Toughest sock in town

The Darn Tough Merino wool socks just may be the toughest socks on the market. We've been carrying these for over a year now and my original test socks are still looking new (well maybe a little dirty). That means they have survived a year of trail runs, a ton of races where I worked or was the director (much tougher then actually running) and one trail ultra in France. I also wear them casually at the store. You can't wear these things out, and if you do they'll replace them.

Darn Tough Vermont is a cool little company. Based in Vermont they design and actually knit all the socks in their own mill, right here in the USA. They've been making socks for over 30 years so they know what they are doing. They share our belief that a big part of doing business is supporting the community that you are in. I dig that about them.

So what makes these socks so great. It might be the mix of Merino Wool, Nylon and Spandex. It could also be the high density cushioning on the foot bottom. Maybe it is the invisible seam at the toe. It could be the fact that even when wet Merino wool feels nice. All of these things add up to one great feeling sock.

When we were thinking about carrying wool socks last year we tested a few different brands. I had already tested one major brand and the socks just always wore out. It was either a hole at the toe or at the Achilles, either way for 15+ bucks a sock should last. I even spoke with a rep from that company and he said yeh they wear out kinda fast. Right there I knew they weren't for us. If you work for the company and don't even believe in the product why should I carry it. Good thing we found Darn Tough.

So if you wear socks out fast or just want a great sock, especially for the winter give Darn Tough Vermont a try. They're cushioned, wear like iron, and for the weather we are about to get they will keep your toes feeling nice and warm. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Live FIT.

Salomon SpeedCross 2 review

Is this the ultimate trail shoe for winter use? Maybe not the ultimate winter shoe due to a lack of water proofness but it sure is the best light weight go fast grip like crazy shoe out there.

Originally Salomon made this shoe as a winter shoe due to the tread they chose for it. Myself and thousands of others found that it works great as a race day shoe for tough trail races. At just 10.2 ounces for a mens size 9 and a low to the ground midsole and snug fit this shoe begs to go fast. It is kinda like my Aussie, Bart, It wants to run fast.

Here are some of the details

• Like I said light. 10.2 ounces (mens 9)
• Mens sizing only (sorry ladies) but the good news it comes in sizes 5 - 14 (thats wmns 6.5 - 15.5)
• Fits snug and narrow but normal in length
• This is due to the upper being double lasted. Trust me it is worth it if your foot fits in it
• Very nice toe cap to protect the toes from roots, stones and other trail crap
• Salomons lace pocket on the tongue and their great Quicklace kevlar laces
• Funky upper material that kinda repels dirt and crap and is very slightly H2O resistant
• SensiFit upper wraps the foot for a secure and precise fit
• Dual density midsole for slight pronation control.
• I find this very good for most people off road as the soft surface causes the foot to roll past neutral and to splay laterally to try and gain traction and power. Having the second density post will help the foot stay in a better position
• Very nice Ortholite insole
• Possibly the best part, the outsole
• They call it Winter Contragrip. I call it sweet. Think mountain bike tires circa 1992. Big tread, lots of space between treads and very soft rubber. This leads to mud just flying off and not mucking up your traction. It will grip just about anything due to the use of soft rubber.
• And it is all black which women have gone crazy over since we started carrying them last spring and men, well we don't really care.

Of course there must be some negatives.

• Like I already said mens only sizing. They were ready to do a womens for 2009 but dropped it.
• Fits very narrow so it won't work for a lot of people
• That super grippy outsole won't last on the road, but that isn't what it was built for.

Overall: You may have guessed that I like this shoe. You may be able to guess that I have a narrow foot so it fits me well. If you are looking for a great trail shoe that will do double duty as a winter shoe with tons of traction give this one a try.

Live FIT.

When a company cares

So I went for a run the other morning and decided to test a pair of water resistant trail shoes since the grass was wet. The test didn't go well at all. My feet were soaked very quickly.

Now this wasn't a prototype so I shot a semi pissed/sarcastic email off to our sales rep (we get along great so I can be brutally honest with him). He sent the note to an inside sales rep.

I just got off the phone with the National Sales Manager (he called me). I've got a new pair on the way as the testing I am about to do on my original pair just might destroy them. The NSM swears that they had done a ton of testing and that he personally wears them and his feet stay dry. Maybe our wet here in Rochester is wetter then his wet out in the Rockies. Either way I plan to do a 6 hour dunk test with my current pair to see if it is the material that is failing or the bonding. After that I'll do more torture tests on the poor things. I'll figure out if the shoe is everything it should be.

I'll report back on how it goes. The real success of this tale is that in this case a company wants to make sure their product is everything they say it is. That is a good thing.

Live FIT.

A New Adventure begins

I'm starting a new little human experiment, called FF Lab Rats (disclaimer no real rats are even used for this) I use to coach a few select runners one on one. Since opening the store I just haven't had the time or the energy. Well I decided it was time to jump back into it and I offered a few slots.

The amazing thing is that I had a bunch of people want in and they had no idea what it is I planned to do with them. All I said is that I would challenge them to run and train harder then they ever had using some crazy ideas that I will make up as I go. Yup they still wanted in. Some know me and some of the things I've done, others I think just wanted a challenge. I guess crazy attracts crazy.

I've got 7 signed up and a few more on the fence. I had to turn a few away. It will be a very diverse group. I made it very clear that talent is not what I was looking for, a willingness to suffer was required. I've got both men and women. Some have run some pretty quick times, some hope to in the future. Some are already in great shape, some (like me) need to get in shape.

It is going to be interesting. I don't follow any common training plans. I use heart rate as a guide and like to challenge my team to push beyond the point of discomfort. You know that point where it hurts so much that you just have to slow down? How do you know that the pain doesn't go away if you try to run even harder? You don't know so you might as well try it. Everyone that joined up will learn to push to that point. They will get in better physical shape but even more importantly they will build their minds to be stronger.

Over the next 12 or so weeks I'll write about some of the workouts that the crew is doing. It might be hill repeats at midnight or one of my favs that I call 10-2-10. That's a nasty one but it makes you strong.

Be sure to check back and next srping when a friend beats you easily at a 5k and you ask them how they did it. If the answer is "I'm a lab rat" you'll know what they mean.

Live FIT.