I’ve been looking forward to getting my toes into a pair of these socks for almost 2 years. When training for the ’07 OBX Marathon, a buddy of mine sent me an article on these socks and we both vowed to get a pair. Seems it was something we never got around to ordering, but the name stuck with me. Since then a few other conversations I’ve had with runners have covered the topic of socks and someone will say “Have you ever seen those socks with the individual toes?” I try and sound like I know what I’m talking about and say “Yeah, those are injinjis, and they are supposedly great for a more natural running feel… yadda yadda”. Until today, I’d never worn them – but after a stop at REI I’m the proud owner of 3 pair.
Getting ‘em on: This is a total non-issue. It took about 2 seconds longer than usual to guide each toe into position. The socks are very pliable (CoolMax / Nylon & Lycra) and stretch to fit.
Comfort: First impression; “There’s something stuck between my toes!” They wrap each toe, and it might take me a little bit to get used to having fabric between my toes. I’m wearing them right now (5 min so far) and it’s still a little strange.
Fit on foot: I will never be a foot model, that much is sure. I don’t just have ugly feet, I have misshapen, ugly toes. My second toe is considerably longer than my first, and my little toe is the runt of the litter. Because of the varying lengths of my toes, the socks are snug on some toe tips and baggy on others. I’m a size 9.5 and these Medium socks are for 8-10.5. I fall pretty squarely in the middle range of these socks. UPDATE: 15 minutes later, totally used to the fabric between toes, actually love being able to stretch out each toe!
Fit in shoes: Cool! My toes get to move independently, and the toebox in my UnderArmor Running shoes feels huge! I’ve been walking around the house for 15 minutes with shoes on and these socks are pretty comfortable. The do feel a little bit thin, and my toes feel like they are slipping around in my toebox – but the feeling is so much better than each toe being crunched together.
Running w/shoes: Absolutely better than regular socks s far as fit, feel & comfort. I took a quick 2 miler in my worn-out Asics that I ran the San Diego Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in last year and the toe freedom actually made a difference. My toes feel like they stretch out each time I land on my forefoot, giving me a more stable base to push off from. Of course the toes are still confined by the somewhat pointy toebox of these shoes, I am looking forward to a longer run this afternoon in my Newton Running Motis Trainers. The Newtons have a slightly larger and rounder toebox, so there should be even more room for my toes to stretch out.
Brett bought me injini’s. Not sold like I am on Newton’s or FiveFingers