Toe pain

nscrbug - 2009-07-13 8:05 PM Are your shoes too tight?  Could be a cleat-positioning issue.  What kind of socks are you wearing?  All of these things have affected my feet during biking and running (well, not the cleat part for running), at some point or another.   For me, it was a matter of finding a bike shoe with a wider toe box so that I had some wiggle room.  I also moved my cleats down just a smidge.  And I have to wear a particular type of sock, with just the right amount of thickness in order to have a total foot comfort on the bike for long rides. 

chunta - 2009-07-14 10:23 PM I had problems with the middle toe on both feet going numb.  On an unrelated decision I decided to start riding without socks since I was training for a sprint and wanted to get my feet used to it.  And whaddya know?  No more numbness.  Apparently my socks were just too tight and the numbness had nothing to do with bike or shoe fit.  So short story long, check to see if the socks you wear while running/whatever else are too snug.  Your toes shouldn't be squished, even if you're not wearing a shoe.  

trierjen - 2009-07-15 12:20 AM Sounds like it could be Morton's Neuroma, it's an inflammed nerve that runs between the third and fourth toe.  I have the same problem and noticed it first two years ago when I was biking, as I increased my running distance and improved my running form(more on my forefoot) it got to where I couldn't even finish a 5k without having to walk my toes hurt so bad.  Sometimes you can feel a small hard bump on the bottom of your foot below your toes and that would be the culprit. 
My "big" plans for the year was the Seattle to Portland bike ride, no tris this year and I haven't been running, and was hoping to not have problems.  At the beginning of June I finished a century ride and both feet were hurting but not bad enough to have to stop, just kept wiggling the toes and it would go away for a bit.  July 4th I did a 65 mile ride and after 40 miles I ended up stopping three times my feet hurt so bad.  I did end up going back to my foot doctor and got cortisone shots in both feet and did not have any pain whatsoever for the 202 miles of riding this weekend.  Besides running I also noticed the pain when I'm hiking or backpacking and have quite a bit of hill climbing because I have more weight on my forefoot. 

Sorry it's such a long story but it sounds like this could be your problem.  My foot doctor did say that I can't get anymore cortisone shots in my left foot and only one more in my right (this is the third year I've gotten the shots) so when I start having problems again, I have to try a different series of shots that is suppose to stop the signals the nerves send to the brain and if that doesn't work then it will have to be surgically removed.