Tag: socks

A Love of Socks

Disclaimer: I received compression socks from Extreme Fit as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I love socks. Short ones, tall ones, solid ones, patterned ones. I’ve been know to show up to work in a dress and mismatched knee socks. Especially in the winter. I always took them off and transitioned to heels but plenty of people probably saw me over the years. I literally have 3 boxes of sock in my closet.

A few years into running I started wearing compression socks- I rarely ever ran without after that. I’ve also been known to sleep in them. However as years went on, the ones I had relied on began not to work for me. I was looking for other options. So when the chance came up to try out Extreme Fit, I was all on board.

Extreme Fit makes various types of compression socks, sleeves, low socks, shirts, pants and of course- masks. Their have compression socks with multiple levels of compression- 15-20 mmHG and 20-30 mmHG, i.e, everyday wear vs high active wear. Plus they have awesome patterns.

Then the socks arrived- holy moly sock palooza! Various awesome patterns, multiple lengths and a mask. Woo hoo! I was stoked I received a pair of camo socks!

Now here’s where things get tricky. If you by chance read my last post, you know I have put on some weight. That includes my calves. Which puts compression socks and I in a complicated relationship. Knowing that I sized up to the L/XL.

The low socks were mostly comfortable but too big, well too long. My running shoe size is a 9.5 and I was able to pull the heel cup up to my ankle. Not a huge deal, I just threw them in the dryer. That helped for the most part but I am also still dealing with the fallout from those damn Cascadia’s. I had a bunion that never bothered me at all until those shoes and now it still gets a little angry sometimes. Stupid shoes.

Anyhow, back to the socks. Ok, let’s talk about the usual knee high compression socks. The patterns were so cute! I loved that the orange pair would match my Bibrave tank and thought the reflective socks were awesome. Also I like that these socks feel much softer than my other pairs of compression socks.

They get hung up right around the stripes.😢

Less awesome was that any one of the socks with patterns that involved different stitching didn’t fit. They would get to a spot on my calf and just stop. Boo. The pairs that were a solid tube of fabric did fit and felt good. They felt good on the run and post run. They were also comfy enough to pass my nap test- aced it in fact.

But the best thing- the calf sleeves fit!!!! I have never found a pair of calf sleeves that fit even when sizing up. Seriously, some brands calf sleeves look like they would struggle to fit my arm let alone my calves. I’ve actually cut the feet off multiple pairs of compression socks to make my own sleeves. I will probably be buying more of those as they were so awesome.

So while I liked the socks I could wear, I am bummed about the ones that didn’t fit. I mean, yes, it gives me more motivation to get my butt in gear but it’s also frustrating that there are less options for people my size or bigger. We like patterns too!

The socks are very affordable and I liked the compression level so I may by a few more solids as well.
If you want to try theme out, code BRP20 will save you 20% on $50 or higher.

Do you wear compression socks? How do you like them?

Other Pro thoughts-

Would You Rather…

Would you rather run a race in 2 days in–

A worn down pair of shoes that makes your arches sore

A new pair of the same shoes that leaves you bloody?

Great choices, right?

Ok, backing up. This is week is a mess of doctor’s appointments so I was keeping my running plan fluid but since Monday was appointment #1 I figured it would be a rest day. Plus Monday workouts rarely work in my favor. Except the late afternoon appointment went faster than I thought it would. Driving home I realized I had enough time to change super quickly and get in a run outside before it got dark. Since I still don’t feel 100% I figured any more ventures into running in the dark would wait until next week. I changed as fast as I could and was out the door.

My right shoe had felt off on Sunday’s walk but I figured I was cold and just getting over my sickness so I was probably walking weird. I didn’t think about it until I was about 5 minutes from my house. You know the feeling when you have a sticker or a burr in your sock? That’s what it felt like. 1/2 mile in, I stopped at the top of a hill to adjust my sock and check it out…holy crap- blood!

My sock was bloody and there was a large red spot on my new shoes. Well, crap, that’s not good. I sat for a moment and debated what to do. I didn’t see a blister, just a tiny hole. Hmm. I put my shoe back on and ran another half mile. I stopped and checked again, Hey look, blood was now down the inside of my shoe. Ok, I get it, time to call it. I rerouted to home.

A 1.51 mile run is better than none right? Except I didn’t like that. So after a quick clean up, a sock change, I slapped on a band-aid and my old shoes and was out the door again. I figured I had enough daylight for another 1.5 mile loop but I decided to run it backwards. My foot felt ok so I added on a little more. 😃 2.19 miles for a total of 3.7 for the day. I’m calling that a win in my book. ✅ And that last 2.19 miles felt pretty good. It was a great run mentally speaking.

What was not great was that 2 miles in old shoes was enough to make the arches of my feet start to ache. Which was why I switched to the new shoes. They are the same brand and model just a different color. I have never had a blister problem in any shoe. Any time I ever felt even the slightest hot spot it meant I needed new shoes or new socks. A quick switch and the problem was solved. So now what?

I have an 8.2 mile race on Saturday, I already knew it was going to be rough, being so undertrained and after a week of being sick. I wasn’t anticipating pain with most of my steps though. I don’t spend most of my time in the air like Usain Bolt. 😝 Do I wear the old shoes and suffer arch pain? Do I wear the new shoes and hope for less bleeding? I have an old pair of Mizuno’s but they made my knees and left calf hurt. It’s why I switched to the Pure Flow’s. I’ve even considered wearing my trail shoes.

So, in short- HELP! Any tips on blisters? Actually it still doesn’t look like a blister but that’s not the point. Any suggestions on how to make the new shoes work? Or should I run in the old ones? So many questions!

A Few of my Favorite Things

Jumping on the bandwagon here! And multitasking for the win. 😃 If you’re reading this on a computer, you may have noticed a menu item called “Goals and Gears” up there to the left? No? Well, that’s good then as I forgot all about it and hadn’t updated it in about a year. Ooof, it was rough. As I was working on updating it, I realized it could be tied in with the holiday season. 🎁 Gift guides are the all rage right now so why not join in? And if you’re looking for more details on my favorite things, check out my new page- The Slacker Runs With.

As runners we can all list things we would like to have, things we want, things we desperately need, etc. I like learning what other runners love though, what is their tried and true and keeps them running everyday? There must be a reason right? So before we get to the wants, how about-

A few of my favorite things-

Shoes– Can’t run without those!

Brooks Pure Flow 4 – current fave with no aches or pains
Mizuno Wave Hayate- For those times I want to hit the trails.

Socks– Did you know some people run without socks? How does that even work?

I love my Pro Compression socks. I’ve always been a bright and funky sock person and rock knee socks on a regular basis so these were just a match made in heaven. Compression, knee high and awesome patterns? Sold!

Skirts– I never thought I would run in a skirt but I gave it a shot and they rock. My favorites are both by Lululemon – Pace Rival II and Pleat to Street. I thought the pleats would drive me batty but then I discovered that there are 5 pockets. 5! I also love their Speed shorts for training.

marathonfotobugsur — Lulu, PRO Compression, Sunski’s Fitletic all in one shot!

Belt– Fitletic I’ve owned 3 of these belts. I’ve tried many others but I always come back to to Fitletic. I hate bounce and wear my belt super low (like butt lift low- I got that comment at a race once) and this works great. It fits everything I need and I can attach my pepper spray to it as well.

Hydration–

For most runs, I grab whatever water bottle is nearest to me but for races I carry my own sports drink in an Ultimate Direction Jenny Handy 10oz. I tend to over hydrate in races so this smaller size works for me. For hikes and trail runs, I have a Nathan Fire Catcher. I don’t have a bladder for it, I just rely on the 2 10oz bottles in the front.

As for that sports drink- I love Skratch Labs. I love the orange hydration mix. Yum. 🙂 Plus it’s fun to say. For some reason my mother finds it hilarious when I say I am out of Skratch.

Watch– Garmin Forerunner 220. I love numbers and everything it tracks. Truthfully it probably tracks way more than I know. I wish they still made real user manuals. Am I showing my age here?

Sunglasses– Sunskis I have really poor eyesight and issues handling too much brightness so shades are a must. I also tend to destroy sunglasses very quickly. I love Sunski’s. Polarized, very affordable and cool looking too? Score! And both pairs lasted at least a year. Win in my book!

Security–

Road ID– I don’t carry my ID when I run. I misplace my debit card all the time, my license would probably run away just as quick. This bracelet has my name, 2 emergency contacts and any medical alerts I might need them to know. Stylish and smart all at the same time.

Pepper spray– Always be prepared. You never know what you may run into. They even make stylish colors now. 😊

Other ideas- Wants-

A new PR– but we can only give that to ourselves, right?

Race entries– We love our bling but those shiny medals cost a pretty penny- anything helps. 😝

Awesome running shirts– In the last year, I’ve come to love shirts with sayings on them- inspirational and funny alike. The internet is full of them. My favorite? Check out Pavement Runner and the #WeRunSocial gear.