Socks, Socks And More Socks

Warning

I have good feet, so all of you people that tend to get blisters or macerated feet or whatever else that feet can have, I may not be the best expert on your feet.  Conclusion for this: try on different socks and do different runs and exercises in each one so that you find what works best for you.  It's what I did, and I'm just that cool.

Socks For Obstacles, Trails and Endurance Challenges

I love socks.  I have a variety to choose from that go along with an arsenal of shoes.  Foot care is everything for OCR, trails and endurance challenges, and this is coming from a guy that has very few issues with feet skin care.  So for those that have issues, you know better than I do just how valuable good socks and shoes are.  I won't be talking about shoes...yet, maybe another blog, but for now, I'd like to shed some words on several socks that I think are the bees-knees, or bees-socks.

In order of favorite to least favorite

1. Darn Tough
2. Dry Max Socks
3. Prosok
4. Injinji

Let's start with number one and why

Darn Tough socks rock.  I have four pair of them in a variety of styles.  I picked the socks from their company that incorporate smart wool, basically wool that dries very quickly.  The cool-max sock (pictured right) is my particular favorite because it moves whatever moisture there is away from the foot.  The stitching is great, but what I really like is the fit around the ankle.  No slippage and it keeps from stuff falling in the sock--rocks, leeches, twigs, whatever.  Here is the best part: Lifetime warranty on the sock--crazy.  If I live with one type of sock in my bag it is this sock

Dry Max were the first pair of socks that I had for trail running.  I found them on Amazon and said, "hey, these look pretty solid," and bought them.  They run around $12 a pair, which is about $5 cheaper than Darn Tough.  That may not sound like a lot, but I'll buy four pair at a time.  I've always thought these were a solid sock.  They act similar to Darn Tough, though they tend to get pretty warm, but it isn't anything that would cause hot spots.  I just tend to get sweaty, hot feet.  Overall, I find them to be a solid number two

Prosok was a huge craze for me when I was training for my first ultra marathon.  I liked how they gave gentle compression; I liked how they were cushy.  In fact, I ran a trail ultra in them and didn't regret the choice.  However, I think I would have if the conditions were wet.  They hold a lot of moisture.  I think because of the bamboo in them, they are meant to do so.  If I wear them on wet days, this is something I notice.  A lot of Death Racers swear by them though. I can honestly say, I haven't worn them beyond basic running to really accurately judge them.

Injinji Socks are another brand of sock that Death Racers and Spartan Racers swear by.  I did a 24 hour endurance challenge in these socks and thought that they held their own nicely, I'm just not a big fan of toe socks.  Sometimes I feel like I'm five wearing them.  I get it though--reducing toe friction.  It's not entirely comfortable, but you get used to it.  I have both the wool and the performance sock.  I favor wool because it expels liquid faster and keeps the feet pretty warm in cold water, which was good for the race I was running while wearing these.

My ultimate advice is try different socks out in similar environments to what you are competing in.  Maybe some socks will work well in one situation, but not so much in other spots.  Prosok worked great for ultra running, but doesn't work for me for other challenges.  Find your sock. Also, lube your feet up too.  Trail Toes pairs nicely with most of these.  Cut your toe nails too and make sure your feet aren't all crusty, it causes your feet some serious issues when they start to break down.  Feet are everything in big challenges and looong running.  Keep them happy.