Head down to the starting line of your next local race and look at the ankles of your fellow runners. You’ll notice a greater variety of socks than color options of crayons in the huge 120-count box (“Macaroni and Cheese Yellow” is one of my favorites). Did you know that you can tell what type of a runner a person is by looking at their socks? It’s completely true.
Brightly Colored Knee-High Socks
You love to run and you express your joy of running through your outfits. You show up to races coordinating your clothing with the theme. St Patrick’s Day? Shamrock socks. Disney race? Minnie Mouse red and white polka dots. Fourth of July? Red, white, and blue everything. You get the idea. Your bright and cheery colors are a true pick-me-up for those of us having a bad race…because you remind us that running truly is about having fun.
Knee-High Socks With Words
You aren’t completely sure why you signed up for this race in the first place, so you might as well add a little bit of motivation—or humor—wherever you can. Things like “Beer Runner” or “Happy Pace” knitted into the sides of your socks in big, bold letters, are reminders that you really enjoy what you do, even when the going gets tough.
Solid-Colored Compression Sleeves
You mean business. You take your running seriously and your recovery even more so. You’ll do anything you can to shave three seconds off your mile pace or squeeze one more mile into each training week to hit or exceed your training goals.
Ankle-High Crew Socks
Comfort over fashion. You have no time for blisters, chafing, or rocks in your shoes. You aren’t concerned with trying to color coordinate your running singlet with your feet. And you might not have time for trying to find a matching pair of socks either, which is why you have multiple pairs of the exact same sock.
No-Show Socks
You are a risk taker. Chafing on your Achilles tendon from the back of your shoes? Bring it on. Rocks, dirt, or other debris sneaking into your shoe past your exposed ankle? You aren’t afraid. Possibility for your sock slipping halfway down your shoe mid race? You’re willing to gamble.
No socks
You’re likely a triathlete. You are obsessed with shaving every possible second off your finishing time, as is demonstrated by your super elite gear such as carbon fiber bike frames, aerodynamic handlebars, and time trial helmets. Trying to put socks on wet feet adds way too much unnecessary time to your transition, so you don’t bother.
Generic Cotton Socks
You are either a beginner or a very, very lucky runner who has yet to experience the pain and discomfort of swampy, sweaty, blistered feet. If you are the former, I recommend getting some running-specific, sweat-wicking socks as soon as possible. If you are the latter, well, I suppose I envy your very rugged feet…and your luck.