Ugly Feet

I have never had uglier feet than I do now.  

I’ve had a black toenail on my right foot for what feels like f-o-r-e-v-e-r.  If that wasn’t bad enough, after New Balance last Sunday, my left pinkie toe was practically covered by one giant bloody blister that scared the living hell out of me after the race. To add icing on the cake, I also discovered a tiny blister on my right foot last night.

For weeks now, I have had my toenails painted in rich, dark red pedicure in an attempt to conceal its sheer ugliness.  And, all this while, I’ve been happily wearing my Havaianas, flipflops, and other open-toed sandals wherever I go blissfully thinking that I’ve been fooling everyone around me.  I was wrong.

Two nights ago, I was reading my Running Horoscope at Lonerunner’s blog and, much to my horror, this is what it said:

Taurus 20 Apr-20 May

Symbol: Bull

Element: Earth

Stop wearing Sandals/Flip-flops, your dead toenails from your last long run are never sexy.

Harharhar, I had a long good laugh!  In fact, I was practically hitting my head on the laptop while rolling on the bedroom floor laughing.  Lonerunner (or his manghuhula) hit the nail on the head for that one!

But, when the laughter died away, feelings of insecurity came clawing its way into my head and down to my toes, which curled up in embarrassment.  Should I stop wearing flipflops? Is it really that bad?  Lonerunner, does your manghuhula really think my feet aren’t sexy?

Last night, I removed the pedicure with acetone and stared at my ugly feet in all its naked glory.  Yes, my toes were hideous, but must I be ashamed of it?  I realized that I should be proud to show off such tiny little survivors, or better yet, warriors that just fought their way through 25km of rough roads.  So, what’s your problem if they aren’t white?  So what if they aren’t perfect?  They still do their job, right?

So, from now on, let it be known that whoever stares at The Bull Runner’s battered and blistered feet with disgust will get a kick in the face and hear these words:  “So I’ve got ugly feet. Who cares? I am a runner.”

To the Pinoy Ultra Runners—who may have uglier feet than I do by Sunday—I wish you the best of luck in your Pinatubo 55km run tomorrow.  Stay safe and, as always, have fun!