I’d like to discuss something that makes a lot of people uncomfortable: toe socks. No other item in the shop is as polarizing and gets more laughs from non-runners. Well, excluding Hokas. Toe socks look absolutely ridiculous and no one has ever looked hip in them. Today, I’d like to have an open and honest dialogue about the goofy toe socks from Injinji.
Look, I know they are the nerdiest looking thing in the shop. I know your significant other will give you horrified looks when you try them on. I know they take a lot more time to put on, but the honest reality is that they are amazing. I wore them all fall on any run that was over 10 miles, and I was shocked how much better they felt. I ran a lot of miles getting ready for my race, and I experienced none of the blisters, toe issues or hot spots that I have had in years past. I used to assume some feet issues were just part of training for a long race, like my one bum toenail turning black by the end of my training cycle. I just figured I’d always have ugly feet when wearing flip flops and that at some point I would get some blisters. Nope. Never happened. Thanks to my toe sock.
By having each of my toes properly splayed on my long runs, I never felt like my toes were cramped up, and I felt like I was more stable when I ran. I was allowing my toes to spread the way they were intended, and all the little issues I was so used to just went away. What’s the point of wearing a nice wide shoe if you’re going to jam your toes up inside them? I really assumed so much of the hype on these babies were just people yelling and just trying to be different, like my friend Adam out in Boulder. I will never tell him he’s right, but dang it, I surely know he is.
Now, I still have not managed to find a way to get them on properly; they always take me more than a few minutes to get on. If I am going out for a short run, I still grab a pair of my favorite Swiftwick or whatever looks cool on that day. I don’t have the patience to use the toe socks daily, but if I am going for a run of any substantial distance, I will always run in my toe socks. Even if I feel like a moron.
Steve
