I like nothing better than a good moan about some of the expensive crappy products out there, over priced shite that does more harm than good.
Running shoes with out sufficient cushioning, they tell us the shoes are fine like this, what we have to do is change the way we run, change how we land each foot placement. Do it this way not that way, wear our products not our competitors.
For many runners like me, long distance running causes some issues with the feet, i have learnt what works for me and have ways to cope with the results of high mileage and wet feet.
My choice of shoes for fell running is Salomon Speedcross 3, they have plenty of cushioning in the heal to absorb the impact of so many heal strikes and a reasonable amount of grip to stop me falling on my arse every time the ground gets a little moist.
Socks have been a different matter and over the years i have tried many things to stop the blisters on my heals and toes. Soaking my feet in surgical spirits to harden the skin, wearing 2 pairs of socks to stop the rubbing, waterproof socks, which are ok until the water gets in but retain the water when it has gotten in. Blisters still affected me unless i taped up the affected area's before hand.
Until recently, in a moment of weakness i paid £10.00 for a pair of Injinji Toe Socks. Expensive Gimmick i thought, but i'll give them a try. I'm glad i did because they changed the way i prepare my feet for running. I no longer need to tape up 4 toes and both heals before i run any distance, with these socks i still have to tape up my heals but for the first time in months my toes are blister free.
Last week a friend recommended Alpaca wool running socks, these are a little expensive and obviously i thought nothing was going to compete with my new Injinji toe socks but i was wrong, i now have two cures for my blisters. I'm not saying they will work for everyone but the do work for me, i used the Alpaca wool sock for my recent Freeman Round (50 miles and 15,000 feet of ascent) and had no issues with blisters.
I used the Injinji toe socks for the Fellsman (62 miles and 10,000 feet of ascent) and again had no issues with blisters. Each event lasted around 15 hours and on each occasion my feet were wet almost from the start.
It is still early days with both pairs of socks so watch this space, i will update my blog as i get more use from them. But if you suffer with blisters or just want some comfortable running socks you could do worse than give these a go.
Running shoes with out sufficient cushioning, they tell us the shoes are fine like this, what we have to do is change the way we run, change how we land each foot placement. Do it this way not that way, wear our products not our competitors.
For many runners like me, long distance running causes some issues with the feet, i have learnt what works for me and have ways to cope with the results of high mileage and wet feet.
My choice of shoes for fell running is Salomon Speedcross 3, they have plenty of cushioning in the heal to absorb the impact of so many heal strikes and a reasonable amount of grip to stop me falling on my arse every time the ground gets a little moist.
Socks have been a different matter and over the years i have tried many things to stop the blisters on my heals and toes. Soaking my feet in surgical spirits to harden the skin, wearing 2 pairs of socks to stop the rubbing, waterproof socks, which are ok until the water gets in but retain the water when it has gotten in. Blisters still affected me unless i taped up the affected area's before hand.
Until recently, in a moment of weakness i paid £10.00 for a pair of Injinji Toe Socks. Expensive Gimmick i thought, but i'll give them a try. I'm glad i did because they changed the way i prepare my feet for running. I no longer need to tape up 4 toes and both heals before i run any distance, with these socks i still have to tape up my heals but for the first time in months my toes are blister free.
Last week a friend recommended Alpaca wool running socks, these are a little expensive and obviously i thought nothing was going to compete with my new Injinji toe socks but i was wrong, i now have two cures for my blisters. I'm not saying they will work for everyone but the do work for me, i used the Alpaca wool sock for my recent Freeman Round (50 miles and 15,000 feet of ascent) and had no issues with blisters.
I used the Injinji toe socks for the Fellsman (62 miles and 10,000 feet of ascent) and again had no issues with blisters. Each event lasted around 15 hours and on each occasion my feet were wet almost from the start.
It is still early days with both pairs of socks so watch this space, i will update my blog as i get more use from them. But if you suffer with blisters or just want some comfortable running socks you could do worse than give these a go.
