Gross running toenail question

[Brit]

So my left big toenail has a gross brown spot on it. Kind of like it sometimes gets from running trauma. I remember having sore toenails from the last long run I did back in June, but I don't remember specifically if my big toe was one of them. A few days ago I removed my own toenail polish for the first time in months (I had been getting pedicures regularly) and noticed the brown spot. Since then I have been freaking out that I have nail fungus. Is that likely? Is it probably just a running toenail? Dr. Google says that fungus toenails look super nasty and lumpy and yellow. Mine is just brown like an old blood blister in one quadrant, but I can't specifically remember the big toe as having a running injury. Is there any easy way to know if there is a problem (beyond ill fitting shoes)?

[lb2006]

I ran a marathon in mid-November. Mine were as you described above (in both big toenails) for multiple months. In fact, they just started looking "normal" in June I think it is an old blood blister...

Hope that makes you feel better!
*And mine were from running a marathon in mid-70 temps at the beach with NO shade. My feet were super swollen and kept bumping the shoe. I've since moved to a different shoe & bumped up a 1/2 size. No problems since.

[Susie]

That doesn't sound like fungus. Usually fungus nails get really thick, in addition to being discolored, etc.

I thought I had fungus on one nail (being a swimmer it's super easy to pick up at the pool/locker room), but I showed it to my PCP and she said it was just a weird running nail. Sure enough, about a year later it looks pretty much fine on its own.