Socks (my)

This is potentially a boring subject to write about but I have a week off work and the baby is asleep so I thought I might as well give it a go!

I have seen some fairly expensive specialist running socks. They do some very useful jobs, the main one is to help to keep your feet dry by wicking the sweat away. As I understand it, if your feet stay wet inside your shoes the risk of getting blisters increases, and nobody wants to have blisters. If this is wrong please correct me - I have no experience with blisters!

I did a quick internet search and found that 'Nike Elite Cushioned Running Socks' claim this the following:

• 'unique footstrike cushioning system' - That's fair enough.

and also...

• 'Provides advanced aerodynamics to reduce drag and help you run more efficiently'.

Really? Maybe for an elite runner the drag effect of their socks is worth considering (to be fair it does say 'elite' in the description). If I was worried about the drag caused by my socks I'd probably just ditch socks altogether, come to think of it that would also save some weight - That's got to be worth about .01 of a second over the course of a race. I reckon my hair causes much more drag than my socks could ever cause (unless they were fitted with mini parachutes), so I'd probably have to shave my head too!

From the above, you might think that I am going to say that I just buy some cheap and cheerful socks.. well, not exactly.

The brand of socks that I wear are from Marks and Spencer's sports range and have been successfully cushioning and wicking away the sweat from my feet for about the last 20 years.

The only socks I wear (current packaging)

They were originally chosen for me by my Mum, back when the socks I wore were about the last thing on my mind. They use silver technology to help keep your feet fresh - I can confirm that it works! I wonder if she has any idea how amazing they actually are, I must ask her when I see her next.

I simply cannot wear any other socks. Once I bought some expensive socks to wear with my walking boots but found them less effective than my M&S socks. I double up when it gets really cold and they still perform as expected.

I've just bought a new pack of them, five pairs for £12. Considering that the specialist running socks can cost the same (or more) for one pair, that is an astonishingly good price. I have noticed on the packaging that they are the official socks of the Pentathlon GB Team . So, clearly I'm not the only one that realises how good these socks are!

'Does what it says on the tin'

The downside is that they have stopped selling my favourite colour (grey). The choices that remain are black, white, and navy.

There are of course many other options for socks to wear whilst running. I hear a lot about wool socks being a good option. I don't think I'll ever try them because, in my opinion, I have found the perfect sock already.

So there it is. A post about socks. Was it as boring as the title suggested?

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