Being a nerd is not about what you love; it’s about how you love it. I’m a runner and a sock nerd, and in four days, I’m running a half-marathon (eek!). Here are some reflections on socks because if there’s one thing every runner knows it’s: socks. matter. Darn Tough makes merino wool socks prized by hikers, runners, and buy-it-for-lifers because they’re guaranteed for life. According to my Amazon order history, I ordered five pairs of “Darn Tough Merino Wool Double Cross, No Show Tab, Light Cushion Sock Molten Large” socks in 2016. Today, six years later, I’m wearing a pair of the socks I ordered in 2016, and they’re great. And in all this time I’ve never used their warranty program, but I decided to try it out on a particularly worn pair—we’ll see how it goes! Why? Because squeezy is good. – Peter Sagal, Host of NPR’s “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” Compression socks supply support and structure. And it makes them a joy to wear—even when you’re not running. Initially, compression socks emerged to support circulation in the legs of diabetics. But now savvy runners sport them to capitalize on numerous studies claiming they aid performance and recovery (although who knows what the control is in those studies). I own two colors of CEP Progressive+ Run 2.0—basic black and caution-tape yellow. These socks are made of nylon (mostly) which massages my calves, keeping my blood flowing on my recovery days. I’ve owned these socks for years and wear them weekly. But it’s not all cozy, compressed joy: 90% of everything is crap Most socks are crap for running because most socks are cotton. But cotton is the wrong material for socks for the same reason it’s the right material for towels. Cotton is absorbent—it holds water and doesn’t release it. The sweat trapped between your foot and your cotton sock can cause blisters while running or hiking. In contrast, technical socks tend to be made of less absorbent material that dries quickly. So when you sweat, your sweat moves to the surface of the sock and evaporates before it gives you blisters. I believed blisters were unavoidable—I tossed a roll of Leukotape in my firstaid kit and accepted that I’d use it often. But then I realized the real problem was my cotton socks. “I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.” Mental energy is precious. You should avoid misspending your limited mental energy on your socks. You could argue writing a blog post about socks is the definition of misspent mental energy. But I believe it’s when you’re spending your mental energy that matters. If you find yourself bleary-eyed, rooting around for the one good pair of socks in the drawer, then you’re thinking about socks at the wrong time. Spend your effort up-front. Declare sock bankruptcy and find a brand of comfortable socks that you can wear in every situation, and then stock up.
I dashed through a half-marathon on the Fourth of July 2022—but in 2021, I
didn't run at all😐.
It’s gratifying to now think of myself as a runner—I never did before. I used these tactics and gear to hack my life, build a running habit, and (incredibly, to me) push through a half-marathon. In 2020, I was like most Americans—overweight. I had to shed some fat before I could start running. Weight loss is simple: eat fewer calories than you use. I recommend reading Fat Loss Forever by Peter Baker and Layne Norton, PH.D. The book asserts all diets work—you can lose weight by eating one hour each day or eating nothing but potatoes. But you need a diet that can work forever—otherwise, the outcome is grim. According to the book, of people who lose 10% of their body weight: Since all I care about is calories, I’ve opted to track my weight, calories, and exercise in myfitnesspal (free for the basics). Using this strategy, I lost 70lbs(!) and have kept it off for a year now. My walking habit granted me time for running later. Even if you never plan on running—walking is an excellent habit. Walking is proven to: Inspired by the likes of Nietzsche and Thoreau, I started walking 30 minutes daily at a “brisk pace” (2.5mph/4kph). Walking was my gateway drug. If you want to be a runner: sign up for a race and follow a plan. Back in February, a friend and I dared each other to sign up for a 5K race. Our commitment required training, and our improvement sparked motivation. When we saw ourselves run faster, it motivated us to work harder. Later, while training for the half-marathon, I needed a better plan. Plans for every distance are available for free online: I studied the book Run Like a Pro (Even if You’re Slow) by Matt Fitzgerald and Ben Rosario and found my training plan in the back. Mike Crittenden’s blog has more tips on how to build your running habit. Since you must run often, slow runs should form the foundation of your training. For training, you can pick any two of the following: Otherwise, you risk either your training schedule or your recovery. The only time to run fast AND far is race day. I run six days a week; each day is either: How slow is a slow run? McMillan running’s pace calculator computes your ideal pace for you (in exchange for an email). For my slow runs, I target 10.5 minutes per mile (6.5 minutes per kilometer). I bought a running watch to pace myself. My criteria for a running watch were: I spent $230 for a watch that checks all the boxes—the Garmin 245 music. I’m happy with my Garmin, but my old Casio AE-1300WH-8AVCF beeped and did intervals for $20—it was enough to get me through my 5K. My ideal watch would be my Casio with all the functions of my Garmin, but it would output a GPX file rather than force me to use an app. When I went to the local running store, they 3D-scanned my feet. The scan convinced me my current shoes were too big—my toes were sliding around—causing blisters. I’ve since put 350 miles on my new shoes—blister-free. The moral? Go to the local running store and buy shoes. Shoes I’ve worn and liked: A tip I gleaned from the book “Run Like a Pro (Even if You’re Slow)” is that professional runners use foam rollers. The thin casing of muscle-protecting fascia in your legs can knot itself into a little ball—making your calves feel tight. Foam rolling—“self-myofascial release”—can massage out all these knots. I found a good routine in a video from McMillian running. Some studies link foam rolling to faster recovery and increased athletic performance. I’m ambivalent, but it feels good and seems harmless, so I do it. I use and own both: The Meshtastic is my solarpunk dream—a cheap, encrypted, offgrid communicator. But the project is still in the alpha stages (and it shows). Meshtastic is a communication system. Its firmware runs on bare-bones “T-Beam” devices. T-Beams are available fully-assembled and pre-flashed for about $35. The devices enable encrypted, text-message-style communication via an app on your smartphone. No cell service required. I bought two Meshtastic T-Beams for a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. The devices worked as advertised—we could share texts and locations between our Android phones even though we had no service. Communication infrastructure fails. Whether an earthquake in Puerto Rico or a trip to a national park—it’s easy to imagine a situation where your smartphone is useless. And it’s trivial to surveil your communications—AT&T established room 641A to funnel communication to the NSA. And there are reports of “stingrays”—devices that masquerade as cell towers—intercepting the text messages of protestors. Meshtastic attempts to solve these problems using cheap, readily available parts and open-source software. Shut up and take my money. There’s no way around it: this is an alpha quality project. Right now, it’s only usable by nerds (like me 🌠). You’ll probably have a bad time if you’re not a tinkerer or a hobbyist. There is a lot to love about this project. I’m thrilled with this project. The talented people bolstering this community experiment with setting up base stations at Burning Man and running ssh tunnels via LoRa—they’re doing awesome things. I’ve not yet begun to nerd out on this.
Join the Darn Tough sock cult. ¶
About compression socks ¶
Avoid cotton socks ¶
You think about socks every day. ¶
Tactics for weight loss ¶
Developing a running habit by walking ¶
Sign up for a race ¶
Most runs are slow runs ¶
Pace yourself ¶
Running shoes ¶
Foam rollers ¶
Problems Meshtastic solves ¶
What I dislike ¶
What I love ¶
The verdict ¶
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