Injinji Socks Review

I got a few pairs of Injinji crew length socks (photo below) for my birthday and have been running in them over the past few weeks. I had a shorter pair before, but found they were too short to prevent rubbing of the shoe cuff on my longer runs. There are many MDS runners that say these socks are perfect for the race so I thought I'd give them another go.
I asked for dark colors and, while this doesn't stop them getting dirty, it does hide the results of multiple muddy trail runs. They do a good job of separating the toes, which reduces the chances of blisters from toes rubbing together. They are also quite thin which perhaps helps emphasize the noticeable increase in awareness of the trail texture but does little to protect the big and little toes and the tips of the toes from rubbing against the shoe. I also asked for both wool and coolmax socks: from experience with thermal tops, wool is a lot less stinky over time; but, with the availability of laundry facilities I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between the two materials (maybe I should try a sniff test after letting them mature for a couple of post run days).
After four weeks of testing I'll probably take both types to the race, but I think I'll use them as liners socks with a second regular pair over the top: on the advice of previous competitors I'll be wearing shoes half a size to big to allow for swelling later in the race.

Cambridge River Runs

While staying in Cambridge, I took the opportunity to get in a couple of runs along the trails next to the Backs and then out by the river Cam. The first, a night run, was punctuated by the sound of fireworks from the Bonfire Night celebrations; the second, in the early morning before visiting a customer, was much more peaceful, with the boat crews at their practice on the river.

I must say that, although I knew a lot of people rode bikes there, I was completely unprepared for the scale of usage. The big advantage for a runner is that this creates a network of paths that can be used to avoid the cars.

Shalden Round

While in the UK on business I had the chance to do some running along the trails between the fields and woods south of Basingstoke.

It was extremely muddy, at one point I had to wade through a puddle that came over my knees, but I had an excellent time and logged around 18 miles in a little over 3 1/2 hours.

Following a good hosing down outside, a warm shower and some dry clothes, I had a cracking Sunday lunch laid on by my brother and his family for my parents and me; needless to say, I felt very relaxed after such strenuous exercise and a large meal.

Headlamp Mod

Just tested out my headlamp modification: I'd noticed that the beam was lighting up my peripheral vision when I had it angled down enough to light up the path immediately in front of me; this was reducing my night vision (my current headlamp may be lightweight, but it is not very powerful.

A little work with some duct tape and kitchen foil and the problem was solved.

Younger Generation

Three students caught me on an uphill the other night doing what felt like a 7:30 mile. I couldn't help it, I sped up and matched their pace; it was fun, for about 500 yards.
As they pulled away from me the following excuses entered my head: I'm running with a backpack on, I'm probably running further than them, then finally, as I accepted defeat: I'm almost certainly twice their age and weigh at least 20lbs more.
Some may think that this kind of reality check would be disheartening, but I already know there are plenty of people out there faster than me. I found the excitement of keeping up with them for that minute and a half was a highlight of my run and it gives me the hope that, if I drop a few pounds, I might be able to keep up with them for a little longer, perhaps even 3 minutes next time.

Night Runs

It's always a little bit of a challenge to fit in an hour's running with work and family commitments, but I manage to do 60-90 minutes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes it's in the morning before work, but more often I head out, flashlight in hand, after reading the bedtime story. This means I'm rarely back before 10pm; thank goodness I still have a couple of nights a week free to watch the odd DVD with my wife.

My runs normally end up on the floodlit bike path around the local university with an occasional foray onto the trails that lead off it. What the students must think when they see me running around the campus with my backpack on I don't know. They rarely show any sign of noticing me though: I imagine their thoughts crammed into sections: course work, socialization, the occasional "big issue" and perhaps even less often, their parents and things back home; not much space to give me a second glance, which works fine for me.

The excitement comes when I set of the well-lit path and on the trail: immediately the world shrinks to the few feet I can see in front of me and my mind becomes fully focused on the art of running over rough ground.

I feel that holding a flashlight in my hand gives me a better feel for the texture of the terrain over using a headlamp; my Surefire G2X Pro does the job nicely (haven't needed to change the batteries after 14 months of use) and I mainly use it on the 15 lumen setting; that is, unless I get startled by something leaping out at me in the dark (chained up dogs and the odd deer), at which point the full 200 lumens is very reassuring.

Marathon Weekend

Added another 2 1/2 hours today, and covered a greater distance than yesterday bringing my weekend milage to roughly a marathon.

I think this is mainly due to having my gel flask with me today to keep my energy levels topped up: I certainly felt that, although I was aching towards the end, my pace was a lot faster. I've found anything over 60 minutes tends to benefit from a few easily digested calories.

I know it's not to everyone's taste and probably not as effective, but as a cheap alternative energy gel for long training runs, 3-4 parts honey (try CostCo or the like) to one part black strap molasses seems to work for me.

Hungry Run

Just did 2 1/2 hours of mostly trails without taking a gel bottle with me and was ravenous by the end (not unexpectedly of course); ready for (turkey) bacon, eggs and a big cup of coffee. It was quite warm and a little misty this morning, not bad for October, and I'm starting to get used to running with a pack (admittedly with only a couple of pounds in it).

6 Month's to Go!

With 6 months to go before taking part in the world's toughest footrace, the Marathon des Sables,  I thought I'd start a blog to update people on my training, kit selection, sponsorship, and of course ultimately, my experience of the the 152 mile (250km) race in the Sahara desert.

The Marathon des Sables started the whole multi-day "unsupported" racing scene and has been run in southern Morocco since 1986; many similar races have been started since, but this is pretty much the original; here some links for the race:

MdS English Webpage

Discovery Channel Clip

Official Website

I’m raising money for Doctors without Borders, a humanitarian organization which works in nearly 70 countries providing medical aid to those most in need regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation, typically where there’s a war, epidemic or natural disaster.

Here’s the link for my fundraising page (as a guide $20 is enough for two high energy meals a day for 100 children):

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/TTT_O2S/marathondessables

Thanks,

Tim A.