I Spent $50 on Socks, No Wonder I'm Broke.

How snazzy

I can hike for hours on end, but when I run my body wants to implode after a mile. I've been able to build up my endurance and speed over the last 5ish months, but I'm constantly battling the typical runner woes of cramps and fatigue. My biggest cramping issue, aside from the dreaded side stitch, has been my calves and feet. It seems no matter how much I stretch I end up with "dead legs" after a mile or so. My calves feel like they seize up; not necessarily tighten but just cease to work, like something stopping and stretching it out wouldn't necessarily help. The same happens to my feet; it feels like I don't have any control over their actions and they flop around hitting the pavement like two bricks. I noticed a lot of the Boston Marathon runners this past year had colorful sleeves over their calves, so I did some research and started debating if I should get myself some compression gear. It seemed they were mostly for high-performance, like racing or distance running, so it made sense that so many Marathoners were wearing them. I kept thinking it was probably a fad, especially since most compression sleeves/socks look more like a fashion statement than anything. Compression socks/wraps are not new, and the science behind them seemed logical, but I'm not a marathon runner so why would I need them?

2XU Women's Compression Socks, $50

...Well, two months after doing the initial research I was still not able to figure out an at-home cure. No matter how much I was stretching beforehand I was still getting my "dead legs". Then I saw a picture of my cousin/self-proclaimed-Godfather wearing the compression sleeves during a race, and he told me that he absolutely swore by them and they were the best investment he made when it came to running. Alright, I'm convinced. I figured if someone with as many joint/muscle issues as me (I mean we are related) was swearing by them, then I could definitely benefit, too. I debated ordering some offline, but instead I went to Marathon Sports in Copley Sq. The store was pretty much right at the epicenter of one of the bombs  during the Marathon bombing, and had to shut down for the entirety of the investigation along with most of Boylston St. The store has been really busy every time I've passed it since the re-opening, but I figured I would keep my money local and shop there. I was trying to decide between the sleeves ($40ish) and socks ($60ish). Honestly, the cheaper of the two, the sleeves, had an awesome colors which made me want to go with those over the socks. The salesperson told me the sleeves were mainly for performance (racing, which I haven't done since track in high school), but the socks would help more with overall muscles recovery. After trying on, like, ten different pairs and staring at price tags I found a $50 pair that were unfortunately did not come in fun, neon colors. I had to remind myself that it's not a fashion show, and that me running is about the least attractive thing in the world so who cares what I'm wearing anyway. Regardless, I had high hopes.

Then I got my first student loan bill. OHFUCKNOHOLYSHIT. I eyed the box and thought "I just spent $50 on fucking socks, good thing I kept the receipt". I figured I would test them out before I hastily returned them to the store in hopes I could make my first of many torturous student loan payments. This morning I called Federal Loan Servicing to set up a more reasonable payment plan, and based on my income the government decided I could afford a payment of $0 a month. I felt relieved for a millisecond - "OH THANK THE LORD I don't have to send a check today" - then I felt overwhelmingly depressed - "I have a Bachelor's Degree, I was on the Honor's list for almost my entire college career, I have been actively looking for full time work since graduation, and I am so broke that the government just told me I can't even manage to pay them ONE PENNY a month". After walking around my house shouting things like "OH, MY LIFE" and laughing out loud like a truly insane person, I decided I should take out my frustrations in a run.

Admire my highly professional photography

It was so humid out that pulling the skin tight socks over my large calves was like stuffing a sausage into its casing. I did my usual leg stretches before setting off, but I was feeling off and started to think how miserable it would be. I made it about a half mile before my "dead legs" came on very strong. I made it just over a mile before I had to stop for fear that my feet had actually turned into two blocks of cement. The pain in my calves, specifically on the front-right side of my leg, seemed to be more pronounced. I tried briefly stretching, but nothing helped. I pushed through another mile, stopping every couple hundred yards from the pain, but it was not pretty and I cut my usual route short by almost a mile.



So do these things really suck that badly? Well, I'm not giving up hope yet. The fact that it was 80 degrees and disgustingly humid certainly didn't help (I felt like I was running through hot clam chowder). I also realized that I was probably nursing a minor, delayed hangover from yesterday's day-drinking. I didn't feel hungover, but I certainly wasn't properly hydrated enough to go running in 80 degree mugginess. I think my big problem is a combination of not stretching enough and not warming up my muscles enough. Next time I go out with the socks on I'll do at least a 5-minute walking warm-up and see if that helps. One positive thing I did notice was really fast recovery time. Usually my dead legs have me limping around the house for an hour or two after a run, but with the socks my legs felt okay within minutes. So, I'm holding out hope that maybe the perfect storm of dehydration, shitty weather, and lack of a proper warmup were the reasons I was so miserable today. I spent $50 on socks AND THEY BETTER DO THEIR JOB NEXT TIME.