Forums >General Running>Toes: Useful for running or worthless vestigial appendiges?
Fight The Future
My headphones broke recently, so I've been running with no entertainment for the last few weeks. This morning, I spent the hour and a half run considering my toes. I realized that I never land or take off with toes down, they are always held up so they don't touch the bottom of the shoe. This may explain my horrible toe nails, which must get pounded against the top of the shoes continually. This led to a deep philosophical consideration of why we even have these nasty little things. Why aren't they gone by now, evolutionarily speaking? Do they help us balance? should I be developing my toe planting? Should I be trying to develop a life of some sort, so this is not so fascinating to me? What do others think? Snarky humorous comments and serious replies welcomed.
From the Internet.
I wish they were absent only because the one that's currently broken is preventing me from running at the moment I can assure you that the big toe in particular is quite necessary for running, unfortunately.
#artbydmcbride
I push off from the ground with each stride with my toes and forefoot. I don't think I could run at all without my toes! ...those pesky toenails however.....
Runners run
Interval Junkie --Nobby
Yeah, to hell with toenails, but I'll keep my dogs -- stabilization for my pushoff and pretty handy in trail-runs.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
not bad for mile 25
My toes are vital road sensors. They provide feedback with every step I take.
Feeling the growl again
It is very unlikely you use your toes as little as you perceive.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
queen of headlamps
You are using them. Google "windlass mechanism", because it sounds like that's what your foot does through your whole gait cycle (which would explain why you bang your toes.)
Hey, another running blog.
running metalhead
Well, easy to answer: get them surgically removed and see what happens
- Egmond ( 14 januari ) : 1:41:40 (21K)- Vondelparkloop ( 20 januari ) : 0:58.1 (10K but did 13.44!!!)- Twiskemolenloop ( 4 maart ) : 1:35:19 (3th M45!)
- Ekiden Zwolle (10K) ( 25 maart )- Rotterdam Marathon ( 8 april )- Leiden Marathon Halve ( 27 mei )- Marathon Amersfoort ( 10 juni)
It is cheaper to use a lawnmower. Paul McMullen set is 1500m PR of 3:32 at the World Championships after losing 3 toes to a lawnmower. Guess it didn't permanently slow HIM down.
It would be cool to have them surgically removed (provided we could have them surgically re-attached) to see the effect. I bet the effect would be greatest for barefoot runners.
Labrat
Ostriches just have 2 toes, so that number clearly makes you faster.
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
Science!
http://youtu.be/v7jKfadSeEE
The process is the goal.
Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.
run, rest & read
A toe related observation - The most surprising thing to me about starting to really focus on holding a deep squat for a few minutes is how much it improved my toe mobility. When I get to around a minute and a half, i can feel a loosening in my calf and suddenly, blamo, full range of motion in my pinkie toes.
Not sure if this is a normal for everyone kinda thing or I had just lost that much motion in my own toes to an abnormal degree. Either way, merely one of the many benefits deep squats have brought me.
Interesting! I've been doing heavy lifting squats the last few months, and it's really helped my running form and strength. But hadn't thought about flexibility. I wish we were allowed in the gym with bare feet...
This really should have been a toenail poll.