First, don’t forget to enter my sweet Saucony $100 giveaway hosted by Online Shoes. Too good to miss. Ends on Wednesday.
Yesterday I did something I have not done since October. Speed. More specifically, tempo. This was my first attempt at speed since getting injured with a hip stress fracture. My doctor advised against speed while training for Boston. One of the major culprits contributing to injuries is speed work, or doing too much of it before you are ready. Now that I am “healed” I’ve been playing around with my training, trying to decide how much running to incorporate with triathlon training.
Coming off of the injury, I really want to learn how to be a more well rounded athlete. Multi sport training teaches you that. You don’t favor any particular sport in your training unless you suck at something more than something else and then you need to spend more time on it. I am running much less than usual, but my endurance and aerobic abilities have remained strong with all the other stuff thrown in.
Is it okay to admit I was terrified of the tempo? Could I do it after having been absent for so long? The plan was simple. Warm up one mile, do four miles at 8:30 or so, and cool down one mile. 8:30 is slower than my previous tempo pace, but I wanted to cut myself some slack.
I was sent these handy and styling compression socks from Vitalsox, and decided to give them a whirl on the run. Here I am getting ready to audition for a play.
The result:
Mile 1 (warm up): 9:00
Mile 2: 8:31 (kind of tired, can I do this?)
Mile 3: 8:15 (almost half way done, speeding up)
Mile 4: 8:06 (feeling great, these socks work)
Mile 5: 7:51 (blazin’!)
Mile 6 (cool down mile): 9:00
I think I just got my confidence back!
About the Vitalsox:
Another admission. I really never understood these socks. I see people wear them all the time, but I thought they just wanted to look cool or they had calf problems. I’m glad I got to try these because now I get the benefits.
- Stimulates blood circulation
- Improves oxygen delivery to muscles
- Lactic acid production is reduced
- Cramp relief
- Wicking to keep you dry and cool
My socks are size small and go for $35.00.
I loved how they felt during the run. Maybe it was a placebo effect, but they made me feel faster, sleeker, stronger. I don’t tend to have any leg aches/pains when I run, so I can’t speak to whether they helped in those areas. I do know that I set out on this run tired as crap, but felt really energetic by mile two. Could the socks be part of that? Perhaps. I’d like to keep using them on and off throughout training and keep track of how I feel during runs to see if there is a connection between the socks and my performance.
I have to admit that even though these are light and wicking, I don’t see myself wearing them in the dead heat of summer. They will be perfect for those cool early morning runs and races, especially for the ones I do at elevation where it’s still freezing in the summer.
From the research I have read on compression socks, the jury seems to be out on whether they actually boost performance while running. Most testers agree, however, that they help tremendously with recovery if you wear them post-run.
Do you wear compression socks during or after runs/races? If so, what benefits have you noticed?
Does speed work intimidate or invigorate you?
Off to the pool. Hope no one shits in my shoes,
Fine print: Vitalsox provided the socks for this review. SUAR paid nothing for them. I like to talk about myself in the third person.