Injinji review and giveaway

Originally I thought toe socks were just for people who like to wear five finger shoes, whose name always reminds me of the five finger discount. What if you got caught stealing in those? Now that could be awkward for you.

Then I discovered that running trails inevitably brings muddy, wet feet. I have lots of socks that I love and work well for preventing blisters in road running, but nothing was keeping me blister-free when my feet were soaked. Blisters were still creeping up between my toes. Ugh and ouch. And once a blister creeps in, he's a real pain to uninvite to your running parties.

Enter Injinjis. It's as if a cherubic angel baby appeared to me and handed the socks to me while playing a glistening golden harp. That's how magical their blister-freeing effect was for me.

Are they kind of weird when you first put them on? Yes. If you are trying them for the first time, be prepared to be skeptical. A healthy dose of skepticism is (pause) healthy, right? I thought there was no way that all that fabric around my toes would not drive me crazy. Turns out that once I started running, I didn't notice it. At all. So they may seem weird to you in the beginning, but just go with it. Note: that's also exactly what I tell my kids about eating vegetables and taking baths.

For this review, I specifically tried the compression knee-length socks.

I tested the heck out of them on the Mt. Cheaha 50K, where we splashed through water crossing after water crossing after even bigger water crossing. After 6 and 1/2 hours of running with wet feet, my feet were surprisingly free of new blisters. 

Also note that the knee-length compression socks are more difficult to put on than non-compression socks, but not too bad if you already have experience putting on other compression socks. The compression felt similar to that of other brands I have tried, like Pro Compression. 

The white color wasn't the best for a muddy trail race -- go figure. I couldn't quite get the mud entirely out, so I decided to tie-dye them. I was hoping for the colors to turn out slightly darker, but I still like the results better than murky white. 

Special request for Injini: please make stripy compression toe socks! It would be my dream combo.

I also tested the trail midweight mini crew. 

These were soft and comfortable. Plus I liked the extra height on the ankle to keep debris away from my foot. These are perfect for trail running in the winter, fall and spring, but I would try a lighter weight for the summer. These were thicker than my usual summer running socks. 

There was a small bit of extra fabric around my toes (see the picture above) that I was worried might cause blistering, but that never happened during my testing. 

Would you like to try some out and see if they help your blister toe (or other foot part) situation? Thanks to Injinji, one of you will get to. They are donating a prize pack of two pairs of Injinjis in your size plus an assortment of GU thrown in for long-run fueling. 

To enter: Leave a comment here or on Facebook telling me that you want to win.  

For bonus entries: These are completely optional! But if you do them, make sure to leave a separate comment for each so I can count them all.

* Like Injinji on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Like GU Energy Labs on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Like (or already like) Yo Momma Runs on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Follow (or already follow) Yo Momma Runs on Twitter. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Share this giveaway via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or your blog. Leave a separate comment for each share!

I'll choose a winner next Friday, April 5th, via random.org. And can someone please explain how it is already April? I just barely, like yesterday, started noting on checks and documents that it's 2013, and now the year is already one-third dunzo. Sigh. 

Side note: is anyone else in a depression about Google getting rid of Reader? That is my method of tracking and reading all of the blogs of the lands, so I'm going to feel significantly lost without it.