Feeling Like a Kid Again with Performance Toe Socks

We’re always saying that workouts should be fun, and you know what’s really, really fun? Toe socks. They seriously take me back to being a kid and rocking striped rainbow ones to school. So when Injinji (so many i’s!) sent me a pair of its  original weight performance toe socks to try for my half-marathon training, I was all like Friends’ Phoebe circa 1999 for my next run. I felt so free and so graceful!

But how did my toes feel? Well, once I got over the novelty of having my piggies in their own little individual sleeves (my toe socks were in light pink, so I wore them a good hour before I even started running), I was pretty pleased with these running socks. Each sleeve gave its respective toe just enough wiggle room to not feel overly confined and a little room to expand as the run went on. Sure, the pinky sleeves were a little large, but I have wonkafied small pinkies that no standard toe sock could ever hope to perfectly fit, so I can’t fault them there. It did take me a few minutes to stop feeling like something was stuck between my toes, but once I did my feet were totally happy. (Kind of like when you get a pedi and have the toe separator thing in, only far less extreme.)

The five-toe design is said to prevent that icky between-the-toes friction and moisture that can cause blisters, athlete’s foot and otherailments caused walking and running. While I don’t normally get blisters between my toes (and if I did it was because my shoe box was too tight, not because of my socks), for people who struggle with that, it’s worth giving these a shot. What I really loved about the toe socks was their thin-yet-cushioned moisture-wicking fabric and “micro” length that hit just at the ankle. Totally flattering, and they felt great in my running shoes. They’re a bit of a sock splurge at $12 a pair, but between the performance and that feeling-like-a-kid-thing? Totally worth it. Especially when you get ’em in pink—or rainbow! —Jenn