Go the Distance

After much encouragement from interested parties, I finally gave my injinji socks a try today!

I was meeting the gang out for a trail run at highbanks. I also considered trying out my new trail shoes, but I held off. I felt that changing two variables would be an unfair test of the products

I will admit it took a bit longer to put on the socks - I wasn’t used to placing each toe in its own little area. Immediately, however, I felt that each toe was cushioned moreso than normal.

I met up with the gang, and we had a good run. After one loop we stopped for a water break, and I pulled off my shoe to get rid of a rock. I’d already forgotten about the socks when someone asked about them. There was plenty of interest in the socks, and I realized that they really did feel good! I also had to demonstrate my ability to pick up a leaf with my toes, which seemed to earn the socks some respect…

The socks are a bit thinner than my smartwools, and my shoes pulled on easily (as opposed to the balegas from a few weeks ago). After the second loop we were standing around and there was a bit of a breeze, and I realized my feet felt nice and cool. I was also able to flex my toes and stretch them much more easily than if they were all crammed together.

The run today was just under 2 hours, and I believe the benefits of the socks would be even more evident with long runs. I was very favorably impressed!

When my Mom and I were at the Flying Pig expo, she picked up a pair of balega socks. She really enjoyed them, and asked me to pick some up for her before I came home this week. When I was in Denver last weekend, I was in a running store and picked her up a few pairs. As I waited in line to pay, the woman in front of me mentioned that the socks SHE was purchasing were “the best running socks”. I peered over towards the counter and asked her which socks those were. Balegas! I told her that I was a smartwool girl, but I was buying balegas for my Mom. She told me that she liked smartwool for hiking, but ran in balegas. As I was already in an “experimental sock phase“, I grabbed a pair for myself.

Today I’m in Edmonton, running the 3K Family Fun Run as part of River Valley Family Festival (Edmonton Marathon weekend). I decided to give the balegas a try.

My first impression was that despite the fact they have different sizes (I went with small), the socks are a little bigger than I expected. There was plenty of room in the toebox, and when I went to put my shoes on, I actually had some extra sock bunch-up at the heel. This isn’t unusual for regular socks (aimed for size 7-9 for women), but I was disappointed since these were size small.

The socks were very cushy and comfortable, however, and I didn’t notice them being too large when running. Once finished the 3k run, I tried to assess how I felt. My feet were warm, but that could have been related to the temperature being in the high 80s! The extra room in the toebox allowed me to stretch my toes out a bit, and overall they felt pretty good.

Obviously, a 3k fun run is not a really great test, but it was enough for me to be willing to give these socks another try. I will admit that I may wait until it gets to be a bit cooler out. The style I got was the Enduro Red, which is not considered a particularly heavy sock. I can’t imagine how warm those could be!

I’m such a gear geek and brand advocate.. I’m in Denver and decided to pay a visit to the REI flagship store. Lately with my friends getting excited about trail and ultra running, there has been plenty of talk about trail shoes and gear. I used to have trail shoes a few years back, and I’d been considering getting some anew. What better place to buy them than Denver, with the mountains ever present to the West? I AM going to Pikes Peak tomorrow, if only to take a train, not run..

Before I even made it to the footwear department, however, I had to walk past rows and rows of socks. Now, I am more of a sock snob than any other piece of gear. And there they were, row upon row of my beloved smartwools! I wandered the sock aisles, and noticed a promotion if you bought three pairs of socks. I also saw that they had Injinji socks, which I have always been curious about. I know my Mom has been looking for Balega socks, so I sought out a sales associate to see if they carried that brand. He said no, but he could recommend some other running socks if I liked. I asked his opinion, and he suggested my beloved smartwool. I grinned widely and complemented him on his taste. They literally had 15 or 20 different brands of socks, so I was impressed that was his suggestion.
I resisted the urge to buy the same socks I know and love, and decided to force myself to test out some different brands. In addition to the Injinji toesocks, I decided to go with the “anatomically designed” theme and also bought keen sox. Lastly I rounded out my purchase with a two-pack of wigwam cool-lite pro socks. Expect reviews to come!

Then I actually made it to the shoe section. I tried out a few different pairs (the store had a fake mini ascent to scramble up to try out footwear) before deciding on the Vasque Blurs. I remember the Vasque brand name from TrailRunner magazine, although I don’t remember what was said Now of course I’m anxious to hit the trail! Nothing like new gear to renew your excitement!