Saturday, September 01, 2012

A Farewell To Socks

Like most athletes, I'm a little obsessive about my gear.  Well, some of my gear.  Other stuff I don't give a crap about.  For instance, running shoes - don't really care.  I'll run in any decent minimalist shoe.  On the other hand, there is only one running bra I will even consider and that's the magically bounce eliminating Freya Underwire Running Bra.  Underwire.  I recommend that bra to women like it's my job.

I also have one pair of extra special socks that I save for my longest runs.  I'd bet I've run 400 miles in those socks, probably more.  I think I've worn them for every race I've run in the last 4 years. Today I had a 16 mile run on the calendar. Of course, I pulled out my fav socks.  I wish - oh how I wish - I knew what brand and style of socks these are.  These socks were actually a giveaway at a race expo a few years ago.  For months I've watched them get progressively more threadbare and this morning I debated switching to a pair that wasn't about to fall apart, but decided they could make one more long run.

I was about halfway through my run when I realized the heel of my sock had disintegrated. I was on my way to one epic blister and 8 miles from my car. (How do you force yourself to run 16 miles?  You don't.  You force yourself to run 8 miles.  The last 8 miles are a desperate attempt to get home.)  I managed to stuff some paper towel inside my sock and it miraculously held up for the remainder of the run.

And I held up for 17 miles, overrunning my training goal by a mile.