Toe Socks

I believe in the power of knowledge. The more you know, the better prepared you are. So when I was flipping through the newest issue of Runner's World (or the Bible as it is now referred to in my house) and I saw an article on how to prevent blisters, I wasted no time and read the article before going any further.

As you can see from the photo on my blog page, me and blisters have a symbiotic relationship. They seem to take to me quite well but I'd rather do away with them. Maybe it's part of a runner's initiation into the world of running. A sort of introduction to running. They are medals you wear on your toes and feet instead of around your neck. Ugly, disgusting medals that no one cares to see although I proudly display my battle wounds here for the world to see. That is if anyone is reading this. Someone is reading this, right?

The article had good advice on preventing blisters, such as, wearing thin socks, making sure you're wearing properly fitted shoes and using Body Glide. But out of all these helpful pieces of advice, the one that caught my attention was the toe sock. What the hell is that, you say? Well, my friend, it's a sock that looks like a glove. Genius! Just like a glove but for your toes. Each of your five toes has its own little home and because of this it helps prevent your toes from rubbing against each other, causing all that friction that eventually leads to toe blisters. What a concept. I was immediately sold and decided that I was going to buy a pair the next day and give them a try.

When I got to work the next morning I called the local running store near my job and asked if they carried toe socks, as if what I was asking was so taboo. The guy told me that they didn't carry them and referred me to a website. Website? That would mean waiting for them to arrive and I wanted my toe socks now. I wanted to use them for my Wednesday run.

Still hopeful I could buy them that same day, I called another running store close to where my wife works and they told me they didn't carry them either but he would be happy to cut some holes in their socks and sell them to me. I let out a feeble guffaw at his lame attempt at humor. Everyone is a comedian, but he was useful. He recommended another store I could try that was only three miles from my job. I could run there! So I call. "Hello. I was wondering if you carry toe socks?" By the third time I asked, it felt more natural, like asking for Gu or Body Glide, two other products with strange names. "Why, yes we do" the lady said. I was happy and relieved. I wanted my toe socks and I wanted them now. So after work I drove to the store and purchased my first pair of toe socks for $12.00. That's an expensive sock. For that price, it better work.

I opted to go for the pair in white although the rainbow ones were tempting. They looked a bit odd, like those individual toe sleeves just didn't belong. Kind of like seeing a cat on a leash, it just looked weird but I couldn't wait to get home and try them on to see how they were going to feel. Once I did, they fit like a glove (pun intended) and felt great.

I'm sure one outing isn't going to be enough to determine if they're going to help me out or not, so after I run in them a few times I'll report back with my findings, so stay tuned. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to post a nicer looking picture of my foot in the future, sans toe blisters.

This is the life of a long distance runner.