Friday, December 19, 2008

Socks and Shoes

Like it or not, I'm already very committed to this cross-country venture. We've publicized it enough that there is no turning back. Two weeks ago, however, I made a major financial commitment to it as well. Along with moving a sizeable chunk of my savings into the bike fund (which is slowly growing in the thermometer to your right) I purchased almost $200 worth of equipment at the Performance Bike Shop in Charlottesville. Most of the items I bought were absolute steals - like sleeveless jerseys for $8!! - but I also bit the bullet and purchased mid-priced cycling shoes with cleats. After trying on a number of pairs and asking the advice of Kyle and our charming salesboy I decided on a pair of Shimanos (SH-MO86L for those googling along at home). I have wanted real shoes for a long, long time. My sneakers are wearing down anyway, but for cycling I really need a narrower, stiffer shoe, and by adding cleats that clip into the pedals I can exert force on the upstroke as well as on the downstroke. Unfortunately I didn't get to use the new shoes right away because changing my pedals and putting cleats on the shoes required expertise and equipment (we were, humorously enough, missing a screw) that Kyle and I didn't have at the time, but yesterday we got both from the local bike shop so I could finally try out my new shoes on the trainer today. Ok, it wasn't quite that easy: Kyle had to take various wrenches and finally a hammer to my old pedals to get them off of the bike (while I forced all of my weight on the other pedal to try to keep things stationary: it was amusing as well as frustrating). The shoes themselves are surprisingly comfortable; I'm quite pleased, especially since I'll be wearing them hour after hour and day after day come May. And because they are actually made for mountain biking, the bottoms are flat enough that I can walk around in them (not the case with Kyle's current shoes). At first clipping in felt a bit strange and constraining, but I soon got used to and enjoyed it. I'm very excited to try them outside, as my sneakers always seem to slip off the pedals during climbs and sprints. Learning to quickly clip in and out in heavy traffic will be challenging, however, and I also seriously worry about my ankles. Getting out of the pedals involves a quick, hard twist to the side that doesn't seem very healthy for them. I'll have to keep my weaker right ankle clipped in as much as possible.

On another footwear note, all of my athletic socks have decided to develop holes in the past month. It's really rather ridiculous and I suspect some sort of sock union conspiracy. The worst part is that I can't seem to find replacements, and these aren't just any old socks. These are the socks that saved my frisbee career.

The Sock Story: After breaking my right ankle playing frisbee and spraining the left one my first tournament back, I invested in the toughest and most flexible ankle braces that I could find. They are Swede-O Tarsal Lok braces. They have saved my ankles during countless twists and impacts and I highly, highly recommend them. I even asked for a back-up pair on our Amazon wedding registry. Unfortunately they can cause blisters, and so can any cleats that you try to fit on my oddly shaped feet (narrow heel, wide toe base, insanely high arch). So I spent my junior year with incredibly painful and ever-worsening blisters, including veritable holes on the backs of my heels that left permanent scars. It was rather hellish really. When a member of the local club team saw my bleeding feet she told me to buy non-cotton socks that wouldn't trap as much moisture. For a while I stupidly ignored her decades of wisdom, but one day in WalMart I saw inexpensive, non-cotton athletic socks made by Danskin. I bought a pair and they pretty much changed my life. My feet were in cushioned, wicking heaven. Most of my blisters began to heal and the few that remained were entirely manageable. I couldn't believe I had suffered so long and I immediately became an ambassador for non-cotton socks, especially my Danskin finds. I of course returned to the store and bought many additional pairs at the time but now that I need more they seem to have disappeared from stores and websites alike. I'm sure any non-cotton socks I buy will be fine, and I will have to switch over to thinner socks for summer cycling anyway, but I remain stubbornly and affectionately attached to those Danskin socks. I especially love them for ultimate frisbee, even when I lace my ankle braces too tightly and the little embroidered stick figure gets imprinted on my ankle bone for a day or two. I see it as a mark of love.

I need those socks.

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