Running Compression Socks - Part II The Verdict !!

Sorry about the delay in getting Part II of my Running Compression Socks review up sportsfans, I wanted to get a bit more running in them and along with that some good solid comparitive session done with, and without, the socks on.

Earlier in the piece I was using compression socks in my training in the leadup to Geelong 70.3 in February. What this comprised of was using the socks on key long run sessions, which usually entailed a 9.5km loop (and multiples thereof!) of Mt Cootha, here in Brisbane.

This run comprises of a 2.5km climb, averaging about 10%, followed by a few k's of rolling and pinchy hills, followed by a two tiered long downhill section to really smash your quads up !
Needless to say, this run really tests out your calves and will expose any weakness there.
I wasn't expecting the socks to make me go faster. In fact, they didn't. My lap times were around about what they normally are, averaging about 43-44mins a lap pretty comfortably. What I was looking for was a difference in "feel" during the run, and also a difference in immediate soreness and tenderness...followed by any difference in recovery.

What can I say? The socks were great. At first it took a little bit of getting used to having something wrapped tightly around your calves, but after that it felt great and was almost like a safety net of sorts. You could almost feel the lessening of movement of the calf muscle itself, the impact vibration, being decreased and the ol' lamb shank being held firm and stable.
Afterwards i probed around my calves a bit looking for the usual tenderness, but there was none. I left the socks on for about 45mins after the session, and the following day the only slight soreness i had was in my quads !

I went on to use the socks for the run leg of Geelong 70.3 and again, they were excellent. The run course was reasonably challenging and, whilst I didn't quite have the run i was looking for, at the post-race massage there was absolutely no soreness in my calves. The only tender spots I had were my hammies and glutes, probably due to my bike setup on the day.

More recently I have been training for the Gold Coast Marathon. This has again given me the opportunity to use the socks again on Mt Cootha, but also to do a good comparison run of socks vs no socks over the same course.
One week I ran 30km with just my normal running socks and, yes my calves were a little bit ginger as that was easily my longest run since the Ironman in April. The week after I did a 34km run over the exact same course (with a bit extra), but wearing the compression socks.
You guessed it - after the run with the compression socks on I had no calf soreness AT ALL.

SO....... what's the final word ?

They work. Plain and simple.

Would I wear them for every run ? No, I don't think I would.
I think compression socks come into their own on your longer, harder, more taxing runs. That said, I do believe they really come into their own in colder months/climates. I think one of the keys to the benefits you reap from these socks is the warmth they apply to your calf muscle before, during and after the workout. The warmth brings blood flow, blood flow brings oxygen and nutrients to muscles, oxygen and nutrients enhance muscle performance and most importantly in endurance athletes - RECOVERY.

If you were afraid of looking like a bit of a goose running in your maths teachers socks, i think you'd even get some benefit if you did your long run, then put the socks on immediately for 45-60 mins or so. Keep those calves warm, keep the blood flow up. And yes, i guess you could just whack on a pair of full leg skins and get the same/similar result. Sure, why not....

I've also done alot of long runs in full leg skins and found them to be great, again, of even greater benefit in colder months. But i sometimes find that, because they go over your knee, if i don't have them adjusted just right (anf hey, the thrashing of the tackle on a long run can result in regular adjustment being required...), can result in the tightness of the skins over your knee cap slightly altering the tracking of the Patella. This can result in knee pain for some, and/or exacerbate knee/ITB soreness.

So, that's the long and the short of it. Hope it helps, naturally if you have any questions i'd be happy to answer them.
Compression socks are available on the Web (ebay) pretty cheaply if you want to give them a go without dropping alot of coin.

YoYo gave it a go, so should you.