Gear Review - Yakety Yak Knee High Running Socks

I got these socks specifically to wear at my local Santa's Stampede 10k.  Race organizers give you a santa hat to wear, but I get warm easily and the fit on the hat is always wonky, so I end up holding the hat as I run. Not festive!  But now that I had these socks, I was festive and ready to run.

as modeled in my dining room, pre-race

Socks can be a bit risky for me, mainly because my feet hate me.  Really, my feet are very picky and its rare when I can pick something off the shelf and have it work for me.  (see: my collection of rarely worn but very cute running socks.  Honestly, there's only 2 or 3 brands out there that I can wear comfortably).  To add to the challenge, my right pinky toe was possibly broken.  I refuse to get it xrayed and it usually feels fine when I'm running.  Just don't ask me how it feels when I'm not running.  *sigh*  I haven't been able to wear most shoes (other than some old runners) and I had to be selective on my socks because anything too tight would hurt.  And here I was, going for a big PR in a 10k in strange socks.  No worries!

ready to run

These socks are very thin and lightweight.  I had plenty of room in my toes (they didn't bother my broken* toe).  They are a bit tight in the calf (see how stretched they are in the first photo), but the tightness wasn't uncomfortable.  In fact, it probably helped the socks stay up. There isn't any cushion to these, but I normally don't like cushion in my socks. These may look like compression socks, but they really aren't.  They're more like a fun lightweight tall sock.  So keep that in mind when you're buying and wearing them.  They come in a variety of colors and designs.  I definitely see myself getting these St Patrick's Day themed socks or these cute pink/green argyle ones in the future.  They cost $9.99 - very affordable for something "fun" to wear during races, on festive training runs, or when you need something cute or spunky as extra motivation to get out the door and run.

My race went really well, in fact I had a 5 minute PR and beat my goal by 35 seconds.  Along the course (and before and after the race) I got plenty comments about my socks.  They were definitely festive and easy to see!  As for performance, I didn't even notice them as I was running, which to me, is high praise.  My legs and feet felt awesome the entire race.  My toes had room to move and I never developed any hot spots or foot discomfort.  Hurray!

sprinting to the finish - all my husband had to do was look for the socks

Buy them at Gone for a Run, an online store for $9.99

Get 10% off through Dec 20, 2013 with the coupon code "GOTRIERIN10"

*disclaimer* Gone for a Run provided these socks to me to wear and review.  All opinions remain my own.