Compression socks

Runners World April issue has an article on them. The Globe and Mail recently had an article on them. Both with no great revelations. Everyone wearing them at races looks like I should recognize them from my Grade Three gym class. I'm keeping an open mind and may have to try wearing them during a race soon.

Report here if you have tried compression socks and come to any mind-blowing conclusions about their efficacy.

How many layers can a girl wear to a race?

7:40am thought bubble: -20 with wind chill??!! What should I wear? Three layers? Merino wool sleeveless, merino wool tee, jacket

7:45am thought bubble: Will that be enough if it gets really windy? Four layers? Merino wool sleeveless, merino tee, mock turtle neck fleece with thumbhole, jacket.

7:48am thought bubble: What about my neck? Five layers? Merino wool sleeveless, merino wool tee, merino wool turtle neck, mock turtle neck fleece with thumbhole, jacket.

7:50am thought bubble: Definitely two layers on my legs or I am going to be walking like the abominable snowman. Merino wool long undies, NB Windblocker tights.

7:56am thought bubble: Yikes, last weekend when it was 2 degrees with a windchill of -8 my legs did not warm up for 10 k wearing two tight layers on my legs.

8:00am thought bubble: S***. I wanted to be finding a parking spot near the race start by now.

8:05am thought bubble: OK. Three layers on the legs. Merino wool long undies, NB Competitor tight (a little lighter weight than the windblocker), and NB Falcon pants which offer wind resistance and an air layer.

8:08am thought bubble: Good... just need to get my socks and shoes. Well, it's been cold and the wool socks have been good on training walks but I got those blisters in Myrtle Beach...but it was warm in Myrtle Beach...but I'll be wearing my racing flats today which fit a little snugger than my training shoes...better get the performance socks out.

8:12am thought bubble: I hope that parking spot isn't taken. Almost ready...just grab my gloves, mitts, light weight wool hat, fleece hat, and neck warmer from the laundry room.

8:13am thought bubble: wait...it's sunny. Sunglasses? They can make my face cold in these temperatures. Bring them along...I can decide when I get there.

8:15am thought bubble: I better pack a few clothes to take with me in case I change my mind when I get to the start.

8:35am thought bubble climbing out of the car near the start: Holy c*** it's cold, I'm switching those Competitor tights under the Falcon pants for the Windblockers!

9am thought bubble: There's not going to be any quick pee breaks with all this on...

Socks as gear

Ironically, I've had an uneasy relationship with feet my whole life. As a pre-schooler I once ran screaming from the family room when a television commercial featured a camera shot of a vulnerable foot sole being attacked by a thick, black marker. I think the idea was to delineate areas of the foot so we could understand how a Dr. Scholl’s insert could make tired feet feel better. But that's just a guess. As many times as that commercial came on television is as many times as I ran from the room.

For years I was the receiving end of many a bad joke about big feet. "You don't have big feet Lee...you have enormous flippers!" It's true I do have good balance thanks to being heavily weighted at the bottom end by size 9.5 feet on a 5'6" frame.

As a teenager if I was going to get injured, it was always feet first. One foot was crushed between two boats, an ingrown toe-nail never recovered from botched surgery (who operates on an ingrown toenail anyway?), and half a sewing needle found a happy home deep in my foot for more than a year before making itself agonizingly known one summer when I became suddenly unable to walk.

Thankfully, my feet have experienced a renaissance, so to speak, in my adult years. They have carried me thousands, possibly even tens of thousands of kilometres, through marathons and training walks. They have pushed me along the beautiful coast of Big Sur 5 times, through the vineyards of Bordeaux, past the ruins of Rome, around the cerulean hues of Lake Tahoe, up and down the hills of Bermuda, and over the streets of Vancouver, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Edmonton, Quebec City, Seattle, Honolulu, Cleveland, Long Beach, Des Moines, Philadelphia, Dallas, Columbus and, most recently, Miami and Myrtle Beach.

Miraculously, I walked all these miles with nary a blister. I have credited this great good fortune to a huge dollop of genetic luck, engineered shoes, and a thick layer of either Vaseline or shea butter. So, I was surprised when I walked the BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon two weeks ago to experience burning on the inside of both heels by mile 8 of the half marathon. I can tell you I was grateful that I was not facing the full marathon distance.

So, what could have caused this unusual turn of events? My shoes were the same New Balance® 903 model I have been wearing for more than a year. I had remembered to grease up my feet even in the fog of a 4am wake-up call. The only difference from walks past was my decision to use a thin, single layer merino wool sock that I had been using religiously in cold Toronto temperatures. Normally, I pull on super thin, super soft, sometimes double layer, synthetic “performance” socks – usually from Wright. I have been so confident in these socks that I have been known to buy a new pair at race expos and wear them the next day in the race without even a trial walk.

My theory is that the wool socks, which featured a slightly rough texture, were the reason for the blisters. Maybe my feet got too hot in the warmer South Carolina temperatures. Maybe the rough texture combined with the heat to create a “perfect storm” at the contact point of my heels.

As you can tell, the experience got me thinking about feet and left me with a new respect for socks as gear. To be sure, I’ll be looking for my softest socks this weekend when I get dressed for the Chilly Half Marathon. I may even stop by my favourite shoe shop for a new pair.

Happy blister-free walking! And let us know your secrets to happy feet.

Lee

Treat the feet

I was on the phone to one of my good friends yesterday, a friend who has recently taken up marathon training, a friend who has now officially joined the ranks of the initiated by experiencing her first long walk blister! Oh, joy!

After some discussion we determined that the source of her problem were socks that were too thick at the sole. Some websites recommend thick socks for shock absorption but it is my theory (please note...this is not followed up with any scientific research!) that the extra cushioning under the foot results in excessive movement with each step. The shock absorption abilities of your shoe should be sufficient. Shock absorbing socks actually allow excessive movement within the shoe that can lead to blisters.

I prefer thin socks and often the double layer thin socks. When I get new shoes, I try the shoes on with a new pair of thin socks and then I buy several pairs of those socks so that I am not changing the type of socks I wear with those shoes.

Also, I will take this blog time to report that since becoming a marathon athlete, I have turned into a bit of a princess about my feet. I regularly condition them with a Bliss Spa product called the Bliss Softening Sock. Pedicures are a must for keeping rough calluses to a minimum as calluses often turn into pressure points over long distances. And, long before my shoes need to be retired, I have donated the socks I bought at the same time to the rag pile and I have purchased another few identical pairs.

And, of course, I never forget to cover my feet in a lubricant (shea butter is my special treat but many people choose Body Glide or Vaseline) when I train for more than 90 minutes.

If anyone else has any foot-loving treatments or tips, be sure to post here!

Everything's coming up bananas

Warning: the contents of this blog may surprise the sensibilities of some readers!

Standing at the cash of a local outdoor store yesterday, I surveyed the copious quanties of quirky items serious outdoor types might drool over. You know, the sort of thing that you throw in the direction of the sales clerk at the last minute - lip balm, sew-on Canadian flags, waterproof wallets.

Then may eye caught on something unexpected - a box of brightly coloured plastic objects, each suspiciously resembling an all-weather sex toy. I did a double take. Do campers really pack this sort of thing?

Oops. Get my mind out of the gutter. They are neon, snap-shut containers for a banana!

Yes, it's true.

Now, I know how sacred the banana is to all endurance athletes but who could imagine that someone would revere it so much as to design and manufacture a banana travel case?

By complete coincidence someone sent me an email this weekend outlining the incredible anti-depression, PMS eliminating, iron boosting, blood pressure reducing, brain power enhancing, not to mention constipation and hangover smashing properties of the not so humble banana.

Really with all the outstanding life force provided by just one banana, I guess it would be more reasonable for me to wonder where the banana travel case has been all my life.

So, what I'd like to know is how many of you knew there was such a thing as a banana travel case? Even better, let us know if you have used one. At $5.99 I'd like to get a reliable product endorsement!