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| Toe Socks Take Some Coaxing With Freak Toes |
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| Click Here To Visit Injinji.com |
Scott at the PR firm that handles Injinji Performance Toe Socks had his reservations. He intrigued me by writing, “We also just
started working with Injinji socks. While
toe socks might not be top of mind for cycling, they may have some crossover
benefits for cyclocross.” I looked down
at my freaky feet and raised an eyebrow. This guy has no idea how weird my feet are. But I thought, if toe socks keep ‘em separated, they could be perfect for cyclists with
less than perfect piggies that rub and bite each other. I can’t think
of another sport that requires wearing the same shoes for 4, 5, 6 hours at a
time. So rather than risk the perils of new footwear on a
century ride, I decided to test them with running shoes first, a 4-miler
through the hills out Cincinnati’s Mt. Lookout neighborhood. My Offspring hypothesis that “you gotta keep ‘em
separated” was correct.
If you look at my feet, (go ahead, swallow back that puke
and take a quick peek), my little toe and ring toe, the Cashews, like to hide behind their neighbors. My index toe is ghastly skinny and hammer cocked to the
outside like Amy Winehouse before rehab. My big toe was obviously
transplanted from Fred Flintstone’s foot.
While I thankfully inherited my mother’s drive for exercise and health,
the trade off was my father’s bent toes.
So, when I looked at the toe sock, with its perfect little symmetrical toes,
I shook my head thinking this is going to be as comical as trying to fit in my
wife’s sweatshirt. It took a minute or
two, but I managed to work every toe into his little sock.
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| My Freak Toes Almost Look Normal in Toe Socks |
Sure wearing gloves on your feet feels weird at first, but after
a block or two in the shoes I felt myself saying, “These feel pretty good.” 2 ½ miles in, I had forgotten I was wearing toe
socks. I realized my toes weren’t sweat
sticking to their neighbors. The nail of
one toe couldn’t bite his brother. Whether
perceived or actual, my feet felt noticeably cooler, maybe akin to gloves being less
warm than mittens. The toe box of my
shoes felt noticeably more soft and smooth as if there was less rubbing between
the shoe and toes. I’ll reserve cycling judgment
for another time, but given my first experiment, I’ll likely choose the toe
socks next time I go out for a summer run, hike or walk.
