A few weeks back I was writing about what to do now that Janathon was over and I moved onto discussing my list of things to do and buy in preparation for the Brighton Marathon. I needed to get some new running socks as my old Nike socks were starting to shuffle themselves into my kit bag after every gym session and I was contacted by Jamie at RunBreeze with a kind offer to pick myself a pair of their socks to try out then write about here on Running Dan.
I made my way over to RunBreeze and checked through their sock selection and was undecided on what would be the most suitable pair from their range but then noticed the very handy ‘Sock Finder’ on the front page. I always get a bit dazzled with choices and begin to over analyse things so was grateful when the easy to use ‘Sock Finder’ guided me to ‘The Cushioning Sock’ based on my tendency to mostly run road or treadmill without ever suffering from blisters. To try and make my review slightly impartial, I also bought a pair of the ‘Anti-Blister Socks’ as I was interested in checking out the double lining technology.
The ordering process was dead easy and a few days later there was a nice hand written package waiting for me on my desk at work with the socks inside. It was a gym day so I took the cushioning set with me to the gym where I wore them for a 5 mile speed work session on the treadmill. I was very surprised how comfortable the socks were to wear and I soon forgot that I was wearing new socks on my run. I tend to fret a bit when I try new running gear for the very first time, worrying that the new or different fit will cause me problems, but I was soon sprinting and jogging away marvelling how well everything felt.
My next run was a 13 mile slow run on Sunday so I went out with the anti-blister socks, which fitted like the proverbial glove, and I was soon out enjoying the nice weather on a long run around Ealing. Again, the socks were extremely comfortable and I soon forgot that I was out there wearing something new.
Of the two pairs that I tried I slightly preferred the anti-blister model. I have never suffered from any type of blister due to running (karate is another matter!) but I had a slight preference for the fit of the double lining. I wore them both for several more runs and I was so happy with them that I am not going to bother trying any other brands. I even managed to try the anti-blister pair out on a long run where I slogged through the rain and the socks survived even though I went a bit overboard running around a muddy track that did no end of mess to my shoes. I ordered a couple more pairs of the anti-blister version so I can rotate through a few sets of full kits in my gym bag so I am not lugging clothes to and from the office every day. I am well chuffed with my new socks and now it’s time to get some new shoes in preparation for Brighton.
