, but BS.  Energy flow?  What if you--as most recent fad goes--land on mid-foot and there's no braking action of "landing on the outside of the heel"?  What if you land nicely above the Center of Gravity and there's no "slide forward"?  And did you see the big bunion on the base of his big toe and how his big toe is turning inward?  A sure sign of wearing wrong type of shoe for years and years.  I would not take a shoe advice from people with a big bunion or black toe nails.  Also, one of the biggest "urban myths" of running shoes is that you need the thumb width from the edge of your shoe to the end of your toes.  You need that if the shoe don't fit right or if the shoe is not properly constructed.

Just wondering.  I'd say about half my toenails are blue/black.  One has been that way for like two years. They don't hurt or anything.  Is there an issue beyond cosmetics?

I....must....have.......   well, you know the rest. ;-)

I have toenail trouble in all of my shoes, and I have shoes, if you know what I mean.  I've tried sizing up.  I've tried lacing different lacing styles, tying them tighter and more loosely.  I thought it was because of racing in the rain.  All of those theories are going out the window.  The black toenails are typically on the same foot and and same toes.  I think it has to do with my feet, my leg length discrepancy and the way I run, more than my shoes.  Maybe it is a form issue I correct but maybe not.  I don't have any trouble unless it is a longer faster run but when I have trouble OUCH!  Fortunately, I don't notice it during races but it is very obvious shortly after.  My right leg is a little shorter and I think that in an attempt to even things out I push off of my toes.  Hence damaged toenails. 

Any other ideas?

I don't have any trouble unless it is a longer faster run but when I have trouble OUCH!  Fortunately, I don't notice it during races but it is very obvious shortly after.

Funny thing about that longer faster. I've got this with my DS Trainers 15s. When I race 15 miles or more miles in them my left middle toe gets "hot." I've got no problems with these shoes on regular long runs and have only experienced this twice, in a 25K and a Marathon, which left me with a blister. If I never raced longer and faster in these shoes I'd never know there was an issue. I'm thinking about getting another pair (16s) but another half size up before my next long race.

I feel my forefeet sliding a bit in most of my shoes, Do I need to get narrower shoes, and not the standard D width?  Never get any blisters or other issues but I feel like I am losing some efficiency by sliding around in the shoe (feel it at push off).

I made my "famous last words" and I get PMs and all these comments here...  That sort of shows, doesn't it?  If all those shoe sale people at the "running specialty" stores are doing a good job, there shouldn't be as many runners suffering from all these shoe problems, should there?

HappyFeet:

If it's not causing any problem, I'm not sure if you want to look into it???  But I can't imagine your feet sliding all over the place every time you take a step while running can be comfortable.  I mean, do you see any reason why your foot needs to be sliding around in the shoe?  I don't.  So why have it?  Naturally, particularly if your foot slides around when you push off, you ARE losing energy to move forward.  Even the slowest person in the world would push off at the end of the foot.  If your foot is sliding around in the shoe, it's like running on the sandy beach, isn't it?  If you think you can PR running on the sand, by all means.  But if that doesn't make sense, you may want to do something about it.

Just wondering.  I'd say about half my toenails are blue/black.  One has been that way for like two years. They don't hurt or anything.  Is there an issue beyond cosmetics?

If your color is black or blue, sure.  But you'd better have a pretty looking foot to begin with.

I had a pair of one of the most popular shoes at the time way back.  They had such thick heel with very thin forefoot and nice toe round-up.  Every time I went for a run, I felt like my feet are sliding forward (I guess that's this energy flow...) and my big toe got jammed in the front.  I got black toe nail on my big toe.  That was the last time I had black toe nail on my big toe and that was 1991.  About 4 years ago, I got one on my second toe on my right foot.  It's, what do you call it, Morton's foot; it's longer than my big toe and it tends to get jammed up once in a while,  That was the end of my 2-hour run with one of my girls and, since we were moving pretty well and that was her first ever 2-hour run, I didn't want to stop and wiggle my foot and re-lace it.  I got semi-black toe nail there (it wasn't quite black because I started getting it probably in the last 5 minutes or so).  That was my last (semi) black toe nail.  My toes barely touches at the end of the shoe--hardly a thumb width space.  Probably more like a bit less than my pinky finger (less than 1cm???).  My shoe fits well and I hardly ever have black toe nail.