I recently purchased a pair of More Mile R2R compression socks from My Sports and More. I bought them as I’m in the middle of an experiment...
In August I’m running and swimming a “different” type of event, called a swimrun: Breca Buttermere. This involves traversing the Lake District in pairs over a distance of 43Km (38km swimming and 6km running). You alternate between running and then doing a lake swim and then repeat that about 9 times up and down the fells and in and out of the lakes.
To do this I need different equipment and it all has to go with me. This includes the wetsuit for swimming (and running) in and trainers for running (and swimming) in. As you wear your shoes for the whole time you need socks which are up to the job. As there is a lot of running and a fair bit of in and out of lakes, the last thing you would want is blisters so testing is crucial. I thought that I might go for a compression sock for three reasons. One, the length of them, well away from the ankle, so little bits aren’t going to get between the skin and the material. Two, the fact there is a lot of running so some extra support would be welcome over the distance and three, not necessarily a compression reason but these were a synthetic fibre which I predicted would dry out fairly quickly once running started.
The purchase was quick and easy on the My Sports and More Website. A quick type of “compression sock” brought up men’s and ladies compression socks, not many to choose from but I could see straight away what I wanted. I added a pair in my size to the basket and was quickly at the checkout completing my purchase using paypal. I quickly received a confirmation email letting me know my purchase was a success. The socks arrived a day later, impressive service!
The product test involved two training sessions (so far). The first, a run session on the field followed by a swim in the pool and then another run in the wet socks. In terms of running, after some adjustment to the sock height, they were comfortable and well fitting. I’ve worn some compression calves before and felt like the circulation was cutting off. These were sung but allowed normal muscle function! Swimming felt weird...odd that, and then the real test, out of the water in to (dry) trainers and then a couple of laps round the field. The socks functioned just as well as before and dried out pretty quickly so this was good and they didn’t feel like they were going to rub. So far so good!
Test two, more realistic, lake swimming with the shoes on. This time straight in to the water and a swim of around 600 meters. I exited the lake and then transitioned straight in to the run of about a mile. I repeated this twice, and the session lasted around an hour. I’m pleased to say that the test was, again, a success and there was no rubbing or chafing to be noted. A swimrun tip is to drill some small holes in your shoes, to allow the water to drain out. After 100m or so, normal running resumed after the initial squelching until the water ran out.
Tests will continue as the running elements of this race are quite long, but so far. They are pretty good and as a bonus, are reasonably priced too.
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